While the Gulf Coast rarely sees snow in the winter months, safe driving is crucial as precipitation arrives in the form of rain and sleet. Though these tips are offered by the Iowa Department of Transportation, they still remain absolutely relevant given the ability of cold weather to cause unsafe driving conditions despite a lack of snow or hail.
Hurricane Ida is moving into the Gulf and current tracking has the storm reaching the Gulf Coast late Monday evening. WWL reports Ida is gaining strength over the warm Gulf water while also downgrading into a tropical storm.
For more information on Ida as it becomes available, check out the National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center site dedicated to the storm, located here, or continue to check into this blog.
While much of the nation has been spared any sort of adverse weather as a result of tropical storms or hurricanes, insuring one’s home is not the only way precaution may be taken by people, regardless on where they live. One helpful tip is to avoid any sort of delay or detriment to travel enjoyment by insuring your trip or vacation.
Article writer Michelle Higgins recounts various trips she has taken and the security insurance now provides. She writes
Several years passed before we returned to the Caribbean in hurricane season. In October 2007, my husband and I rented a house on the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico. The three-bedroom home was perched on a hilltop, and its pool offered clear views of the bioluminescent bay and remote beaches. The October rate was a bargain, and other than a few afternoon showers, we escaped any foul weather.
Per the Examiner, storms may finally reach the Gulf Coast.
A new system taking shape has a fairly high chance of becoming a depression, and possibly tropical storm, on either September 1 or 2, according to the National Hurricane Center. It is located east of Puerto Rico near the Lesser Antilles.
The good news is this: the persistent trough over the east will likely steer this tropical cyclone away from the U.S. coast just as we saw with “Bill” and “Danny”. The system has a very low chance of affecting Texas based on expected steering winds.
A little bit of ‘News in Short’
Miami Herald: more tax benefits for Chinese drywall victims
Scientific tests have shown that toxic China-made drywall installed in homes beginning in 2001 emits harmful gases that corrode copper wiring and other parts of people’s homes. In addition, these gases harm people’s health, making many homes uninhabitable. Homeowners must not be left to shoulder this burden alone…
Just a helpful reminder that buying a weather radio may be a good idea before it is a necessity. Various sites around the internet are selling them, as are businesses in areas around the Gulf Coast, and some decent deals might be something to jump on. One site, for instance, is selling a model for 50% off, only $18 + shipping. The model includes features such as
Receives all 7 NOAA Weather/Hazard Channels
Telescopic Antenna
Virginia’s WSLS recently did a piece on traveling and the use of travelers insurance that is very relevant to anyone across the United States who may be visiting or doing business in regions such as the Gulf Coast. When visiting areas like Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi or Texas, travelers may want to consider the slightly extra fees to guarantee their trip is financially supported in the event hurricane season flips on it.
Bradford tells WSLS travelers can expect to pay anywhere from $50 to hundreds of thousands of dollars for trip insurance, but she says it pays for itself if they have to use it.
“If it’s a situation where you’ve paid $4,000 for a trip and it gets cancelled because of a hurricane and you didn’t take out any insurance, you’re in bind,“ said Bradford.
An article from 2005 while Hurricane Katrina raged through the States remains relevant today.
In today’s five tips, we’re going to tell you what you need to know about your insurance if your home as been damaged or destroyed in the hurricane.
1. Contact your insurer, stat.
The New York Times recently brought up a casualty of the economic climate facing many states: the cost/benefit analysis being made by states in regards to insurance against dangerous storms. Often extremely costly and unnecessary, this reinsurance looks to bolster defenses against disastrous natural calamities but, with budget cuts at a premium, states are beginning to count every dollar and looking to go without.
Public insurance programs in some coastal states are flirting with the notion of saving millions of dollars every year by shrinking or canceling the coverage they buy from private reinsurers — the deep-pocketed companies that insure insurers whose exposure to loss exceeds the budgets of some nations.
States are the insurers in this case. And they are either tired of paying piles of cash for reinsurance policies that are rarely needed, or too broke financially to maintain coverage that has saved state residents from paying billions in hurricane damage claims. In the parlance of the insurance business, without coverage or a hedge against their expensive risks, they are “running naked.”
In something around 24 hours, 3 tropical storms have popped up according to the National Weather Service. While two (Ana and Bill) are still off into the Atlantic, Claudette hit Florida late last night.
Now is as good a time as any to prepare for any future storms that may come. You can check out our section on various storm and hurricane preparedness tips, available here, and make sure that your home preparation checklist is complete before the height of storm season gets here.
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