Hurricane-Proof Your Vacation

Forecast calls for normal year, less severe than recent years

(NEWSER) - Hurricane forecasters say this looks to be a pretty standard year for the Atlantic, with one to three major hurricanes expected in the six-month season that begins June 1. Some specifics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration :

• Expect nine to 15 named storms, meaning winds reach at least 39mph

Storm churning northwest in the Atlantic

(AP) - The National Hurricane Center says that Katia has "rapidly" intensified into a Category 2 hurricane. Hurricane specialist Robbie Berg said earlier today that Katia has cycled on and off between tropical storm and hurricane status while moving across the open Atlantic. But as of 11am today, Katia had sustained winds of 100mph, and was moving northwest at 12mph. More»

Gary Giordano tried to redeem accidental death policy on Robyn Gardner

(NEWSER) - Just two days after telling Aruba police that his traveling companion Robyn Gardner was missing, Gary Giordano tried to collect on the accidental death provision in the $1.5 million travel insurance policy he’d taken out for the trip, a source tells the AP . Giordano has since been detained as a suspect in Gardner’s disappearance, and investigators are now trying to determine if there was anything unusual about the policy. More»

125K are losing coverage in middle of hurricane season

(NEWSER) - State Farm, Florida’s top home insurer, is ditching 125,000 of its coastal customers this year—right in the middle of hurricane season. The cancellation notices will start flowing this week, informing residents that they’ll be unprotected starting Aug. 1, NBC News reports. State Farm says it’s making the move because Florida regulators wouldn’t let them jack up rates 47.1%. More»

Company holds 1.2M policies in state hit hard, and often, by nature

(NEWSER) - Citing a “weakened financial position,” State Farm’s Florida operation is planning to completely exit the home insurance business there within 2 years, the Miami Herald reports. Such a move would need regulatory approval, and require a 180-day heads-up to affected homeowners. The move comes after the insurer, Florida’s largest with 1.2 million properties, could not obtain approval to raise rates drastically. More»