More often than not, a loss adjuster is one of the first people a claimant will meet following a highly traumatic and emotional experience. Whether that’s a house fire, flood, or where they’re being sued for personal injury, it’s the loss adjuster’s job to gather evidence, expert opinions and witness statements, before finally negotiating settlement of the insurance claim.

The head of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program has announced major reforms in the wake of accusations of fraud and delays in the insurance review process.

It is likely that 2016 will be a huge year in terms of insurance payments due to the Fort McMurray wildfire, said the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).The IBC reported that severe weather insurance claims have been rising for a few decades and have climbed exponentially since 2009.

Industry insured losses from the Fort McMurray wildfire that began May 1 and is still being fought today is estimated at $4.4 billion to $9.0 billion, AIR Worldwide reported late Monday.

Fifteen Oklahoma counties have been declared as part of a state of emergency from the May 8 and May 9 storms. Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Garvin, Johnson, Kay, McCurtain, Murray, Noble, Payne, Stephens and Tillman counties were all named as part of the state of emergency.

As the wildfire situation in Fort McMurray, Alta appeared to stabilize Sunday, insurance companies across Canada have already begun deploying mobile response units and flying in personnel to the province from across the country to prepare to assess the damage.

The damage costs from the fire ripping through Fort McMurray, Alta., could reach $9 billion for insurers if it gets to the point that the entire town has to be rebuilt, an analyst at Bank of Montreal said Thursday.

Amid raging wildfires in Alberta, Canada, the provincial government has declared a state of emergency as two more communities prepared to evacuate overnight Wednesday. Some of the 80,000 residents who had fled Fort McMurray to Anzac after a mandatory evacuation notice were told just after midnight that they would have to move again.

Fire raged unchecked through the Canadian city of Fort McMurray overnight as authorities raced to complete the evacuation of its population of 80,000, fearful that hot, dry winds forecast for Wednesday would further fan the flames.

The March ice storm that swept through York Region and southern Ontario caused more than $25 million in property damage, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. Strong winds and freezing rain toppled fences, downed trees and power lines and left hundreds without power between March 23 and 26.

Reptile theories and product liability strategies aside, this month’s feature article on tornado damage inspections comes at a particularly useful time.