Residents of northwest Florida had until early Tuesday to leave their homes ahead of Hurricane Michael, forecast to crash ashore midweek as a major Category 3 storm with "life-threatening" flash flooding possible.

Tropical Storm Michael has strengthened overnight and is nearing hurricane-force winds on Monday morning as it sets its sights on the Florida Panhandle.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott already declared a state of emergency in 26 counties in the northern part of the state on Sunday.

State Rep. John Carson, R-Marietta, announced Wednesday that traffic fatalities, crashes and related insurance claims are down in Georgia.

As Hurricane Florence surged toward land last week, meteorologists and emergency agencies took notice. The storm was a Category 4 hurricane, the second-strongest type, and it was drawing a bead on the Carolina coast.

Some Decatur residents and businesses, including Riverwalk Marina, are still dealing with damage from the storm that hit the city April 3. Most business owners are haggling with insurance companies, though Riverwalk Marina owner Steve Conner said he has settled with his carrier for the most part.

Insurtech company REIN has launched DroneInsurance.com, with underwriting by Liberty Specialty Markets, providing usage-based insurance for commercial drone operators and simplifying the process of obtaining both base and liability coverage.

A Columbus roofing contractor has been charged with intentionally vandalizing the roofs of two homes in Muscogee County, Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens said in a release Friday.

Georgia has joined fifteen other states which have outlawed the use of hand-held cellphones and mobile devices while driving. A new law signed by Governor Nathan Deal makes watching movies, shooting video, and even the mere “holding” of hand-held devices while in the vehicle—even while stopped—illegal.

Fire ripped through a Carrollton plastics plant Thursday night. There were no apparent injuries in the fire, which happened at the Superior Recreational Products plant on Columbia Drive, but the 80,000 square-foot building appeared to be a total loss, according to Carrollton Fire Department Battalion Chief Allen English.

As summer approaches along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, residents prepare for the hurricane season ahead. The Atlantic hurricane season — June through November (though known to start as early as January in past years) — has devastated communities from Texas to New England, resulting in significant recovery costs.

With so many businesses and individuals affected by Hurricanes including Maria, Harvey and Irma in 2017, risk managers and insurers are looking to revised forecasts of this year’s hurricane season for a glimmer of hope that 2018 will not bring the same destruction.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) today released its annual report on motorcycle thefts in the United States for 2017.

The National Weather Center has announced storm damage in Gwinnett County is the equivalent of an EF1 tornado.

For the first time, the National Transportation Safety Board is recommending all new school buses be equipped with lap and shoulder seat belts, after the agency released findings from a special investigation report prompted by two deadly 2016 crashes.

At its core, the industry is plagued by an inherent conflict of interest. Our customers don’t have an industry expert advocating solely on their behalf; the experts have financial incentives coming from the insurance industry.