Nearly 1,300 new hail claims created last week in Alberta, more than 3,000 waiting for an inspector: Agriculture Financial Services Corporation
August 11, 2016 by Canadian Underwriter
Alberta’s Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) said on Wednesday 1,289 new hail claims were created last week, while 3,089 hail claims are currently waiting for an inspector.
AFSC, the Crown corporation with a private sector board of directors that provides farmers, agribusiness and other small businesses loans, crop insurance and farm income disaster assistance, also noted in a statement that a total of 636 claims were completed for the week of Aug. 2 to 8. Eighty per cent of these claims were inspected within 31 days of reporting, AFSC said, but warned that future wait times may be different based on the number of outstanding claims.
To date, 3,213 “hail, pre-harvest and wildlife insurance claims” are currently waiting for an adjuster, while inspection has been completed for 3,591 claims. A total of 1,103 claims are in process with an adjuster and 377 are pending or deferred.
Of those waiting for an adjuster, 548 claims were in Alberta’s central region, 126 in the north, 520 in the Parkland region and 2,019 in the south. Of those in process with an adjuster, 224 are in the central region, 44 in the north, 255 in the Parkland region and 580 in the south. For the 377 pending or deferred claims, 93 are in the central region, 34 in the north, 119 in Parkland and 131 in the south.
Inspection has been completed for 3,591 claims – 947 in the central region, 94 in the north, 1,470 in Parkland and 1,080 in the south.
AFSC said in the statement that it prioritizes claims based on several factors, including inspection type, storm date, crop type and crop stage. “AFSC may delay an inspection until the extent of damage and recovery is evident,” the statement said, adding that longer wait times should be expected when claim numbers are high.
In late July, the Insurance Bureau of Canada reported that a severe storm that swept across the Prairies in June resulted in more than an estimated $50 million in insured damage, based on an estimate from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. The warm, humid air mass that crossed the region between June 28 and 30 resulted in multiple severe thunderstorms, heavy rainfall causing localized flooding, strong winds gusting over 100 kilometres per hour, intense lightning, significant hail in Okotoks and a small tornado near Ponoka, Alta.
PCS Canada reported that “a storm event with flooding, hail and wind from June 28 to June 30 in Alberta” cost an estimated $70.44 million in insured property damage. PCS Canada said that the majority of claims were the result of hail damage to vehicles, residences and commercial buildings.
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Alberta government declares 2014 an agricultural economic hardship because of extreme weather
November 11, 2014 by Canadian Underwriter
The Government of Alberta has declared 2014 an agricultural economic hardship as a result of extreme weather.
Verlyn Olson, Alberta’s minister of agriculture and rural development, presented an Order in Council that was approved by Cabinet. The order declared that “the agricultural economic hardship resulting from extreme weather conditions with early snowfall and frost damaging crops throughout the province to be a disaster, in accordance with Section 7 of the Fiscal Management Act.”
Media reports indicate Alberta’s Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) could need to pay out about $589 million – although the final tally will depend on claims and indemnities – in crop and hail coverage to farmers in the province this year. This is up substantially from the corporation’s earlier expected payout for damage claims of as much as $467 million.
Producers have November 15 to file their crop insurance claims.
Just a few months ago, at the end of June, AFSC reported the hope was that Alberta would see a quieter hail season following record levels of hail damage over the past two years.
“Last year marked the third highest amount of hail damage to crops across Alberta in our 77 years as a provincial hail insurer,” Jackie Sanden, program co-ordinator with AFSC, said at the time. “Our branches reported 522 storm cells last year that pelted crops with hail from Fort Vermilion to the U.S. border. The damage was widespread,” Sanden continued.
In all, more than $257 million was paid out on more than 6,400 hail claims across Alberta in 2013 through AFSC’s Straight Hail Insurance program and the Hail Endorsement rider that most farmers add to their crop insurance.
The highest claim year was in 2012 when $445.6 million was paid on more than 8,400 claims, the statement notes.
In the fall of 2012, the Canadian Crop Hail Association (CCHA) estimated crop hail payments for all three Prairie provinces at $280 million for the year, with the average loss per claim rising substantially in year-over-year comparisons and the total figure based on 21,600 losses.
Saskatchewan accounted for the largest portion of payouts, recording payments of $159 million on about 13,500 losses; Alberta farmers received hail claim payouts of almost $90 million on a record-high 5,500 losses; and Manitoba had payments to producers totalling more than $31 million on about 2,500 losses.
CCHA reported that in 2012, the estimated losses were considerably higher than in 2011, when approximately $164 million was paid on 15,000 losses. Also, the average loss per claim in 2012 was expected to be $12,963, about $2,000 more than it was in 2011.
In 2014, however, there were a number of weather events leading to the declaration of agricultural economic hardship. “Crop quality was significantly affected by the poor harvest weather of early September, which included frost and snow across the western half of the province,” notes the October 21, 2014 edition of the Alberta Crop Report.
“Quality is significantly below that of 2012 and 2013, and slightly below the 10-year averages for most crops. Quality appears to be concentrated in the middle of the grade scale with lower quantities of high-quality production, but also only average amounts of low-quality production.”
Overturned tanker truck spills tar along I-40, causes traffic backups
An overturned and leaking tanker truck blocked the I-40 west ramp to US-1 south in Wake County. (WTVD)
Friday, August 12, 2016 01:04PM
WAKE COUNTY (WTVD) -- An overturned and leaking tanker truck caused major traffic backups along Interstate 40 in Wake County during Friday morning's commute.
The Puryear Tank Lines truck overturned on its side around 5:45 a.m. along a curve in the westbound ramp to US-1 south at exit 293, near Buck Jones Road in Cary.
Overturned tanker truck along the I-40 west ramp to US-1 south in Wake County (Chopper11 HD)
The driver taken to the hospital, but the extent of his injuries are unknown at this time.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation said the tanker was carrying 6,000 gallons of liquid asphalt.
Some of the tar spilled into a retention pond and onto the road. However, there are no concerns about it entering the storm drainage or contaminating creeks.
Overturned tanker truck along the I-40 west ramp to US-1 south in Wake County (Chopper11 HD)
No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Crews were able to get the truck upright about two hours after the accident. Just after 8:30 a.m., authorities reopened the ramp to traffic.
According to an accident report, he failed to reduce his speed on the ramp, causing the truck to overturn. Puryear said the driver was headed to a delivery.
Man Drowns in Louisiana Flooding; Evacuations and Rescues Ongoing as Rivers Rise Toward Record Crests
Published:
Aug 12 2016 03:30 PM EDT
By Eric Chaney and Sean Breslin
weather.com
Gulf Coast Emergencies: National Guard Deployed
A flash flood is sweeping through parts of Louisiana and Mississippi.
Story Highlights
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency.
The Amite and Comite rivers are both expected to set new flood level records.
Two flash flood emergencies have been declared.
Rising waters entered St. Helena Parish Hospital.
Torrential rains have hit both Louisiana and southern Mississippi, flooding homes, forcing evacuations and water rescues, and sending area rivers rising quickly toward historic crests.
More than 15 inches of rain had fallen in some locations across the region by Friday morning, when Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency for the entire state. The heavy rain will continue over Louisiana and Mississippi through at least Saturday morning, said weather.com meteorologist Tom Moore.
"It's going to going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better," Moore said.
The flooding has already claimed one life. A 68-year-old man has drowned trying to escape floodwaters near Zachary, Louisiana, as heavy rains pound the northeastern regions of the state, local news station WAFB.com reports.
"We were in the trailer just watching TV and then the water just started coming up," Vernon Drummond, the victim's roommate, told the station. "We were walking out and he slipped and fell. He went under the water. We tried to save him, but we couldn't."
Rescue crews in Zachary recovered the man's body Friday morning, WAFB.com also said. Drummond says the victim is originally from Los Angeles and does not have any family in the area. Officials have not yet confirmed the name of the victim.
All that rain is quickly overwhelming waterways in the region. The Tickfaw River reached a record flood stage of 13.33 feet at Liverpool, according to the NWS, and crests on the Amite and Comite Rivers are forecast to exceed record levels set in 1983.
Flooding in Centreville, Mississippi, Friday morning. (Sherry Jefferson)
During the record flood that year, the Amite and Comite rivers flooded 3,025 homes and businesses in Livingston Parish, 1,615 in East Baton Rouge Parish and 828 in Ascension Parish, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports.
According to WWL-TV, the Bogue Chitto River is expected to crest at 18 feet, and deputies are going door-to-door in Bogue Chitto Heights telling residents 'be prepared to leave.'
Waters were already high enough Friday to unearth caskets from St. Mark's Cemetery in Walker, Lousiana. Photos posted by the Walker Police Department on Facebook show at least two bright yellow caskets floating in floodwaters.
A school bus ferrying children home to veer off the road and into a ditch in Zachary, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports. Zachary police chief David McDavid said no one was injured in the accident, which likely occurred when the driver didn't see a turn due to high floodwaters.
The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency Friday morning as rising water entered St. Helena Parish Hospital and a local nursing home and isolated the towns of Greenburg, Louisiana, and Osyka, Mississippi.
The National Guard has deployed high water vehicles to make rescues in St. Helena Parish, WWLT reports. Tangipahoa Parish officials told the Baton Rouge Advocate that about 75 people have been saved from flooded homes so far. Water rescues have also been reported in Centreville, Mississippi, according to the National Weather Service.
Officials in St. Charles Parish declared a state of emergency. Flash flood emergencies were issued for Pike County and parts of Amite and Wilkinson counties in Mississippi and in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana.
Interstate 55 was closed in both directions in St. Helena Parish Friday due to flooding, the Louisiana Department of Transportation reported.
St. Charles Parish President Larry Cochran declared a state of emergency Thursday in a precautionary move in anticipation of further rainfall and flooding later this week, WBRZ reported. Ditches and canals backed up and some homes were flooded by Thursday afternoon.
“Within two hours it was flooded,” St. Charles resident Tiffany Jackson told Fox 8. “It went from master bedroom to my son’s bedroom to the hallway to the kitchen to the bathroom, and every time I swept it up it just kept coming back in."
All schools in St. James, St. Helena, Tangipahoa and Livingston parishes were closed Friday, WBRZ reports. Washington Parish public schools were also closed, according to WDSU.
One of the hardest-hit areas in Lousiana Thursday was in Donaldsonville. Social media images there showed widespread street flooding, especially in residential areas, and cars that were trapped in the floodwaters, especially in Donaldsonville.
Heavy rains caused street flooding in Denham Springs, Lousiana, Friday morning. (Jordan Grove)
More than a dozen roads were closed in Donaldsonville, according to the Donaldsonville Chief, but it's not believed that the flooding led to any injuries or widespread evacuations.
At least some homes saw flooding, though. Donaldsonville resident Daniel Scott's was one of those, something that's never happened, he told WBRZ, in the over 40 years he has lived there.
"It came down a lot," Scott said. "You can see the water line on the house."
More than 8,000 Entergy customers were without power in southern Louisiana and Mississippi Thursday evening, according to WBRZ.
Floodwaters overpower cars in Denham Springs, La. on Friday, August 12, 2016. (@sportsbeers/twitter.com)
Fire at Oil Refinery in Convent, Louisiana, Extinguished With No Fatalities or Injuries. Here's what we know about this fire that may have been sparked by lightning.
Inspection has been completed for 3,591 claims – 947 in the central region, 94 in the north, 1,470 in Parkland and 1,080 in the south. 
