Why flood insurance? Because when the wildfires burned away the trees, grasses and other vegetation in the scorched areas, the healthy plant roots that usually soak up a lot of rainwater were also lost. All that charred land means that even normal storm runoff has the potential to cause mudslides, flooding, and severe erosion.

The risk of wildfire-related flood damage is greatest, of course, for property that actually burned, but it houses and other buildings either below or downstream from the burned areas are at a heightened risk of flooding, as well. In fact, it is just this sort of interconnectedness that makes flooding the most common natural disaster in the United States.

Flood insurance can be obtained through the agent who sold your regular homeowners or renter’s insurance policy.

Specifically, about 350,000 homeowners who currently have either Texas Family or Next Generation Home Policies through Farmers will see higher rates, which are set to take effect on March 16th. The last rate hike on Farmers homeowners policies was an increase of 3.9 percent in March, 2011.

Speaking on behalf of the insurance company, vice president and executive director for Farmers in North Texas explained that the higher rates are required in order to offset the fact that claims in Texas tend to be more expensive.

The rate increase was filed with the state insurance department on October 7th.

According to the insurance department, the denial was based on information provided in the September 12 request made by State Farm, in which the insurance company asked for a catastrophe determination because of a large number of destructive wildfires which had occurred in several counties, including Anderson, Bastrop, Bexar, Caldwell, Camp, Cass, Colorado, Fayette, Gregg, Grimes, Harrison, Henderson, Hill, Houston, Hunt, Leon, Limestone, Marion, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Palo Pinto, Red River, Rusk, Smith, Tarrant, Travis, Upshur, Van Zandt, Walker, Waller, and Williamson between September 4th and September 12th of this year.

According to the department, the declaration of a major natural disaster or weather-related catastrophe for extended claims processing time is not warranted at this time, and that all claims stemming from the fires must be processed in accordance with the deadlines defined by the Texas Insurance Code.

Earlier this week, the Dallas Morning News also reported another proposal from State Farm, shifting the deductible on homeowners coverage to 1 percent of the home’s insured value rather than the current schedule of flat-rate deductibles that can be as low as $500.

Representatives of State Farm explained that the new deductibles reflect the increased cost to repair homes after claim-worthy damage.

The requested start-date for these changes is October 15th for new customers and December 1st for those who are already State Farm customers.

A recently established Texas law mandates that the state insurance commissioner completes a review of such requests within thirty days.

As is typical in a La Nina year, Texas had an extremely dry winter, and the spring has been warmer and dryer than is usual, as well. This, combined with all the violent windstorms, is a fire threat waiting to happen. Except it’s not waiting. So far, almost 1.8 million acres of land have been seared this year, and that’s not all in the open plains. Instead, there are residential areas being burned, including 150 upscale homes in Possum Kingdom Lake, which is about seventy miles west of Fort Worth. Two days ago, 400 Palo Pinto residents (50 miles west of Fort Worth) were ordered to evacuate, and the inmates of the county jail were moved to other facilities, as well.

In another part of the state, there were 200 families who were forced to evacuate from a neighborhood in Austin, after a separate fire was caused by a homeless man’s untended campfire and high winds.

So far, none of the fires (there are more) are completely contained, but you can bet residents of Texas who are both east and west of the fires are taking this as an object lesson in the need for homeowners and fire insurance coverage.

In the words of Representative Armando Walle (Houston), House Bills 2723 and 2724 would, “…help consumers fully understand the premium increases imposed by insurance companies and will give consumers information on how they can shop around.”

According to the website for the Texas House of Representatives, HB 2723 addresses accident and health insurance policies. The measure stipulates that insurers must give policyholders sixty days’ notice of rate increases, and the notification has to include the amount of the increase, and how consumers can file complaints. The measure also requires that rate increase information be post to the web, and consumers notified of where it can be found, what the justifications for the increase are, and what alternative coverage options may exist.

HB 2724, according to the same website, includes similar stipulations addressing residential property and personal automobile insurance. At the time of policy renewal, the policyholder’s existing insurer would be required to provide a side-by-side comparison of new and old rates, provide information on any changes in coverage, and offer resources on how consumers can shop around for different coverage. In addition, deductibles must be stated as a dollar amount, and not as a percentage of the policy’s total value.

As part of a partnership between the Insurance Council of Texas (ICT), the State Fire Marshall’s office, First Alert, and the Travelers Insurance Companies to donate the alarms to firefighters who will install them and monitor fire runs to those homes. In total, there were twelve hundred smoke alarms were donated this year, just in time for Fire Prevention Week, which runs from October 3rd – October 9th.

The elven cities were chosen by the State Fire Marshal’s Office because of the willingness of the fire departments there to install the smoke alarms, and because these cities all have high fire fatality counts. The smoke alarms are available to homeowners in each city on a first come, first served basis. Firefighters then install the alarms, and alert the homeowners to possible fire hazards.

Since the We’re Out to Alarm Texas program began in 2005, more than 6,000 smoke alarms were installed in 17 Texas cities. In the first year, elderly residents of Waco and New Braunfels were rescued by firefighters after alerts came in from donated alarms.

According to Mark Hanna, a spokesperson for the Insurance Council of Texas said, “It didn’t take us long to see that the program saves lives and property. The program has brought fire departments closer to their community and helped educate its residents to the benefits of a functioning smoke alarm.”

Allstate Insurance has shared that burglary claims for their customers in Texas increased 9 percent last year. The insurer is advising people to keep their homes locked, their alarms engaged, and their vacation plans secret, if they go away this summer.

What are the most common stolen items? Allstate surveyed police departments across the Lone Star state, and found that the number one target in home burglaries are flat-screen televisions, which are followed by laptop computers, jewelry, and cash. In some cities, the survey found, an increasing number of home burglaries are being tied to organized groups, like street gangs, which, police say, have “shopping lists” of things to steal, and will actually back into their target’s driveway, knock on the door, and kick it in if no one answers. They then take valuable, portable items and leave within a few minutes. Afterward, most of the stolen goods end up being filtered to other cities and states, or even across the border into Mexico, by an organized fencing operation.

David Christopher, an Allstate agent in the Dallas/Fort Worth area explained, “”Not only do these home burglaries disrupt homeowners’ lives because their valuables are stolen, but they create a potentially dangerous situation if the theft is interrupted. That’s why it’s so important for homeowners to take precautions because these thefts can happen anywhere.”

Source: Insurance Journal

Even so, residents of those cities still see room for improvement, with the following results being offered:

* Dallas drivers, besieged by weather-related potholes and rough roads, would recommend improving the condition of existing roads to improve drivability (39 percent of drivers).
* Austin drivers, with narrow roadways restricted by development, would like to see more lanes added to highways (39 percent).
* San Antonio drivers would appreciate a combination of the two solutions, with road improvements slightly nudging out adding more lanes as the No. 1 choice for improved driving conditions (32 percent vs. 28 percent).

The point of the study was to ask Texans how road conditions could be best improved, and The Hartford is using the results of the survey to help launch it’s “Pothole Patrol” initiative in key markets throughout the United States – including Dallas – with the end goal the creation of smoother commutes by filling damage-causing potholes.

The Driveablity Survey polled drivers across the country, and examined several metro areas, including the three Texas cities named above. Why Texas? Because generally, Texas motorists:

* Spend more hours driving per week than in other cities studied.
* Spend more time driving on highways.
* Spend more time driving during rush hours.
* Spend more time in traffic jams.

The survey also shows that 73 percent of Texas drivers believe traffic is worsening in their cities, and acknowledge that the existing roads were not designed to handle the amount of traffic they currently do.