Hurricanes

DeSmog - As millions sought to evacuate from Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton, reports surged from consumers and industry watchdogs that airfares on flights out of the state were spiking, with tickets that might typically cost a few hundred dollars suddenly going for much higher.  New Yorker Cerina McQuillan told AP News that, as she sought to buy a ticket for her 17-year-old daughter to evacuate, the airline’s website crashed. “All of a sudden it went back on again, and the flights quadrupled in price. It went up to like $750 within a matter of seconds,” she told AP.

Airline watchdogs reported similar findings. “Yesterday and this morning fare searches were producing quite a few four-figure airfares,” William J. McGee, the American Economic Liberties Project’s senior fellow for aviation and travel posted on X on Tuesday, October 8. The National Weather Service warned that Tuesday was the final day to evacuate Florida ahead of Milton, a Category Five storm at its peak. “As Americans seek safety from natural disasters, we’re hearing troubling reports of price gouging for essentials that are necessary for people to get out of harm’s way — from hotels to groceries to gas,” Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina M. Khan said in a statement released today.

Guardian - As millions of US residents begin working to file insurance claims on their homes in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, many could be denied, particularly if their homes were damaged by flooding.A quirk in the US home insurance market is that flood insurance is separate from typical home insurance, which usually covers wind damage from hurricanes but not flooding. Homeowners must purchase flood insurance separately if they want their homes protected against flooding.

And many don’t. In some areas where Hurricane Helene hit the hardest, less than 1% of homes had flood insurance when the storm hit. In Buncombe county in North Carolina, home to Asheville, only 0.9% of homes had flood insurance, according to data from the Insurance Information Institute.