Latest news with #Idalia
Miami Herald
15 hours ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
USDA grants more than $675M for Florida's hurricane-affected farmers
July 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is unleashing more than a half billion dollars in further aid to Florida growers and businesses in the aftermath of Hurricanes Idalia, Debby, Helene and Milton. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was in the Sunshine State on Monday to meet with Florida officials, business, agricultural leaders and producers and signed a $675.9 million federal block grant with the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to provide additional relief for Florida's farmers to cover loses in its infrastructure, citrus and timber industry. In a statement, Rollins noted that American farmers and ranchers in Florida's southeast "have been hit hard and suffered significant economic losses during the last two hurricane seasons." "USDA has worked closely with the State of Florida to ensure those impacted have the relief they need," she said, adding the administration "has our farmers' backs and will ensure they have the resources they need to continue to produce the safest, most reliable and most abundant food supply in the world." Hurricane Helene's near-record-breaking size and storm surge last year in September wreaked havoc and caused billions of dollars in damage along over 500 miles of Florida's coastline. It ended with over 230 people dead in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia as the storm flooded towns, destroyed roads and bridges, and Helene swept away homes, farms and livelihoods. In June, USDA said Florida's orange crop for the 2024-2025 season was predicted to be its smallest since before World War II, with plummeting orange juice sales down over 50% since 2000. Rollins said Monday in a social media video that Floridians had faced "such difficult challenges over the last decade or so, most recently with all the hurricanes that have hit." "Most importantly, help is coming to our growers," the secretary said in Felda after her meeting with state and local officials. "It's right around the corner," she added. The $675 million federal infusion of dollars for FDACS to administer came as part of funding via the 2025 American Relief Act. On Monday, Florida's agriculture chief stated that his state's producers had endured "back-to-back devastating hurricane seasons," describing the additional federal assistance as a "major victory that will help them rebuild, recover and continue feeding our state and nation." "Food production is not just an economic issue, it's a matter of national security," said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. "And we appreciate the president's consistent support for our farmers." Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
16 hours ago
- Business
- UPI
USDA grants more than $675M for Florida's hurricane-affected farmers
1 of 5 | U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins (pictured July 15 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.) said Tuesday that American farmers and ranchers in Florida "have been hit hard and suffered significant economic losses during the last two hurricane seasons." Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is unleashing more than a half million dollars in further aid to Florida growers and businesses in the aftermath of Hurricanes Idalia, Debby, Helene and Milton. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was in the Sunshine State on Monday to meet with Florida officials, business, agricultural leaders and producers and signed a $675.9 million federal block grant with the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to provide additional relief for Florida's farmers to cover loses in its infrastructure, citrus and timber industry. In a statement, Rollins noted that American farmers and ranchers in Florida's southeast "have been hit hard and suffered significant economic losses during the last two hurricane seasons." "USDA has worked closely with the State of Florida to ensure those impacted have the relief they need," she said, adding the administration "has our farmers' backs and will ensure they have the resources they need to continue to produce the safest, most reliable and most abundant food supply in the world." Hurricane Helene's near-record-breaking size and storm surge last year in September wreaked havoc and caused billions of dollars in damage along over 500 miles of Florida's coastline. It ended with over 230 people dead in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia as the storm flooded towns, destroyed roads and bridges, and Helene swept away homes, farms and livelihoods. In June, USDA said Florida's orange crop for the 2024-2025 season was predicted to be its smallest since before World War II, with plummeting orange juice sales down over 50% since 2000. Rollins said Monday in a social media video that Floridians had faced "such difficult challenges over the last decade or so, most recently with all the hurricanes that have hit." "Most importantly, help is coming to our growers," the secretary said in Felda after her meeting with state and local officials. "It's right around the corner," she added. The $675 million federal infusion of dollars for FDACS to administer came as part of funding via the 2025 American Relief Act. On Monday, Florida's agriculture chief stated that his state's producers had endured "back-to-back devastating hurricane seasons," describing the additional federal assistance as a "major victory that will help them rebuild, recover and continue feeding our state and nation." "Food production is not just an economic issue, it's a matter of national security," said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. "And we appreciate the president's consistent support for our farmers."
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Hurricane risk in Florida is escalating. Home insurance is harder to get
Dayna and Matt Fancher lost their home in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, to Hurricane Ian in 2022. One month into this year's hurricane season, the couple is still paying their home insurance policy — now twice as costly — while fighting the firm in court over their claim. The Fanchers, who have lived in their Fort Myers Beach home for almost three decades, said their home insurance provider paid them only a third of what it would cost to rebuild their home, and that adjusters repeatedly disputed their storm damage claims. In the end, the Fanchers say, they took out construction loans to be able to move back into their home. "We have the same coverage that we had, we're paying double, and we didn't get the assistance that we needed," Matt Fancher said. The Fanchers' predicament is just one of many linked to the insurance crisis in hurricane-prone Florida. Rates are sky-high and expected to continue rising as catastrophe claims surge and Floridians face few insurance options and increased scrutiny during underwriting. Since 2021, Florida has experienced four major hurricanes: Ian, Helene, Idalia and Milton, and premiums have climbed by nearly 30% statewide. Florida residents can now expect to pay almost $10,000 a year on average in premiums, making the state the most expensive place in the U.S. to buy homeowners insurance. In Fort Myers Beach, a small town on narrow Estero Island off Fort Myers, annual premiums jumped from about $9,000 to almost $14,000 from 2019 to 2024, according to data obtained by First Street Foundation, a climate risk modeling firm. In the wake of Hurricane Ian, Floridians filed more than half a million residential catastrophe claims, according to Florida's Office of Insurance Regulation. Up against an estimated $50 billion to $65 billion in insurance losses associated with Hurricane Ian, several homegrown Florida property insurers were declared insolvent, while major national insurers like Farmers announced they would pull back or no longer offer coverage in the state due to increased hurricane risk. Some legislative reforms have helped stabilize the market for insurance in Florida, according to Mark Friedlander, a spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute, an industry association for insurers. He said in 2024, the state saw the lowest average statewide premium increases in the country for home insurance and that more than a dozen new insurers had entered the market there. But hurricane risk in Florida is escalating as human-caused climate change warms the atmosphere and raises sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico. Hotter conditions are trapping moisture and fueling hurricane intensification, creating wetter, more powerful hurricanes that leave Florida increasingly vulnerable to storm damage. During Hurricane Helene, moisture trapped in the warming atmosphere increased extreme rainfall by 10%, bringing rainfall totals as high as 26.95 inches in parts of Florida. Jeremy Porter, a climate risk expert at First Street Foundation, says that rising insurance costs signal the deep impacts of climate change in west Florida, as communities like Fort Myers Beach grapple with recurring damage and costly recoveries. "Over the last few decades, we haven't kept up with climate risk and quantified it properly in our risk modeling. Now, we're playing catch-up and it's driving up insurance rates very rapidly, and people are feeling that in their household budgets," Porter said. With scarce options for home insurance, more and more Floridians have started buying insurance from Citizens Insurance Property Corp., Florida's not-for-profit state-backed insurer, and Porter says this rapid movement has also pushed up insurance costs. By 2055, Porter says home insurance premiums could rise by 213% in the Tampa metro area because of hurricane risk. Climate risks are also disrupting insurance markets in other parts of the country. In Sacramento, California, residents may face a 137% increase due to increased wildfire danger, for example. Porter said declining home prices in Florida could also affect home insurance rates and availability. When property values fall in places that are vulnerable to hurricanes or other extreme weather, insurers may interpret that decline as a warning sign of growing physical or market risk, leading to increased scrutiny during underwriting and potential spikes in premiums. According to Zillow data, home values in Fort Myers Beach are down about $200,000 from their pre-Ian prices, and about 86% of sales over the last year came in under list price, a general sign that sellers are having a difficult time offloading their properties. At its peak before Hurricane Ian, the average home value on Sanibel Island, a popular spot in Lee County for beach vacationers, was almost $1.3 million. Today, that value is $868,000, with 93% of all homes being sold under list price, according to Zillow. Joanne Klempner, who has lived part time in Fort Myers Beach since 2016, says that selling her home is not a financially viable option after spending so much on reconstruction post-Hurricane Ian. With little choice but to stay in Fort Myers Beach, Klempner said she worries about how climate change will affect the future of her community. "At this point, we're in for the long haul because we have to be. I think whether people want to continue to invest in Fort Myers Beach is the bigger question," Klempner said. "When you don't have a hurricane for 30 years, the risk feels worth it to live in paradise. When you have three bad hurricanes within 18 months, it becomes questionable." Jacki Liszak, the president and CEO of the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce, says that Fort Myers Beach is still a great place to live and visit, and that the community is investing in resilient architecture and building homes well above the flood line. "The houses have to be built strong and they have to be built high," Liszak said. "I think that will help tremendously. People were already starting to come, and I think they will continue to come. People love this lifestyle. It's a beautiful part of the world."
NBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- NBC News
Hurricane risk in Florida is escalating. Flood insurance is harder to get.
Dayna and Matt Fancher lost their home in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, to Hurricane Ian in 2022. One month into this year's hurricane season, the couple is still paying their home insurance policy — now twice as costly — while fighting the firm in court over their claim. The Fanchers, who have lived in their Fort Myers Beach home for almost three decades, said their home insurance provider paid them only a third of what it would cost to rebuild their home, and that adjusters repeatedly disputed their storm damage claims. In the end, the Fanchers say, they took out construction loans to be able to move back into their home. 'We have the same coverage that we had, we're paying double, and we didn't get the assistance that we needed,' Matt Fancher said. The Fanchers' predicament is just one of many linked to the insurance crisis in hurricane-prone Florida. Rates are sky-high and expected to continue rising as catastrophe claims surge and Floridians face few insurance options and increased scrutiny during underwriting. Since 2021, Florida has experienced four major hurricanes: Ian, Helene, Idalia and Milton, and premiums have climbed by nearly 30% statewide. Florida residents can now expect to pay almost $10,000 a year on average in premiums, making the state the most expensive place in the U.S. to buy homeowners insurance.
Axios
11-07-2025
- Science
- Axios
Rivers can fuel hurricanes, new USF study finds
A new study from the University of South Florida finds that freshwater from nearby rivers can help supercharge hurricanes. Why it matters: The findings add to growing evidence that river plumes can exacerbate coastal storms, underscoring the need to incorporate them into hurricane forecasts. The big picture: Hurricane Idalia surged from Category 1 to Category 4 in less than 24 hours as it neared Florida's Big Bend in August 2023, a phenomenon known as rapid intensification. Hurricanes Helene and Milton did the same. Each time, the abrupt spike made it harder for forecasters to assess the storms' impact. Zoom in: Researchers studied a large plume of freshwater that stretched from the Mississippi River to the Florida Keys, and found that where it met saltwater, ideal conditions for rapid intensification were created. The freshwater from rivers along the Gulf Coast created a thick surface layer that did not mix with the cooler saltwater below, keeping the surface water warm and potentially fueling storms. What they're saying: "Our study demonstrates the value of considering the influence of river plumes on storm intensification," said Chuanmin Hu, a professor of oceanography at USF and one of the study's authors.
