Resources for Gulf Coast Storms and California Wildfires
As Tropical Storm Marco is expected to make landfall today on the coast of Louisiana, reports indicate Tropical Storm Laura is expected to strengthen to a hurricane before it makes landfall on the Gulf Coast late Wednesday or early Thursday.
These unprecedented back-to-back storms are forcing evacuations, and may cause widespread damage, business interruption, and travel disruption for a large part of the region for days and weeks to come. “There's never been anything like this before where you could have possibly two hurricanes hitting within miles of each other over a 48-hour period,” one meteorologist says.
At the same time, Northern California is dealing with deadly wildfires that have already burned more than one million acres with no end in sight. The LNU Lightning Complex Fire in the northern Bay Area and Central Valley, and the SCU Lightning Complex Fire largely east of San Jose, are among the state’s three largest wildfires in recorded history.
Blank Rome’s interdisciplinary Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Team (“SWERT”) has developed the following resources for those in the path of the storms and the wildfires, or with business interests in the affected regions, which we encourage you to share with your contacts via e-mail and/or social media:
- Early Recovery Checklist for FEMA and Other Related Emergency Services for Individuals and Businesses
- Insurance Checklist for Individuals in the Event of Hurricane Losses on the Gulf Coast
- Steps to Follow to Protect Your Wildfire Insurance Recovery
- Podcast: “Stormy Times” – How States and Cities Can Better Prepare for Catastrophes
Our thoughts are with those in the path of the storms and the fires, and our SWERT team stands ready to provide assistance on FEMA and insurance issues to our clients and businesses who are preparing for, or are impacted by, these events. Please reach out to us if we can be of assistance. Meanwhile, be safe!
Alan Rubin & John Heintz
Co-Chairs, Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Team
Linda Kornfeld
Vice Chair, Insurance Recovery Practice Group
For additional information, please contact Alan Rubin, John Heintz, Linda Kornfeld, or a member of Blank Rome's SWERT team.