A developing tropical system, destined to become Emily early this week, will threaten the Antilles first and could approach part of the U.S. coastline this weekend, including Miami and the Florida Keys.

The National Hurricane Center has given this storm a 70% chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours. No matter what path this storm takes, it will be in conditions that favor intensification into a hurricane for the next 24 to 48 hours. In sum, this is a storm that bears monitoring over the next few days.

If this developing storm does become a named storm, its name will be Emily.

The 2011 Hurricane Season Has Been An Active One So Far This Year

So far this year, there have been three named storms to date, in the Atlantic. Historically speaking there is typically only one named storm in the Atlantic between June and July.

Only once has there been a hurricane season in which four, or more, named storms developed during July.
That was back in 2005, the year that gave us before Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.

But back in 2005, and before we had Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, we had Hurricane Emily. In July of 2005, Hurricane Emily was one of five named storms. And it was a monster.

With sustained winds of 160 miles per hour, Hurricane Emily became the strongest hurricanes ever to form before August. Indeed, Hurricane Emily was the first category 5 hurricane of the record breaking 2005 hurricane season.

Time To Prepare

With hurricane season upon us, now is the time for all individuals and businesses alike throughout South Florida to properly plan for hurricane season. Our Miami insurance dispute lawyers would like to urge you to take the time now to plan for hurricane season.

Please visit this blog to learn useful tips on planning for hurricane season, and please contact our office should you sustain any hurricane/wind storm related damage.
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Before opening our law firm in 2006, our attorneys worked for some of the state’s, and nation’s, largest law firms, and worked representing the insurance companies for years. Our attorneys are now uniquely positioned to use that experience to assist individuals and businesses alike throughout Florida with their insurance claims. As a result, our attorneys are well versed in the impact insurance has on businesses, condominiums, and individuals alike. Our insurance litigation practice group is prepared to tackle your insurance claim.

Given our extensive experience litigating for, and against, insurance companies, our insurance litigation practice group is prepared to provide aggressive, efficient and effective representation on a broad spectrum of insurance claims in Florida for local, national, and international clients. We are prepared to advocate insurance claims at the pre-suit stage, trial, appellate and arbitration levels.

If you are facing a dispute over an insurance claim in Florida, contact Alvarez & Barbara, LLP, for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.

Call us today toll free at 1-866-518-2913 or at 305-263-7700.

Tropical Storm Don earned respect when she earned her name on Wednesday. Tropical Storm Don is expected to make landfall in southeastern Texas on Friday.

This should serve as a reminder to all of us here in South Florida that tropical depressions, or areas of intense thunderstorms that gather in the tropics, become named tropical storms when they reach sustained wind speeds of 39 mph.

Understanding how storms are characterized can assist homeowners in knowing what to expect. However, our Miami hurricane damage lawyers caution homeowners against becoming complacent in cases where a tropical storm fails to become a hurricane, or when a hurricane fails to climb the charts.

The act of rating a storm can actually be dangerous when it leads to such complacency. The storm-classification system is designed to assist South Florida residents in understanding what to expect — as long as they understand that, in all cases, a storm carries the risk of serious property damage and the potential for serious or fatal injury when residents fail to take the proper safety precautions.

Tropical storms, such as Don, have wind speeds of 39 to 73 miles an hour and are associated with torrential rains, localized flooding, downed trees and power lines and the possibility of structural damage, particularly to older buildings or mobile homes.

A tropical storm reaches hurricane strength when winds climb above 74 miles an hour and are categorized on a scale of 1 to 5 until the winds reach roughly twice that speed. Anything with sustained winds of more than 155 mph is considered a Category 5 hurricane. Katrina was a Category 5 storm when it hit New Orleans and Andrew was a Category 5 storm when it devastated South Florida in 1992.

Florida Today provides a nice graphic illustration.

Category 1: Minimal Hurricane
Winds: 74 to 95 miles per hour
Storm surge: Up to 5 feet
Damage: Some trees and power lines may be down; damage caused by flying debris; localized flooding; those in mobile and modular homes are at greatest risk.

Category 2: Moderate Hurricane
Winds: 96 to 110 miles per hour.
Storm Surge: 6 to 8 feet.
Damage: Downed trees and power lines; some flooding; debris damages; structural damage possible, particularly in older homes. Mobile and modular homes at great risk.

Category 3: Extensive Hurricane
Winds: 111 to 130 mph
Storm Surge: 9 to 12 feet
Damage: Widespread flooding possible. Significant structural damage to homes and buildings possible. Downed trees and power lines. Probable destruction of mobile and modular homes.

Category 4: Extreme Hurricane
Winds: 131 to 155 mph
Storm Surge: 12 to 18 feet
Damage: Widespread destruction of homes and buildings, structural damages and roof loss are common, significant flooding and storm surge risk, higher likelihood of significant time without power.

Category 5: Catastrophic Hurricane
Winds: Greater than 155 miles per hour
Storm Surge: 18 feet
Damage: Widespread destruction

The important thing to keep in mind when considering a storm’s rating is that all of these storms can cause significant property damage and can lead to the risk of serious or fatal injuries. This weekend’s tropical storm, in Texas, with winds of 40 miles per hour, is roughly twice as powerful as our typical violent summer weather. A minimal category 1 hurricane is four times as powerful as a typical summer storm.
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If you are facing a dispute over an insurance claim in South Florida, contact Alvarez & Barbara, LLP toll free at 866-518-2913 for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.

The last time a major hurricane struck the United States was during the record storm year of 2005. The United States has never gone six years with out a major strike.

In 2005 we saw 15 hurricanes and seven major storms of category 3 or higher, including Hurricane Katrina which struck New Orleans, killing at least 1,836 people. Moreover, hurricane Katrina and Rita caused $91 billion in damages, destroyed 115 energy platforms in the golf and shut down 95% of gulf oil production and almost 30% of US refining capacity.

As this hurricane season gets underway, forecasters are predicting an above normal hurricane season. The last hurricane that hit the United States was hurricane Ike, a category 2 storm back in 2008. There has not been a three-year period without a US hurricane strike since the 1860s.

Hurricanes are the Planet’s worst storms.

Hurricanes are the most powerful and destructive storms on the planet. Between 1990 and 2009 hurricanes inflicted $152.4 billion in insured losses in the United States, and accounted for 45.2% of the country’s catastrophic losses during that same time period.

This year, the insurance industry may be under greater strain because of large losses infected by record-setting tornadoes that have killed more than 500 people and destroyed at least $3 billion to $ 6.5 billion of insured property.
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EXTENDED BODY:
Consider Your Options. Contact Us Today.

Before opening our law firm in 2006, our attorneys worked for some of the state’s, and nation’s, largest law firms, and worked representing the insurance companies for years. Our attorneys are now uniquely positioned to use that experience to assist individuals and businesses alike throughout Florida with their insurance claims. As a result, our attorneys are well versed in the impact insurance has on businesses, condominiums, and individuals alike. Our insurance litigation practice group is prepared to tackle your insurance claim.

Given our extensive experience litigating for, and against, insurance companies, our insurance litigation practice group is prepared to provide aggressive, efficient and effective representation on a broad spectrum of insurance claims in Florida for local, national, and international clients. We are prepared to advocate insurance claims at the pre-suit stage, trial, appellate and arbitration levels.

If you are facing a dispute over an insurance claim in Florida, contact Alvarez & Barbara, LLP, for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.

Call us today toll free at 1-866-518-2913 or at 305-263-7700.

Last year was the third busiest hurricane season on record. However, and while that was the third busiest hurricane season on record, the United States was spared a direct strike by any storm last year.

Part of the reason why the United States was spared a direct strike last year was because the United States was protected from major storm damage by a trough, or an elongated area of low pressure, that helped keep all the hurricanes and all but one tropical storm from striking the United States.

However, and as this hurricane season gets underway, that same trough is setting up across the Mississippi Valley. And if it stays there, many are predicting that the trough is going to act like a magnet and pull many storms into the southeastern United States or mid-Atlantic region.

Other factors are also working in favor of an active hurricane season. For instance, the position of this year’s Bermuda-High, a semipermanent area of high pressure over the North Atlantic, may also drive storms closer to the United States.

As such, we will be faced with a much higher threat of a land-falling hurricane this upcoming hurricane season.

Indeed, history suggests that South Florida is due for a hurricane strike. Therefore, this is certainly not the season to take lightly. We’ve been spared the last few years, but this could be the year where we are hit by another hurricane. Hurricanes are a fact of life living in South Florida. Although inevitable, they are not surprises like earthquakes or tsunamis. You can prepare and be ready for a hurricane.

Considering the increased odds of South Florida getting hit by a storm you should take the necessary steps to safeguard your property and family. One exercise that is a must is a review of your insurance policy to determine what is excluded from your policy. Most importantly, review what you’re supposed to do in the event your property is damaged in a windstorm. You should also check the financial strength of your insurance company, and stock up on food supplies.
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EXTENDED BODY:
Consider Your Options. Contact Us Today.

Before opening our law firm in 2006, our attorneys worked for some of the state’s, and nation’s, largest law firms, and worked representing the insurance companies for years. Our attorneys are now uniquely positioned to use that experience to assist individuals and businesses alike throughout Florida with their insurance claims. As a result, our attorneys are well versed in the impact insurance has on businesses, condominiums, and individuals alike. Our insurance litigation practice group is prepared to tackle your insurance claim.

Given our extensive experience litigating for, and against, insurance companies, our insurance litigation practice group is prepared to provide aggressive, efficient and effective representation on a broad spectrum of insurance claims in Florida for local, national, and international clients. We are prepared to advocate insurance claims at the pre-suit stage, trial, appellate and arbitration levels.

If you are facing a dispute over an insurance claim in Florida, contact Alvarez & Barbara, LLP, for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.

Call us today toll free at 1-866-518-2913 or at 305-263-7700.