Hurricane Katrina: The Emerging Jurisprudence

On Aug. 29, 2005, at approximately 6:00 a.m., Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. Only two hours later, the levees in New Orleans gave way. As the third-strongest hurricane to make landfall in the United States, Hurricane Katrina was responsible for taking more than 1836 lives and causing more than $81.2 billion in damages ' making it the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history. The hurricane displaced 500,000 families and destroyed 275,000 homes. James A. Knox, Jr., <i>Causation, The Flood Exclusion, and Katrina,</i> 41 Tort Trial &amp; Ins. Prac. L.J. 901, 902 (2006). The insurance industry has paid more than $40 billion in connection with Hurricane Katrina claims. David Dankwa, <i>New Orleans Port Trumpets Insurance Dispute at RIMS</i>, A.M. Best: BestWire, May 2, 2007. The Insurance Services Office estimates 1.6 million claims will be made ' including residential property, commercial property, vehicle, and vessel claims. <i>See</i> Knox, <i>Causation</i>, at 905.

60 minute read August 30, 2007 at 03:07 PM

By

Lynn K. Neuner And Hayley Urkevich