Allstate Insurance company will no longer be underwriting houses effective in July. No changes will occur for existing customers. The move is supposedly to "limit its exposure to catastrophe" such as earthquakes. Allstate has also trimmed coastal exposure in other states that are prone to natural catastrophes. Allstate has also stopped writing new homeowners policies in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida and New Jersey as well as in eight coastal New York counties. Source: CBS5.com.
Geologic Hazards
Magnitude 9.2: The 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake
It’s been 50 years since the Magnitude 9.2 Great Alaskan Earthquake so dramatically altered people’s perceptions of the power of earthquakes. Check out this short video from the USGS: [Source: YouTube via AEG Insider. Image: […]
Failures
27 Years Ago: Bizarre Drilling Disaster at Lake Peigneur
I thought the 17 27 year anniversary of this unique geological disaster was occasion enough for another look. On November 21, 1980 a Texaco oil rig was drilling an oil exploration well from Lake Peigneur in Southern Louisiana when the drill stem punched into the third level of the nearby Diamond Crystal Salt Company as a result of a miscalculation (understatement!). The lake, approximately 2.5 BILLION gallons, drained into the mine taking the drilling platform with it and another 11 barges, trees, and some of the surrounding terrain. As if that weren’t enough, the Delcambre Canal which normally flows from the lake into Vermillion Bay actually reversed flow for several days and filled the mine and the lake with salt water. It also temporarily created Louisiana’s tallest waterfall at 164-ft (see photo at left). Read on for more info, video, maps, and links.
Geologic Hazards
Study: Port of Anchorage replacement vulnerable to liquefaction in earthquake
A recent study concluded that three of four recently constructed segments of a new port facility in Anchorage, Alaska were not constructed correctly and even if they were, are vulnerable to liquefaction related damage during […]