Dollars & Sense
$1.4 Billion The amount in emergency disaster aid that FEMA paid out after Superstorm Sandy. Approximately 179,000 New York and New Jersey households received payments after the storm. The agency is currently reviewing 4,500 households that may have received improper payments and has already requested $5.8 million to be repaid. The average demanded sum is $6,987.
8 The number of hours that employers will now be required to notify the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of work-related fatalities. Work-related in-patient hospitalizations, amputations or losses of an eye will now be required to be reported within 24 hours.
4,405 The number of workers killed on the job in 2013 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
9,441 The number of pickup trucks stolen between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2013, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). Of the 9,441 total pickup thefts, 4,428 are of the 2011 model year, 3,235 are of the 2012 model year, and 1,778 are of the 2013 model year. Full-sized pickup trucks had more thefts with 8,367 thefts versus 895 for compact pickups. Mid-sized pickup trucks had the fewest thefts with 179. Texas experienced the highest number of pickup thefts with 2,130, representing nearly 23 percent of all pickup truck thefts in the U.S.
$2 Billion The amount in economic losses related to the 6.0 August Napa earthquake, according to Aon Benfield. Aon Benfield’s Impacting Forecasting report indicated major flooding in parts of the U.S. Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic also caused more than $2 billion in economic losses, with insured losses to both the federal flood insurance program and private insurers surpassing $500 million. Super Typhoon Halong hit Japan killing 10 people, injuring 96 and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in economic damage, Aon Benfield reported. The storm affected the southern and central parts of Japan and dropped more than 42 inches of rain during 72 houses on parts of Shikoku Island.
13 The number of tornadoes that hit Oklahoma through June 2014 — the lowest recorded since 1988. Weather experts attribute the low tornado count to cold weather.
152 The number of EF1 or stronger tornadoes recorded in the United States through May, according to National Weather Service data. That’s the lowest number of tornadoes recorded since 2005, when 105 tornadoes of the same strength were recorded.
24,000 The number of Colorado flood insurance policies purchased in 2014. Prior to the devastating floods in September 2013, there were an estimated 22,000 flood insurance policies in force statewide. According to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association, up to 20 percent of flood claims come from low to moderate risk areas. During the past 10 years, the average flood claim has amounted to more than $33,000.
$800 Million The amount of additional auto liability claim payments in 2013 that may have resulted from Florida’s third-party bad-faith lawsuit environment. The Insurance Research Council estimates that this cost averages approximately $79 in additional claim costs for every insured vehicle in the state. According to the study, Third-Party Bad-Faith in Florida’s Automobile Insurance System, Florida experienced an increase in bodily injury liability claim frequency and an overall increase of 68 percent in average claim payments per insured vehicle from 1995 to 2013. Other large no-fault states that do not authorize third-party bad-faith lawsuits against insurers, including New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, experienced significant declines.