Weather Risk

Hermine is weakening as it moves farther inland across Floridas Panhandle and southeastern Georgia, after largely sparing energy assets in the Gulf of Mexico.

The storm is forecast to hit northwest Florida, a region of the state with lower insured property value.

The National Hurricane Center says Hermine is likely to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane when it lands in Florida on Thursday night or early Friday.

Almost 9,000 people had been ordered to evacuate across Japans northern prefectures, while 370,000 were advised to seek refuge.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration attributed the rise in highway deaths to increased driving because of job growth and a decrease in gas prices.

Across Baton Rouge, one hard hit area, no more than 15 percent of all homes have flood insurance, and in the other hard-hit location, Lafayette, the rate is just 14 percent.

Typhoon Lionrock is projected to make landfall in Japan Tuesday and is likely to strike the northern Tohoku region, the area devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami

The magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck Italys Umbria region this week is estimated to have cost the country anywhere from $1 billion to $11 billion in economy-related losses. The insurance bill will be a lot lower.