Tropical Storm Fay continued its slow move over Florida, dumping rain as far north as South Carolina as state officials were continuing to assess the extent of damage.
The center of Tropical Storm Fay was expected to move northwest over the Florida Panhandle near the Gulf Coast by late tomorrow or early Saturday.
Sitting over water, Fay intensified to 60 mph from 45 mph while it was still over land.
There were no official damage estimates and insures have not released any information on claims activity.
One of the major providers of crop insurance in the state, ACE Ltd. Group, had no information at this time on what the potential loss may be from Fay.
Doug Bornique, executive director of the Indian River Citrus League, representing growers along the state's east coast, said the storm was not a wind event and any claims would be water related.
"I've lived in Florida for the last 50 years and I've never seen this fast a waterfall in a region," he said. "It's been a unique event."
He said some farmers may be covered, but it depends on individual policies.
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty issued an advisory today stating that the hurricane deductible does not apply to Tropical Storm Fay because it was never designated a hurricane.
"Insurance companies must apply the deductible that is unrelated to hurricane, generally referred to as the 'all other perils deductible' or 'other than hurricane deductible,'" the commissioner said. "The hurricane deductible only applies when property damage results from a named hurricane. Consumers should review their policies and contact their agent if they have any questions."
Lynne McChristian with the Insurance Information Institute said what this advisory will mean for insurers cannot be discerned until claims come in.
She noted that most of the damage appears to be flood related and the state's residual insurer, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., closed its mobile office after one day due to lack of claim activity. It has received only a few hundred so far.
The Florida Insurance Council said in a statement that most reported claims were from residents with flooded automobiles.
Flooding from Fay, which first struck Florida Monday, is coming from torrential downpours that are expected to dump five-to-10 inches across the central and northern portions of Florida, including the Panhandle, in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service. There could be isolated areas receiving 15 inches, according to the forecast, with South Carolina experiencing as much as four inches.
Rain totals from the storm have reached as much as 30 inches in some parts of the state, the National Weather Service reported.
(This story was updated at 4:16 p.m.)
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