The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have devised a new method of simulating storms using AI in an effort to create more adaptable and stronger buildings.  A recent study asserts that the simulations can accurately represent the trajectory and wind speeds of a collection of actual storms. The authors suggest that simulating numerous realistic hurricanes with the new approach can lead to improved guidelines for the design of buildings in hurricane-prone regions.

Scientists using real-life storm data with AI to improve building designs is groundbreaking.  Engineers and forecasters are increasingly reliant on the work that computers can do to streamline their efficiency.  The use of AI is most noteworthy in computer modeling for Florida in hurricane-prone areas.  Determining the level of wind that a building should be designed to withstand can be accomplished using AI.  Rather than attempting to mathematically build a storm from the ground up using bare data points, as current models do, machine-learning algorithms mimic actual hurricane data.  

With enough quality information to study, machine-learning algorithms can construct models based on patterns they uncover within datasets that other methods miss.  Those models can then simulate specific behaviors, such as the wind strength and movement of a hurricane.  Thereafter, developers, builders, and engineers can find the level of wind their proposed structure must handle based on its location and relative importance.

The sophistication of AI has dramatically improved and it continues to improve, and that’s critical to designing sounder, more durable structures.  Wind-resistant design can include things like concrete, steel frames, and impact-resistant glass.  Florida structures must be built stronger to withstand wind and water damage as evidenced by the tragic Surfside condo collapse.  

With over 25 years of legal experience, Corless Law Group has assisted thousands of policyholders with their insurance claims and have maximized insured’s policy recoveries.  As a leading property damage claims law firm serving Florida policyholders, we have the knowledge and passion to get you results.  We know Florida property insurance laws, are well-versed in the interpretation of insurance policy language and offer extensive experience with property insurance litigation.  

Having a law firm with outstanding service, representation and results in all aspects of property claims is more important than ever due to the climate crisis.  Insurers are mitigating the risk of climate change by raising home insurance premiums, especially in areas highly susceptible to storms, such as Florida.  As climate change threatens the Sunshine State with more natural disasters, it’s becoming increasingly costly for Floridians to insure their homes and get compensation when a disaster strikes. 

In the event of a major storm, most people would expect their insurance company to be by their side, ready to assist when their home or business is damaged in a natural disaster.  When you buy property insurance, you hope that if you lose your home or deal with extensive damage, your insurance policy would be assessed and you recover your losses.  Unfortunately, the insurance companies usually have one thing in mind, which is profitability.  Far too often, insurers don’t compensate policyholders for valid claims, especially in the era of climate change.  

Due to global warming, insurance companies look more often to delay, deny or underpay legitimate claims since they need to cover more losses.  Our full-service property insurance litigation law firm is committed to helping policyholders receive fair and just coverage from their insurers.  Whether you have a complex claim or your insurer has engaged in bad faith insurance practices and you need to take legal action, we are here to help.  

In Florida, there are specific laws that govern how an insurance company needs to handle your damage claim.  An insurer cannot act in bad faith (e.g., unreasonably delay a claim, fail to respond to claims, underpay valid claims, perform inadequate investigations).  If they fail at this simple task, they will be hit with hefty punitive damages. 

Our property insurance law firm is based in Tampa, Florida and has won record-setting verdicts throughout the Sunshine State.  We have developed unique legal strategies for each of our clients (residential and commercial policyholders) when their insurance company has delayed, undervalued or denied their valid claim by producing solution-driven results.  Our law firm can assist you in a variety of insurance claim disputes, including:

• Hurricane or storm damage
• Smoke damage
• Hail damage
• Wind damage
• Fire damage
• Tornado damage
• Water damage
• Sinkhole damage

Corless Law Group was built on a foundation of providing clients with an outstanding representation for results in all aspects of property damage.  If you have questions about an insurance policy or insurance claim, we can answer them and provide you with the skilled counsel you need to protect your rights and receive full and fair compensation.  Call us 365 days a year at 813-258-4998 for a free consultation.  

The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins on June 1 and ends on Nov. 30 but as I’ve previously written, hurricane season begins and ends when Mother Nature decides.  Meteorologists state that the overall pattern looks pretty similar to last year.  The 2021 season saw four major hurricanes among seven hurricanes out of 21 tropical storms.

Warmer than average seas, which power storms and help fuel the development of tropical storms and hurricanes, along with the absence of an El Nino weather pattern that sends high winds across the southern United States to break up hurricanes are the primary reasons forecasters predict an above-average storm season. 

For policyholders who experience property damage after a storm, success is the only measurement they use to evaluate who’s the best attorney to protect their legal rights, achieve maximum compensation, and pursue justice. Property owners need a hurricane insurance lawyer on their side who has successfully litigated these types of claims throughout Florida.  

It seems logical that if you pay your premiums and have the proper homeowners insurance coverage, and your home suffers storm damage, you would have your claim processed.  But this is usually not the case since insurers are in the business of making money and will try to delay, deny or underpay valid storm damage claims. 

Corless Law Group has secured more than $500 million in case results for residential and commercial property owners across the Sunshine State.  Our trial law firm is determined to help policyholders, including homeowners, business owners, Community Managed Associations, HOAs and Licensed Community Association Managers who have experienced property damage.  We have successfully resolved a vast number of storm damage claims.  There are virtually no other law firms that have the experience, knowledge and record-setting results like Corless Law Group. 

Corless Law Group is acknowledged as a pioneer in the field of storm damage claims, and is the go-to Florida hurricane insurance attorney when other law firms have bad faith cases.  Insurance companies want to make a profit, and occurrences of insurance bad faith happen with regularity. If you believe that you are a victim of insurance bad faith on your homeowner policy or have a dispute with your insurance company surrounding property damage, contact us at 813-258-4998.

No one expects to become a victim of a residential or commercial business fire.  Investigators in Colorado continue to weigh the cause of the fires that, with the help of ferocious winds, swept east into Superior and Louisville.  If you have experienced property damage or property loss due to a fire, it is essential to consult a law firm that has experience litigating these types of disputes. 

Corless Law Group guides residential and commercial property owners through each step of the process to secure full compensation for their property damage insurance claims.  Call us today at 813-258-4998 for a free consultation.

Scientists say climate change is making weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.  The fires charred numerous neighborhoods in a suburban area northwest of Denver and high winds pushed flames that fed on bone-dry grasses and vegetation on open spaces to suburban subdivisions.  Global warming increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that fuels wildfires.  About 90 percent of Boulder County was in severe or extreme drought last Dec.  Denver set a record for consecutive days without snow before it got a small storm on Dec. 10.  The fires, fueled by dry conditions and winds that gusted more than 100 mph, were blamed for destroying more than a thousand structures. 

Most homes affected by the raging wildfires in Colorado were completely destroyed.  The fires caused severe property damage to both structures and personal belongings.  A fire damage insurance claim could also include potential lost wages and business interruption losses.  Even partial property damage caused by a fire can make a house unlivable or require costly repairs.  Additionally, fires can damage heating and cooling systems as well as plumbing.

Unfortunately, rarely do insurance providers act swiftly and fairly to pay your fire, smoke, water, electrical or soot damage claim.  Many policyholders experience unfair delays, low-ball settlement offers or claim denials, which is why you need an experienced lawyer fighting for your rights.  

Our fire damage lawyers go to court and will fight for our clients’ rights.  We know how important it is for you to recover the full value of your claim and especially Large Loss insurance claims involving multi-unit buildings.  

Corless Law Group is an elite, boutique law firm focused on securing maximum compensation for clients involved in property damage disputes.  With more than $500 million achieved in case results, turn to a trial law firm that has the experience investigating and litigating property damage claims.  For a free consultation, get in touch with us today by calling 813-258-4998.  

As a law firm that aggressively fights to secure insurance coverage for insureds who experience property damage or property loss, we have witnessed firsthand an uptick in Large Loss insurance claims involving flood, windstorms, fire, hailstorms, sinkholes, and tropical storms/hurricanes due to the climate crisis.  

Claude Tankersley, Public Works Administrator for the City of St. Petersburg, Florida explained:  “The Bay is at least eight inches higher than it was back in the 1940s. And eight inches doesn’t sound like a lot, but in such a flat area as we are, eight inches can mean the difference between a street flooding every now and then, or not.”  And that’s not even the worst of it; climate change threatens Florida’s Atlantic coastline, where Miami, Palm Beach, Daytona, and Jacksonville are located, as these cities are among those that are most likely to be affected by climate change.   

Hurricane wind speeds and rainfall rates are likely to increase as the climate continues to warm, which can make insurance more expensive or difficult to obtain.  Cities, roads, railways, ports, and water supplies in Florida are vulnerable to the impacts of storms.  Coastal homes and poorly constructed infrastructure will flood more often as sea levels rise, because storm surges will become higher as well.  As a result, rising sea level is likely to increase flood insurance premiums.

We’ve seen the cost of insurance creeping up with hurricane season progressively worsening each year due to climate change.  HOA fees will likely significantly increase along with the rising cost of insurance.  In general, the laws help insurance companies but leave homeowners more vulnerable, holding policies that offer less protection or without coverage when disaster strikes.  This is why you need a property damage insurance lawyer on your side to counsel you and represent your interests when there’s a loss.  Get in touch with us by calling 813-258-4998.  

The impacts of climate change can be felt throughout Florida but what’s unique is that the climate crisis disproportionately affects low-income communities and communities of color, which have the fewest resources to recover from property damage.  Communities of color and low-income areas in Florida are disproportionately exposed to extreme climate threats, and they are more often located in or near flood-prone areas or toxic waste sites.  The systemic environmental racism that exists in Florida (and elsewhere) is inextricably linked to issues of economic inequality, environmental racism, and climate change.   Florida must invest in equitable climate infrastructure and Corless Barfield Trial Group is committed to working with these communities to help them assess insurance policy language and address insurance disputes over property damage. 

Long-term goals should include investing in resilient infrastructure, building better and stronger, stop developing in risky areas (as in the tragic case of the Surfside Condo Collapse) and get all residents on board for the changes that have to take place. The larger-scale solution is to slow down the physical effects of climate change by pumping fewer emissions into the atmosphere.  But in the here and now, if you experience any type of property damage or property loss, please call us at 813-258-4998.  

L – Listen now because global warming does affect the development of sinkholes.  Corless Barfield Trial Group is a law firm focused on successfully litigating sinkhole and property damage claims. We have seen a rise in the frequency and severity of sinkholes. Global warming related to climate change has most definitely led to an increase in sinkhole collapse events in Florida over the past 50 years. 

O – Owners of homes and businesses should be aware of their rights when it comes to sinkhole damage. Sinkholes can cause major damage to buildings and personal property.  Corless Barfield Trial Group represents families and businesses in disputes with insurance companies throughout Florida. Call us now at 813-258-4998 for a free and confidential case evaluation. 

B – Begin to understand and learn about your home and property. Common signs of sinkhole damage include cracks both on the interior and exterior of the home or building, gaps between walls and floors or ceilings, difficulty closing windows and doors, yard slopes or depressions, trees or fence posts that tilt or fall, and cracks in driveways or pool decks. 

A – Alarming is an understatement when it comes to the climate crisis the world is experiencing. Sinkholes can often be deadly. This month, at least six people died and 16 others were injured after a massive sinkhole swallowed a bus picking up passengers in China. 

L – Law and activism are tools that can help stall or even reverse global warming.  Our law firm and team of lawyers can help you deal with the impacts caused by sinkhole damage. CBTG can document record-setting verdicts against the largest insurers, from discovery through verdict and appeals. To learn more about how we can help you with sinkhole losses, contact our law firm today at 813-258-4998.

W – Winning sinkhole lawyers do more than just file a claim. The attorneys at CBTG will help you evaluate your claim, provide guidance on how to file a sinkhole claim, help you make sound sinkhole repair decisions, retain and consult with expert geologists, geotechnical engineers and structural engineers, and litigate your claim (if necessary) through the appeal process.  

A – Arctic sinkholes are appearing due to climate change. While sinkhole events are usually associated with the Sunshine State as well as Texas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania, they continue to pop up across the globe thanks to global warming. 

R – Rains are the perfect precursor to sinkhole activity. Soils are like sponges with a network of pores that allows water and air to freely enter and escape.  When it rains often and there is flooding, the water stays inside the sinkhole and typically drains into the subsurface. Rainfall and surface water percolate through joints in the limestone. The more it rains, the more sinkhole activity there is, and flooding is caused by global warming. 

M – Man-made sinkholes are becoming more and more frequent. Major floods and major droughts contribute to the formation of sinkholes.  Specifically, the main trigger for sinkholes is water – too much or even too little. A good chunk of Florida bedrock is made up of porous rocks such as limestone or sandstone, which can dissolve over time as they interact with acid naturally found in rainwater. 

I – Insurance companies often seek to delay, deny or underpay valid sinkhole claims.

N – Nature is warning us to do better and be better at protecting the planet. We don’t want sinkholes swallowing people or real estate. Sinkholes are caused naturally but they can be triggered by “water” events. Sinkholes can form due to heavy rainfall, tropical storms or hurricanes, a drought followed by heavy rainfall, and human activity like substantial pumping of groundwater.

G – Global warming and climate change has altered the frequency and intensity of many natural geohazards, including sinkholes. That is a fact. If you have experienced sinkhole activity or have questions about property damage and repairs, call Corless Barfield Trial Group, the sinkhole lawyers, at 813-258-4998. We don’t hide from the science – we run to it.