As storm season starts, AP photographer revisits Puerto Rico

Roberto Figueroa Caballero holds a printed photo taken on Oct. 5, 2017 of him amid his seaside home that was destroyed by Hurricane Maria, as he stands on the same property with his pet dog in the La Perla neighborhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 29, 2018. Figueroa, who found a job at a pizzeria, aims to rebuild his home and is appealing FEMA's second rejection of his application.

SW Florida still dealing with Irma

Although a new hurricane season is here, many Cape Coral and Southwest Florida home owners are still feeling the affects of last year's historical storm. Lee County residents, almost nine months after Hurricane Irma blew through, are still maneuvering through insurance companies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Small Business Administration disaster loans to return their property to its pre-hurricane state.

Texas ‘hero’ eyes Harvey’s devastation, awaits new hurricane season

Zachary Dearing, who became a local hero for being an impromptu leader of an evacuation center during Hurricane Harvey last year, speaks dur ROCKPORT, Texas - Destroyed houses still dot Zachary Dearing's neighborhood in the Texas coastal city of Rockport, a reminder of last year's devastation from Hurricane Harvey and a warning about what could lie ahead for such communities in the new hurricane season. Dearing, a 30-year-old harbor worker and aspiring screenwriter, was trapped in a local storm shelter during Harvey last August and was later hailed as a hero for leading care for about 120 people.

The Latest: So far, lava has destroyed 82 Hawaii structures

In this May 24, 2018 photo from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, lava erupts from a fissure in the Leilani Estates neighborhood near Pahoa on the island of Hawaii. Three lava flows from eruptions of Kilauea volcano are now flowing into the ocean off Hawaii's Big Island.

FEMA Encourages People to Prepare Now for the 2018 Hurricane Season

With the 2017 historic hurricane season in the rearview mirror, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is asking residents in the southeast to begin preparing for 2018. "While the Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1, the best time to make preparations is now, before the Atlantic and Gulf become more active and a storm threatens," said FEMA Regional Administrator Gracia Szczech.

Apply Now for Federal Disaster Assistance

If you live in one of the nine Indiana counties designated for disaster assistance and experienced property damage or loss caused by storms and flooding on February 14 - March 4, 2018, register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster assistance - even if you have insurance. Eligible counties include Carroll, Clark, Elkhart, Floyd, Harrison, Jefferson, Lake, Marshall and St. Joseph.

Flooding disaster assistance process now shifts to FEMA

According to Kim Carver, director of the Scioto County Emergency Management Agency, about 50 representatives from communities around Scioto County attended what was dubbed by Cassie Ringsdorf, a spokeperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as an applicant briefing, the first step in gaining reimbursement for money spent responding to and recovering from severe storms, flooding and landslides that slammed the area Feb. 14-25.

The ‘go-to lawyer’ for insurers fighting flood claims is this Metairie attorney: report

Flood insurance -- the costs, benefits, risks and rewards of the federally backed program -- is a familiar topic to Louisianians. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Louisiana Flood of 2016 drove home its advantages as well as its outrages -- the latest being that as much as two thirds of the money paid by property owners for coverage goes to private insurance companies and the lawyers who are hired to fight claims.