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U.S. states plagued by historic drought are bracing for an early wildfire season with a cost that may rise as high as $1.8 billion, or almost $500,000 more than what’s available to control the blazes. Oklahomans fought seven fires in May during what is normally the state’s quietest period. Flames scorched four times as many acres in Texas from January through May as in the same period a year earlier. California is also far ahead of its usual pace and is bracing for hundreds more containment battles throughout the most populous U.S. state. “Drought has set the stage for a very busy and very dangerous fire season,” said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for Cal Fire, as the Sacramento-based California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is known. “From Jan. 1 through the end of April, we responded to 1,250 wildfires. In an average year for that same time period, we would have responded to fewer than 600.” The 2014 season is repeating a pattern of destruction established over the past decade by a combination of high temperatures, parched vegetation and more people living in wooded areas. Fires feeding on plentiful dry grass, brush and hardwood are requiring more personnel and money to bring them under control. More than twice as many acres burned across the U.S. through May 9 this year than during the same period in 2013, according to the Boise, Idaho-based National Interagency Fire Center. “With climate change contributing to longer and more intense wildfire seasons, the dangers and costs of fighting those fires increase substantially,” Rhea Suh, assistant secretary for policy, management and budget at the U.S. Interior Department said May 1 in a statement. Diverting Funds Federal officials expect to spend about $470 million more than the $1.4 billion that’s been allocated, according to a congressionally-mandated report released May 1. Increasing fire costs required the U.S. Forest Service and Interior Department to divert funds from other programs in seven of the last 12 years, the study showed. Millions of additional dollars in state and local funds are spent each year on persistent and ever- increasing blazes. In Arizona, last year’s record-setting fire season saw 19 members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew — firefighters who work behind the lines to control the spread of flames — die in the Yarnell Hill fire, the biggest loss of life from a single fire in 80 years. Colorado experienced its most destructive wildfire in history. A conflagration in Yosemite National Park that threatened San Francisco’s water supply became the largest ever in the Sierra Nevada. Snowpack Low With snowpack that provides water for a third of California’s farms and cities at only 18 percent of average in some places after the driest year in state history, officials expect to spend $221 million in emergency funds fighting fires by June 30, said Cal Fire’s Berlant. In a normal year, the agency would start hiring seasonal firefighters this month. Instead, Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat running for re-election, ordered 125 firefighters hired for the northern part of the state in January and kept seasonal crews in the south on the job longer. Cal Fire was “never able to transition out of fire season in 2013,” according to a statement. The agency returned to peak staffing in March in San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, where equipment and facilities are staffed around the clock. Dead brush and shrubs are drying out faster than usual in conditions more typical of mid-June than May, according to an outlook for May through August compiled by the interagency fire center. "Fuels should remain critically dry for most of the upcoming fire season,” the report said, and be “receptive to ignition and fires that are highly resistant to control efforts.” The risk of significant blazes will also come earlier than usual over much of the U.S. northwest, particularly in Oregon and Alaska, the outlook found. Because of substantial snowpack, the fire potential in the northern Rocky Mountains will be below normal, according to the analysis. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, a Democrat running for re-election, said yesterday that several fire-prone areas saw below-average precipitation this winter including the southwest and the southeast, in the grip of an extreme drought. ‘Mitigate Danger’ “It’s up to everyone to make sure they are taking the right steps to mitigate the danger and be prepared,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “With forecasts and planning, plus the addition of new resources related to wildfire response, we are doing what we can at the state level.” After record-setting wildfire seasons back-to-back, Hickenlooper signed legislation setting aside almost $20 million to buy two fire-spotting planes and hire four helicopters and four large tankers for the effort. Triple-digit temperatures that came early this year to the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma dried grasses on what already looked like a moonscape, said Mark Svoboda, a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dust Bowl-like conditions in those areas and in southeastern Colorado and northern New Mexico, last seen during the 1930s, are increasing fire risk, he said. “The droughts in California and Texas and Oklahoma are once-in-a-generation types of droughts with conditions we haven’t seen since the 1970s,” Svoboda said. “In California, the population has doubled since the 1970s, putting more structures at risk and increasing the potential loss due to fire. Content provided by http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2014/05/13/328902.htm

Last night there was a storm and some of the tiles came off of your roof. Which conversation would you prefer? 1. “Hi Mary, this is John Smith. Some of the tiles came off my roof last night.” “Oh I’m sorry Mr. Smith, yes that storm was really something, wasn’t it? We’ll get help to you right away.” 2. “All our representatives are busy with other customers. Your wait time is approximately 20 minutes. Please hold.” Customers have expressed their greater satisfaction when they have a local agent. A recent study measured the satisfaction of homeowners when they had to file a claim for damages covered under their homeowner’s policy. Local agents are known as the “personal insurance industry”.  Those who have to go through direct channels – typically online or by calling a call center- are much less satisfied with the results. Satisfaction is 50 points higher among customers who file a claim through their agent  than among those who file a claim through “direct channels” For the industry average, the call center experience fails to deliver the same level of service as an agent. Especially during times of hardship when someone’s house has been destroyed or their valuable possessions have been lost, it’s difficult for a call center representative to replicate the personal relationship customers get with an agent. California is subject to storms that can happen at any time.  Your home is probably your largest investment and surely you would like the best coverage and service for it.  Scurich Insurance Services is your local agent.  Why not call them today for a free quote and suggestions for what you need.  They will be ready to help you when you need it. Scurich Insurance Services has proudly served the Monterey Bay area since 1924.  Scurich will take care of all of your insurance needs.  Are you a business owner, did you get a new car or maybe you are looking to protect your family in the event of a tragedy?  Give us a call, we can help! Let Scurich Insurance Services know if you are a Happy Customer! We are located at: Scurich Insurance Services 320 East Lake Avenue, PO Box 1170 Watsonville, CA 95077-1170 Office: 1-831-722-3541 Toll Free: 1-800-320-3666 Website | Facebook | Blog | LinkedIn | Happy Customer

Monte Vista Christian School to donate portions of proceeds from event Watsonville >> The Monte Vista Christian School performing arts department is putting on a Disney-themed concert to raise the spirits of children with cancer as well as funds for Jacob's Heart. The Watsonville-based private school's show Friday at the Mello Center for the Performing Arts, 250 E. Beach St. in Watsonville, will feature a number of songs from the Disney repertoire with a strong focus on the latest animated movie, "Frozen." Proceeds from the concert will go to Jacob's Heart, the Watsonville-based nonprofit that helps children with cancer and their families. "Since the concern is basically for the children (at Jacob's Heart), we're going to make it a Disney-themed concert," said Tony Dehner, director of vocal arts at Monte Vista. It's the first time Monte Vista has organized a concert fundraiser, according to Dehner. The idea was sparked from a conversation Dehner had with Watsonville Police Chief Manny Solano. The two spoke at a dinner event in November to celebrate Solano's 18-year-old son, who attends Monte Vista and sings in the school's choir, making it into the California regional honor choir. "We're Facebook buddies so he had been following the various stories through my wife's posting of my updates," Solano said, referencing his own battle with cancer. Solano publicly revealed his cancer diagnosis in August and took a three-month leave of absence from the police department to focus on treatment. During the conversation, Solano talked about his cancer battle and Jacob's Heart, which Solano has been a strong advocate and supporter of, came up in the discussion. Eventually Dehner suggested a fundraiser for the nonprofit and, soon, the concert was conceived. "It's just been a great opportunity to bring people together," Solano said. Though the school hosts a spring concert each year, it has traditionally taken place at the high school's auditorium. The decision to change venues to the Mello Center was prompted in part because of the expected number of attendees. The concert will feature two sections. The first half will focus on popular and classic songs and a second half will focus on Disney songs. Songs from "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" movies are in the first part of the program as well as a song by Led Zeppelin. The Disney portion of the show will feature 20 characters from the franchise, all in costume, Dehner said. "I'm pretty sure we're going to sell out," he said. Children from Jacob's Heart and their families are expected to attend the show, free of charge, Dehner said. About 170 Monte Vista students will take part in the performance, including three choirs, the vocal ensemble, the jazz band, the orchestra, the high school band, the dance team and the handbell choir. "The guests will be treated to really quality and incredible music and singing that is right here in our own backyard," Solano said. All tickets are $10. For details and ticket reservations, call 831-728-2711. What: Monte Vista Christian School hosting a concert fundraiser for Jacob's Heart When: 7:30 p.m., Friday 5/16 Where: Mello Center for Performing Arts, 250 E. Beach St. in Watsonville Detail: Call 831-728-2711. Content provided by http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/watsonville/ci_25755193/watsonville-school-hosts-fundraiser-jacobs-heart

...ures from the National Center for Health Statistics show that 18.6 million Ame...

From sun and sand to riding horseback, K&K’s resort program provides vital business protection for a variety of destination and vacation resorts and guest ranches. The resort program is for operations that offer hotel, lodge or cabin rentals and include full service restaurants, bars, spa services and many leisure activities

From sun and sand to riding horseback, K&K's resort program provides vital business protection for a variety of destination and vacation resorts and guest ranches. The resort program is for operations that offer hotel, lodge or cabin rentals and include full service.