Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac extended their disaster-relief policies to borrowers whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The aid applies to property owners living in towns and cities along the eastern United States that have been declared disaster areas by President Obama.
In 2011, the average American wedding cost $26,501. With that kind of money on the line, and considering all the unforeseeable circumstances that could wreck your carefully laid plans, it's no surprise that a growing number of companies are offering wedding insurance.
Major cellular carriers will soon begin to carry emergency text alerts for the U.S. government in the event of major disasters, turning the mobile devices of 250 million people into emergency alert devices.
Days after Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami, some investing experts pronounced the country's woes a buying opportunity. A cash stampede into U.S.-based Japan exchange-traded funds followed. But these investments carry greater risks than the average Joe probably realizes.
Social-media tools like Twitter and Facebook could soon help the U.S. government respond more effectively to disasters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it will take advantage of social media and mobile-device portals to reach people during federal disasters.
A year after Haiti's catastrophic quake, Port-au-Prince is still a ruin. But the views from high-end spots like the Hotel Oloffson are picture perfect, and with armies of aid workers still needing to bed down, business at hotels left intact is booming.
The state's worst natural disaster in 200 years came at a time when its economy was already struggling. But federal aid will start pouring in, and this could jump-start a recovery.
Americans set a single day record for mobile giving Wednesday, as tens of thousands of people used their cell phones to donate $3 million to earthquake-stricken Haiti, according to Verizon Wireless.
President Obama has offered Haiti the United States' 'full support' after the island nation suffered an epic earthquake. What he did not mention is America's generosity may come with a hefty price tag to U.S. taxpayers as the deficit mushrooms from the cost of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
