Posts Tagged ‘implications’

Tips for Buying a Boat and Choosing Boat Insurance

Has it been your lifelong dream to own a boat? If you feel you are now in the position to buy your first boat, you’ll want to make sure you get it right. If you are buying a secondhand boat, it’s best to start visiting and having a good look around the boatyards, and talk to other owners about their experiences and ask for the contact of recommended surveyors.

Like any important purchase you shouldn’t rush this research period, so spend lots of time seeing as many boats as possible and enjoy it. While doing your legwork think about the boat insurance implications your final choice will have, as it is all part of parcel of your financial commitment over time. Look to get a boat insurance quote for any model of boat you have on your list to buy before making any decision.

Have you weighed up the options yet between buying new or secondhand? Apart from the necessary legwork there are some valuable sources that you can research from the comfort of your own home, such as the Marine Directory article resources. Currently there are over 7000 PDF articles available which cover pretty much everything you will need to know.

For example there are around 600 buyers guides which specialise in various makes and models, and currently cost from 4.95 to download the PDF report. These can be found on the internet on Yachting and Boating World, Marine Directory. Of course there are also the boat shows to go to, from the second May bank holiday, 23rd to 25th May, there is the Brighton new and used Boat Show, in the Brighton Marina.

On the internet you can also visit relevant forums to see what people are saying, as well as asking questions. There are also some boat buyers guides which have a quick search facility that lets you put in the number of cabins, berths, length and width, fuel and engine types, with a ballpark of your budget, which will then return the suggested boats from different manufacturers. This can be a good starting point, and Motor Boats Monthly has this facility for motorboats.

When you are considering the boat insurance policy that you will need when you have bought your boat, be aware that not all boat insurance quote policies are the same. For both your purchasing decision and insurance purposes the expense of a survey may be worth considering, in the case of buying secondhand. Just like cars no two boats will have had the same care and attention, and their condition can vary substantially. From the survey you will find out about any remedial work that may need doing in the immediate or near future, which you can evaluate before making your final decision. The assessment of the degree of risk will also be done so if this is high in turn your insurer will have to charge you higher premiums.

Another consideration is that insurers will ask for repeat inspections, so you will need to research how frequently various insurers need these done, as this is another important cost factor to include in your calculations. Finally be aware that insurers will use the survey as a tool to assess the degree of risk but when it comes to a claim they will not pay out on defects which were not noticed by your surveyor. Naturally this reinforces the importance of finding a very good surveyor, and having a thorough survey done.Jackie de Burca is co-owner Creative Web Advertising, which is an International internet media consultancy. Creative Web Advertising specialise in Pay Per Click, SEO and web consulting. Before getting carried away on a wave find out more about boat insurance quote, cover and policies.

The Secrets to Opening a Successful Nursery

With the New Year now upon us, it is only natural that many peoples thoughts will turn to opening their own business. And whilst the credit crunch has hit many businesses hard, the pre school childcare sector is still a popular choice for many new start businesses. This article looks at some points that would be nursery owners should consider before going it alone.

The first thing to consider before committing to full time childcare and the stresses and strains that come with employing staff, sorting premises and offering a facility that is likely to open pretty much all year round is that other options may exist. You may want to ease your way into the childcare industry by setting up a playgroup or offering a childminding facility from home before taking the big step that is setting up a nursery. However, once you have made the initial decision and have decided that running your own nursery is what you want, you really need to start to look at the financial implications involved.

The truth is that setting up and running your own nursery is not going to be an instant route to riches. In fact, if your motivation for running a nursery is based purely on the financial returns that maybe possible, then it might be worth considering if the childcare industry is right for you at all. Owners of nurseries and other pre school facilities are rarely solely motivated by money and are more often driven by their desire to provide quality childcare. By doing this you may well reap the rewards that a successful nursery can bring but it is important to remember that hard work, patience, enthusiasm and even more patience will be required time and time again long before you start to see any noticeable return on your investment.

On the subject of costs, your first task once you have decided to set up a nursery is to find premises. This search for suitable premises is likely to involve doing some market research to see if there is actually a need for a nursery in the area you are looking to set up in. The nursery and childcare sector as a whole is, like most other industries extremely competitive so you need to make sure there is suitable gap in the market for you to establish your new nursery in the face of competition from more established nurseries.

And once you have decided that an opportunity does exist for a new nursery in a particular location, you then have the choice of renting, buying or indeed building suitable premises for your nursery. Add to this the costs of toys, equipment, staffing, getting regulated and utilities and soon the task of setting up a successful nursery looks pretty daunting.

The 2 main secrets to setting up a successful nursery are therefore to do a thorough job when it comes to researching your market. This will involve doing a full competitor analysis of other nurseries, pre schools, childminders and playgroups that exist in your area. This process will involve finding out where and who they are, how much do they charge, how many children do they have, how much do they make, how many staff do they employ, how much do they pay their staff and no doubt numerous other questions.

If after this extensive market research you feel an opportunity does still exist then the second secret to running a successful nursery is to use marketing better than your competitors to make sure parents and other people know about your nursery for all the right reasons. You could have the best nursery in the world but unless your potential customers know about it then your time, money and hard work could all go to waste. And when it comes to marketing your nursery, you do not necessarily have to spend a great deal of money doing this.

Generate word of mouth in your local area, get the media involved so they report on your progress every step of the way, set up a website so you can promote and showcase your facilities and make sure when parents are faced with the very difficult question of what childcare facility should I choose, your nursery is number one on their list, or certainly amongst the front runners.

Setting up a nursery takes time, hard work and effort and setting up a successful nursery takes all of these things plus a little bit of lady luck. However, in the hardest of financial climates, it is still possible to fulfil your dreams and be successful. If you intend to make 2009 the year when your nursery dreams become reality, then do your research, become great at marketing and all the very best of luck.NCi Nursery are Nursery Insurance Specialists and for details of their Insurance for Nurseries facilities or to get a nursery insurance quote simply visit the Nurseries Insurance Experts

Patterns Of Fleet Management Explained

The job of managing a fleet is complex, with the added challenges of going green and ongoing cost cutting. An integral cost of running a fleet is the motor fleet insurance budget. Recent surveys have shown that 30% of companies are undergoing reviews of their company car policies. The focus is a combination of health and safety, environment and cost efficiency when reviewing the management of fleets.

Some of the financial patterns that can be seen in addition to fleet insurance investment are detailed here from research done when surveying 110 employers using questionnaires and additionally 18 companies where an in depth study was done. 88% of companies currently allow status car users to go for the cash option instead of a car, but in the case of job need drivers under 36% are given this option.

There is also deep analysis regarding fuel usage and the choice of funding options. Central also and with financial implications is C02 where the trend is that many fleets have put a cap on emissions are many more are doing so. Companies are encouraging with incentives to opt for hybrid cars and to lower emissions. Some are also providing diesel only vehicles and there is an increased commitment to monitoring C02 emissions. Although the green fleet policies are increasing generally the research showed that the prominent influential sector in this action are the large organisations. If an organisation has over 10,000 staff these were the ones that had drafted their policy with the environment in mind whereas companies of 250 staff or less results show that only 40% of these are dealing with the green issues. When the various sectors were surveyed it was the financial sector that came up smelling of roses for going green for their fleet policies.

Regarding health and safety issues a number of employers have now reached the conclusion that their drivers would be safer and more protected in company vehicles. There seems to be a trend where the cash allowance schemes are being pulled. Many organisations have been prompted by the new legislation to assess the risks which are associated when employees are allowed to use their own cars, with the conclusion that cars provided by the company carry less risk.

Where the cash option is available the survey shows that there is an increasing number of the status car drivers who are choosing this option, which in their case can amount to figures from 10,000 pounds to as much as 28,000. The survey showed that just under 54% of board members took this option. Whereas at a junior manager level where the amount would be around 4,500 pounds only 32% of this group opted for it. With the job-need driver group where the amount is more or less the same as junior managers just under 30% took it.

When calculating allowances the majority of companies tend to use survey benchmarking against their market and one third of fleets review the figures every years, with another 37% who review the figures every two to three years. Apart from the obvious costs discussed and the motor fleet insurance, there are also the hidden cost of the administrative work which has to be done to maintain, implement and review these fleets and fleet policies.Jackie de Burca is co-owner Creative Web Advertising, which is an International internet media consultancy specialising in Pay Per Click, SEO and web consulting. To get great deals for you motor fleet insurance check out this reputable firm.

Farm Insurance Agents & the Estate Planning Alphabet of Doom!

Successful farmers see their hard work pay off over the years, naturally making the farm their most important and valuable asset, as well as one that offers other benefits. The total family’s financial security and steady income as well as your ability to be your own person – not having to answer to anybody else, and it provides you an identity and recognition in your community.

Doesn’t it make sense to protect those decades of hard work from the alphabet effect, the result of spending too many years fighting the day to day battles and not enough time considering the long term implications of your success? Let’s face it, when you don’t plan for the long term future, you lose control of your farm’s destiny in the event of death, disability, or old age.

When something bad happens there are a series of problems that seem to be automatically triggered – like dominoes that start falling each of whom knocks down the next and the next and the next. And when you are in business with your parents or your children a lack of long term planning makes the results more personally devastating and much worse than if you just lost the money involved in the collapse of your farm business.

Farm insurance agents call the domino like problems cascading one on top of the other, the alphabet effect to help you visualize how a failure to plan for the long term future will effect you and your family.

First of all, attorney’s file the papers that begin the various legal proceedings. If everything has not been spelled out in advance – the courts take over with laws that were created to establish fairness in a hypothetical situation, not your situation.

Your friendly bankers will immediately begin to restrict credit. The good credit you’ve established over the years was only in part because of your assets. It was often in large measure based on your history of doing what you promised, pay the note on time, and since you are no longer here, the bankers have no choice but to …

Naturally your creditors want to be paid, sooner rather than later. And since they don’t want to be left holding the bag, like so often happens when the ultimate payment of the bills depended on the continued operation of the farm – they may press for payment in cash and as soon as your contract with them permits.

Debtors may begin to demand payment. People like the seed, feed, and fertilizer folks you’ve dealt with for decades – may not be willing to wait until harvest for their money. Because trade credit like this is typically unsecured and casually given, it may be pulled away instantly if the vendors feel threatened in any way.

Your employees start to get nervous. Your best people, those you had counted on to be there long into the future. The ones who know how everything works may start talking to your neighbors at your funeral about a new job down the road from your place. The worthless employees, the ones you would get rid of if you could – they will be there till the bitter end, along with their own special brand of meritocracy.

Family members need cash. Farm insurance agents report that most farms are supporting three groups of people within the same family. Your brother and his wife, you aunt and uncle, you and your family – you get the picture, so when something bad happens and the income stops it stops for everybody. And if you are the one people have looked to for decades as the “founder of the feast” they and all your neighbors will say that it was your responsibility to see to in that their incomes did not stop, just because something bad happened to you or yours.

There are several more letters in this alphabet of doom – each one of which will reduce the value of your business and almost any one of which your farm could handle by itself. Together, they way the dominos fall, they will combine to drastically shrink your farm’s worth, threaten it continued existence, and give everyone a much different picture of how successful a business person you were – for decades to come.

Who will be hurt by your failure to take long term planning seriously? You family, your employees, and your business partners to name just a few. What are your alternatives, how can you protect your family and your farm against the many forces you can not control? How can your farm business survive this crisis?

Farm insurance agents and common sense will tell you the answer, it’s taking the initiative and doing the long term planning that is your responsibility to do – for your sake and the sake of everyone that is part of your connected family farm business.Successful farmers understand that concentrating on the immediate short term decisions that add to their profits , and that require countless hours of their time, should not take all of their energy, They understand that the valuable insights of their farm insurance agents can help them focus on what is important to them, their family, and the farm – for years to come.

Over 50’s Are Making The World Their Oyster

Globally, the number of people over 50 is steadily on the increase. The majority of this increase is in developing countries as healthcare and knowledge of holistic wellness is improving. However, the principal reason for this rise in the population is because more and more children are overcoming childhood challenges and are reaching adulthood.

Because of better health and financial planning, seniors are increasingly more active, participating in many social and recreational activities as well as enjoying educational and travel programmes. Research shows that people who fall into this category have an even greater involvement in politics!
Many people, from their 50’s onwards, are devoting more time to hobbies, leisure activities, friends and family. Folks are pursuing personal interests and activities and also using this period for intellectual stimulation and growth. The travel bug has bitten numerous seniors as they pack their bags for grand adventures and set out to explore the world.

Car insurance for over 50’s is an excellent course of action in order to protect oneself against financial loss. It is also a good system that helps to cover the costs of damages as a result of unforeseen car accidents whilst out seeing the glorious sights of South Africa or visiting friends and family. By simply having a policy for over 50’s car insurance, it brings the enormous benefits of both peace of mind and security because policyholders know that they are to be indemnified should a loss occur. Thus, the freedom of the open road can be enjoyed without worrying about the financial implications of vehicle loss.

Vehicle insurance is genuinely insurance of great importance because of the grave injuries and extensive property damage that can result from car accidents. Car insurance for over 50 also provides compensation should the vehicle be stolen, vandalised, damaged in a collision or by natural phenomenon such as storms.

So get out and about and discover the wonders the various cultures have to offer, investigate the planet and bring your dreams to life. Seniors are living life to the hilt these days.

Colonel Sanders is a world-famous example of realizing one’s dream. Kentucky Fried Chicken, KFC, is a well-known brand right around the globe. Harland David Sanders franchised the KFC restaurants at the tender age of 65, sold the corporation years later and still remained its spokesman.

An American Englishman by the name of Harry Bernstein penned the book The Invisible Wall when he was 93 and had it published when he was 96. He is busy with his second work at the moment already entitled: The Dream.

And there’s no holding the ladies back either! Mae Laborde has only recently started her acting career. The new star took to the screens at age 93 in 2002 and is quoted as being ‘Hotter than ever!’ The list of people showing us the way to really participate in life and to have fun goes on and on. Life appears to become ever more exhilarating as we dare for more.

So, move out of the way, the over 50’s are taking on the world!For over 50s insurance articles visit www.integrisure.co.za.

Taxi Fleet Insurance Tips for Busy Taxi Company Owners

Insurance Brokers who specialise in offering cover for individual taxi insurance are not necessarily the best placed to offer you expert advice and rates for your taxi fleet insurance.

A lot more fleet insurance companies are now willing to look at taxi fleets which is great news as the old fashioned stigmas associated with taxi fleets are fast disappearing which can only be good news for all involved in the taxi trade and fleet insurance market.

To find the best provider for your policy it is advisable to source a company who specialise in any other type of fleet insurance, as this will be the important expertise which is applied to your policy.

Some of the aspects for taxi fleet insurance which need to be considered are:

1. The legal implications of carrying passengers for reward and hire
2. Policies should ideally provide cover including legal liability for death or bodily injury to any person, including passengers
3. Policies should also include damage to any other persons property, including passengers
4. Accidental damage to the vehicle
5. Fire or theft of the vehicle
6. Malicious damage to the vehicle
7. Taxi fleet like other fleet insurance should cover when necessary a combination of vehicle types
8. In the same sense it should also be able to cover a mixture of types of cover fully comprehensive, third party etc.
9. Ask about how much your excess is to avoid any nasty surprises at the time of a claim
10. How much taxi experience is naturally very relevant, and you will need proof of this with the length of time a taxi driver has held their taxi badge with the local authorities
11. Bear in mind that you can save a substantial amount of money by restricted driving on your taxi fleet insurance. The greatest savings are to be had if the taxi is restricted to one driver.

What is considered a fleet varies from broker to broker a little, but the rule of thumb is normally three to five cars and in some cases two. Obviously running a taxi firm is challenging, time consuming and difficult at times, and it is important to have as much peace of mind as possible with your fleet insurance. This way its one less thing to think about!

Ideally you will want to tick all the boxes and get yourself an economical policy, but be assured that all your requirements are covered.

Taxi fleet insurance can include private hire, public hire and contract hire taxis. You will want to consider additional public liability cover also. One of the worst case scenarios will be in the case of an accident. You will need to feel reassured by your provider that the accident and claims procedure is on your side, and will be efficient and effective.

Choose a company who has a vast experience in dealing with taxi fleet insurance and knows exactly what you will need from your chosen fleet insurance broker. A good firm of fleet insurance specialists are more likely to be able to offer you a more competitive rate for your policy.Jackie de Burca is co-owner Creative Web Advertising, which is an International internet media consultancy. Creative Web Advertising specialise in Pay Per Click, SEO and web consulting. One good option for taxi fleet insurance is this company.

Getting The Best Online Auto Insurance Quotes

In most states, having an auto insurance policy is mandatory under the law. This means that you are going to need some sort of coverage to avoid prosecution in criminal court for driving uninsured. Yet, this is not the main reason for car insurance although it may seem like these days. In fact, the primary purpose of having an insurance policy is for protection. This includes bodily injury, property damage, and loss due to theft or burglary. It is an obvious fact that you need auto insurance. No one would really dispute that in the end simply because of the legal implications involved. Thus, it is more about finding the right auto insurance coverage for you that matters.

How can you get the best auto insurance quote? Of course, most people today would say just look on the web and you find what you need. Those same people may have the tendency to jump on the first insurance quote they see rather than taking the time to get a full picture of what the options are. If you happen to be this kind of person, responding to a knee-jerk reaction, or at least being reckless in picking the first quote you lay eyes upon, then you better read on.

Putting it plainly, you need to shop around, or surf the net, if you are going to get the best auto insurance quote. Take the time to research the different companies online and see which one of them offers the best coverage for your money as well as the best rates for service overall. Gather as many quotes as you can and compare them line by line and feature by feature if necessary. Ask yourself questions about what amount of coverage you can afford and what sort of coverage will be sufficient. This is the only way you will be able to make a meaningful choice.

Be sure that when you get a quote that it is accurate and at real-time level as well. It does no good to get a quote and find out that the rates are outdated or the services have been removed entirely. Of course, most of the reputable companies keep their quote calculating tools updated and ready to generate an up-to-the-minute auto insurance quote.

Do not make the mistake of sacrificing quality for quantity. Sure, it may be great to nab the most inexpensive quote, but you need to ask yourself what the quality of the services that are offered with the policy quote is? You have to balance maximum coverage possible with the cheapest rate for service. This can be a challenging combination to create.

A final point about finding the best online auto insurance quote: Remember that the insurance company will run a credit check. Therefore, be sure that your credit rating is in good shape since this can have direct affect on the types of quotes you will receive or if will be eligible to apply for insurance coverage with certain providers.

Just be cautious and meticulous as you carry out your search for the best rates for auto insurance. These two qualities will be crucial in your efforts.Peter Kenny is a writer for The Thrifty Scot, please visit us at Cheap Car Insurance and Auto Insurance Visit Getting your travel insurance sorted for your holidays

The Beginners Guide To Fleet Insurance And Management

Have you been thrown in the deep end to fleet management, or are you just finding it difficult to asssimilate the many changing facets of finding the optimum performance for your fleet insurance and fleet management.

You will more than likely be doing a juggling act of cost cutting with ongoing reviews of company car policies thrown in with environmental issues regarding your fleet. You need also to be on top of the health and safety implications as well as your cost efficiency while reviewing and tweaking your motor fleet insurance and management.

In 2009 some surveys have shown that 30% of companies are undergoing thorough reviews of their company car policies. The evidence is that many companies are trying to achieve the balance between the cost issues, environment and health and safety issues. As companies analyse there are increasing requirements to find cost effective motor fleet insurance policies and at times these need to be combined fleet insurance policies.

Firstly considering the health and safety issues, it is good to be aware that a fair number of employers have now come to the conclusion that their drivers would be safer and more protected in company vehicles.

Also many of them are finishing with the cash allowance schemes and evidence shows that a lot of organisations have been encouraged by new legislation to re-assess the risks involved when employees use their own cars. The overall conclusion has been the company cars carry less risks.

Regarding both costs and the environment, there is analysis regarding fuel usage and the choice of funding options. Hand in hand with this is that many fleets are putting a cap on CO2 emissions with a lot more in the process of starting to do so. There are incentives to encourage the adoption of hybrid cars with lower emissions.

Other companies are providing diesel only vehicles. In general as part of fleet management there is an increased commitment to monitoring CO2 emissions.

The good news is that as you are re-evaluating and aiming to go greener the insurance companies should not penalise you for this. The types of expectations to have from your motor fleet insurance policy are a choice of cover types or if you need it a combination of cover types.
-Third Party Only Cover
-Third Party, Fire & Theft Cover
-Comprehensive Cover

You may also wish to consider including:
-Windscreen Cover
-Third Party Damage Cover
-Some other aspects which a good fleet insurance provider may also recommend to you are:
-Detached Trailer Cover
-Hazardous Goods Insurance
-Medical Expenses Cover
-24 hour claims assistance
-Uninsured Loss Recovery
-Breakdown & Recovery Assistance
-Personal Effects Cover
-Replacement Vehicle Cover

For the moment the patterns to go greener with fleets are more notable throughout larger companies. However between legalities and genuine concern for our environment this is trickling down throughout companies of all sizes. Current statistics of 2009 state that if an organisation has over 10,000 staff these were the ones that had drafted their policy with the environment in mind whereas companies of 250 staff or less results show that only 40% of these are dealing with the green issues.

Even though it does cause extra work there are long term positive cost implications to be had as well as the environmental benefits.Jackie de Burca is co-owner Creative Web Advertising, who specialise in search marketing with realistic business goals. To get great deals for you motor fleet insurance check out Cover4Commercial.

Before You Buy That Car or Auto Ask About Warranty Terms

As a car and automotive purchaser you may be more than confused what the terms are and legal implications of various purchase, legal and warranty coverage terms. Most people go to a lawyer, and as well pay good money, after they have problems. If you are purchasing a vehicle it pays best to know what the terms are, what the legal terms and descriptions provide for and cover and as well what are the limitations of various types of warranty coverage as well as terms of purchase of sale. By doing so you may well save yourself much heartache, wasted energy time and money. The basic rule is finding out before you sign on the dotted line. It can be said that best way to sail in a gale or hurricane storm is not to be near or in the storm in the first place.

You may well run into certain legal terms, procedures and processes in your quest to purchase a vehicle. Know what the legal terms mean in dealing with automotive warranties and warranty terms. If you do not know – ask. It’s your due right. If you do not understand or get a clear answer then contact either your local state authorities or if need be actual professional legal advice. Better, cheaper and less hassle now rather than later. After all the basic rule is that “they will promise you the moon “, but once “they have your money” then lots of luck, which is abbreviated as lol.

First of all if the vehicle is labeled or described as “as is” then this constitutes a basic denial of any warranty coverage. Listen carefully – an “as is “vehicle has no warranty coverage in most cases. The dealer or vehicle seller neither assumes nor makes no responsibility what so ever for any repair regardless of any oral statements to the contrary. What this means is that he or she can promise you the moon, but unless it is on paper as specifically covered, almost exclusively with an as-is vehicle then “as is “means “as is”. The seller has no responsibility to fix or care for anything that breaks or does not work on the car, truck, SUV motorcycle or whatever vehicle you are purchasing.

Next in line is the term itself “Warranty”. The term “Warranty” means that the dealer or seller will pay some percent of the labor and some percent of the parts for the covered system or automotive systems that fail during that warranty period of time. In dealing for your vehicle it is always best to ask the dealer or seller for a copy of the written warranty document for a full explanation of warranty coverage, exclusions and the dealers or sellers repair obligations. In some cases now with the internet the dealer may do a printout of the documents from the internet itself. In such cases ensure that company letterhead is stated on a letter or document attesting in some manner and form whom and when this form was given and processed. Otherwise there is no proof later of when, where how and to whom this document was given or was printed by yourself on your own home computer and printer. Stranger things have happened in the automotive trades.

Lastly is the term “Implied Warranties Only”. In this case and situation the term “Implied Warranties Only” , means that the dealer of seller does not make any specific promised to fix things ( even thing and items that need to be repaired) when you buy the vehicle or after the time of the sale. However check with your lawyer and your local state authorities as to what and what not steps dealers and seller can take or claim in your specific legal jurisdiction , regardless of what they want to do arbitrarily or what they claim is correct legal and “by the book”.

The purchase of a vehicle should be a pleasurable experience. You have rights in the matter when it comes to legal questions as to warranty and warranties on your new vehicle. Speak up. Do you homework. Seek legal advice is required.Steamboat L. Salter Winnipeg Canada Car Dealer Private Bad Car Credit Lenders Winnipeg Winnipeg Car Guys Automotive Wpg  Social Networking Website

UN Appeals for $144 Million to Help Storm-Ravaged Philippines

The United Nations is appealing for $144 million to help victims of three back-to-back storms in the Philippines.

This updated appeal nearly doubles the $74 million originally requested in October.

According to a statement by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, just $26 million has been raised so far, limiting the ability of aid agencies to effectively help those in need.

Tropical storm Ketsana swept across the Philippines on September 26 and was followed by Typhoon Parma a week later. On October 31, a third storm, Typhoon Mirinae, dumped even more rain onto the island nation.

The storms caused floods and mudslides that killed more than 900 people, and affected nearly nine million others.

The U.N. says 1.7 million people are still displaced or living in areas that remain flooded, putting them at risk for disease outbreaks. It also says the storms severely disrupted the critical planting season, leading to further long-term implications of food security.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.