FLOOD OF CARS; Insurers hope to stop submerged cars from resurfacing.(News)

Byline: ANDREW LUU We've all heard the reports: Hurricane Katrina left an estimated half a million flood-damaged vehicles in her wake-with as many as 250,000 now drying out and headed for the used-car market. To prevent a repeat of the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd in 1999-in which roughly half of the 75,000 flooded vehicles resurfaced on the resale market-insurance agencies and law enforcement officials are taking unprecedented steps to identify Katrina-flooded cars.

Central to the effort is a national registry of flooded cars, listed by vehicle identification number (VIN), ...

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