Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Category 4 Hurricane Maria Barrels Into Puerto Rico
Sep 20 2017 // Hurricane Maria slammed into southeastern Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm with the potential to inflict $30 billion in damages just two weeks after Irma ravaged the cash-strapped island. Top winds reached 155 miles (249...
Search for Survivors Underway after Mexico Earthquake; Hundreds Killed
Sep 20 2017 // Mexican search and rescue teams worked through the night after an earthquake rocked one of the world’s largest urban centers, killing hundreds and reducing buildings to rubble. Military police, paramedics and...
Do You Remember Before You Knew Insurance?
Sep 20 2017 // When Hurricane Andrew made landfall in August 1992, I was a young soldier. To be honest, I was much more interested in my young Army career than a hurricane. When Hurricane Katrina made landfall in August 2005, I had just...
Rain and Snow Help Montana Wildfires But Won’t End Season
Sep 19 2017 // Rain snow and cold have replaced heat and smoke after about two dry months on Montana’s fire lines, leaving crews scrambling for extra sleeping bags, heaters, coats and long underwear. While the change in weather is...
M5.1 Quake Rattles Alaska
Sep 19 2017 // A Magnitude 5.1 earthquake shook Alaska about 135 miles northwest of the state’s capital city Juneau, the Alaska Earthquake Center confirmed. Coincidentally, the City and Borough of Juneau’s Disaster...
What If an Irma-Like Hurricane Hit the New York City Metro Area?
Sep 19 2017 // It sounds like a Hollywood disaster movie. A Category 5 hurricane churning in the mid-Atlantic suddenly veers northwest – and heads straight for New York City. The good news is that, for now, experts agree a Cat...
Financially-Strapped Puerto Rico Faces Hurricane Maria After $1 Billion Hit by Irma
Sep 19 2017 // Two weeks ago, Puerto Rico was spared a devastating hit when Hurricane Irma ripped up the Caribbean. This time, it may not be so lucky. The bankrupt island, already contending with the aftermath of a storm that left as...
Expert’s Advice to Florida Agents: Report Claims That Fall Below Hurricane Deductible
Sep 19 2017 // With many agents currently assisting clients in determining if they have claims and the insurance claim filing process in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, one most common question received by the Florida Association of...
4 Hurricane Irma-Affected U.S. Attorney Offices Form Fraud Task Forces
Sep 19 2017 // The National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) along with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the District of Puerto Rico, Southern District of Florida, Middle District of Florida and Northern District of Florida have formed...
Category 5 Hurricane Maria Slams Dominica on Way to Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico
Sep 18 2017 // Hurricane Maria caused “mind boggling damage,” ripping off roofs across the small island of Dominica before pushing on toward the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Tuesday as the second top-strength storm...
Hurricane Harvey-Caused Oil, Chemical Spills Dwarfed by Katrina’s
Sep 18 2017 // More than 22,000 barrels of oil, refined fuels and chemicals spilled at sites across Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, along with millions of cubic feet of natural gas and hundreds of tons of other toxic substances, a...
Hurricanes to Usher in Short-Term Hard Market for Property Risks: Survey
Sep 18 2017 // Damage left by Hurricanes Irma and Harvey will lead to a hardened property market and pricing correction, at least in the short-term according to a new KPMG survey. In related analysis, a new Morgan Stanley report...
Weakening Hurricane Jose Could Graze Massachusetts Wednesday
Sep 18 2017 // A weakened Hurricane Jose could graze the Northeast as Hurricane Maria tears through the Caribbean, gaining strength and possibly heading toward the U.S. in a week. Jose will probably be downgraded to a tropical storm as...
Some Insurance Adjusters Camping Out in Texas after Harvey
Sep 18 2017 // To process tens of thousands of auto and property claims with losses already well into the billions of dollars, insurance companies have adjusters camping out across Texas. The Houston Chronicle reports in one case, the...
Hey Congress, Hurricanes and Health Care Have a Lot in Common: Bloomberg View
Sep 18 2017 // As Congress continues to struggle with health insurance reform, members should be ruminating on the scenes of “recovery” beaming in from East Texas and Florida, where the majority of households — many now...
Firms Hit by Harvey, Irma Hope Business Interruption Coverage Pays Off
Sep 18 2017 // Business owners who are trying to get back on track after hurricanes Harvey and Irma now face a different sort of challenge: trying to recoup lost income from their insurers. Exclusions in the fine print of policies, along...
A.M. Best: Hurricane Irma to Test Florida Market Newbies
Sep 18 2017 // Although insured losses as a result of Hurricane Irma will not be as severe as originally forecast, the storm still represents a sizeable catastrophe event that will test the infrastructure and potentially strain the...
Mixed Messages Sent Over Texas’s New Cat Claims Statute
Sep 18 2017 // Ambiguity surrounding a Texas law that went into effect on Sept. 1 had insurance industry representatives and attorneys who represent insurance policyholders issuing conflicting messages to insureds who may have suffered...
Why the Federal Flood Program Is Sinking Deeper into Debt: CBO Report
Sep 18 2017 // The federal flood insurance program is on a course to continue falling deeper in debt, even when there is no catastrophic storm like Katrina or Harvey. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is currently on a path...
Hurricane Costs Become Talk of Monte Carlo’s Reinsurance Rendezvous
Sep 18 2017 // As Hurricane Irma battered Florida, the cream of the insurance world — gathered in Monte Carlo — was assessing the costs of the storm for the global industry. The takeaway so far: Irma and its predecessor,...
