Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
USGS Confirms Small Quake Hit Hawaii’s East Coast
Aug 21 2017 // A magnitude 4.1 earthquake hit off the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaii Volcano Observatory confirmed. The USGS reported that the earthquake struck at 8:35 p.m. Friday about 66...
Fraud Following Catastrophes an Unwelcome Trend, Oklahoma’s Doak Says
Aug 21 2017 // In testimony on Capitol Hill in early August, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak told federal lawmakers that fraud across all lines of insurance costs the industry an estimated $80 million to $100 million...
Hurricane Season Ramping Up Along Southeast Coast
Aug 21 2017 // This is it, the days surfer Blue Spivey looks forward to all winter. The days he can go online and watch those big, long swells rolling across the Atlantic Ocean like they do all year out in California. You’ve got to...
Swiss Re: Miami Is More Vulnerable to Hurricanes Like Andrew
Aug 21 2017 // Almost 25 years have passed since a Category 5 hurricane struck south of Miami, and the city’s vulnerability to catastrophic storm damage has grown exponentially, according to a new insurance underwriters’...
Insurance Fraud Following Catastrophes an Unwelcome Trend, Oklahoma’s Doak Tells U.S. Senators
Aug 21 2017 // In testimony on Capitol Hill in early August, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak told federal lawmakers that fraud across all lines of insurance costs the industry an estimated $80 million to $100 million...
5 Suspected Terrorists Shot Dead by Police After Barcelona’s Deadly Attack
Aug 18 2017 // Five suspected terrorists were killed by police and six civilians were injured in a confrontation in a town south of Barcelona, hours after 13 people died when a van rampaged down the city’s iconic Las Ramblas...
Insurance Professionals, Meteorologists to Kick Off ‘Hurricane Tour’
Aug 17 2017 // Texas insurance experts and meteorologists will be touring the Texas coast to inform the public about hurricane awareness and new legislation aimed at mitigating storm damage and related insurance costs. The Insurance...
Warm Atlantic Sets Stage for Busy Hurricane Season Peak
Aug 17 2017 // Not one, but three potential storms threaten to usher in the busiest phase of the Atlantic hurricane season later this month, courtesy of warm ocean temperatures. The season — which runs from June to November —...
Despite Reduction in Oil, Gas Wastewater Injections, Oklahoma Quakes Continue
Aug 16 2017 // The disposal of wastewater from oil and gas production by injecting it deep into the ground has been linked to a dramatic increase in earthquake activity in Oklahoma since 2009. Injection rates have declined recently...
New Software Monitors Oklahoma Bridges Following Earthquakes
Aug 14 2017 // Oklahoma transportation officials have installed a monitoring service to help prioritize bridge inspections after earthquakes. The ShakeCast software is the final stage in a two-year contract with the private firm...
Safety Concerns Keep Tulsa Business Owners Out of Tornado-Damaged Building
Aug 14 2017 // A Tulsa, Okla., building that suffered millions of dollars in damage when it was struck by a tornado recently is being assessed to determine whether it may collapse. The 20-story Remington Tower was damaged during a storm...
Blockchain Used as Settlement Mechanism for Cat Bond with Parametric Trigger
Aug 14 2017 // Financial markets are showing some signs of volatility these days after exceptionally low indicators since the start of the 2017. The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, or VIX, is at its highest level this...
Officials: Failed Communications Hampered Tennessee Wildfire Response
Aug 14 2017 // Newly released records show failed communication systems hampered the response to deadly wildfires in Tennessee last fall. Records that Sevier County began to release Wednesday show that wind and fire on Nov. 28 combined...
Swiss Re: Miami Is More Vulnerable to Hurricanes Like Andrew
Aug 10 2017 // Almost 25 years have passed since a Category 5 hurricane struck south of Miami, and the city’s vulnerability to catastrophic storm damage has grown exponentially, according to a new insurance underwriters’...
Franklin Briefly Becomes Atlantic Basin’s 1st Hurricane; Weakens to Tropical Storm
Aug 10 2017 // Tropical Storm Franklin made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in eastern Mexico during Wednesday night with estimated maximum winds of 85 mph, according to a report issued by Weather Underground. Over the Bay of...
10 Oklahoma Businesses Condemned Following Tornado Damage
Aug 9 2017 // Ten businesses in a Tulsa shopping district were so badly damaged by a weekend tornado that they have been condemned, including the TGI Fridays and Whataburger restaurants where several people were injured, city officials...
Scientists Use Tsunami Research to Help Alaska Communities Prepare
Aug 9 2017 // Researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have been looking into the science behind tsunami risk for Alaska’s coastal communities. Tsunami modelers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical...
Asia Floods Bring Economic Damages of More Than $10B in July: Aon Report
Aug 9 2017 // The vast majority of global natural disasters during July were the result of severe flooding across the Asian region, bringing more than $10 billion in economic damages, according to a report published by Impact...
Tennesee Mountain Community Getting Back on Its Feet After Devastating Wildfire
Aug 9 2017 // Burned structures are seen from aboard a National Guard helicopter near Gatlinburg, Tenn., Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. Thousands of people raced through a hell-like landscape to escape wildfires that killed several people and...
Tropical Storm Franklin May Become Atlantic Basin’s 1st Hurricane of 2017
Aug 8 2017 // Tropical Storm Franklin will exit Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula later today and continue moving toward the southwest Gulf of Mexico or the Bay of Campeche coast on early Thursday, possibly becoming the Atlantic...
