Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Windstorm Insurer Says It’s Ready for Harvey
Aug 24 2017 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association said it has initiated its catastrophe plan and that it is ready for Tropical Storm Harvey. Tropical Storm Harvey has crossed the boundaries of 80 degrees west longitude and 20...
25 Years Later: How Florida’s Insurance Industry Has Changed Since Hurricane Andrew
Aug 24 2017 // Aug. 24, 1992 was anything but a typical Monday for Robert Reynolds as he drove through debris-filled roads and devastation on the way to his family-run agency then located just north of Homestead, Fla. Hurricane Andrew...
Harvey Set to Bring ‘Catastrophic’ Flooding Across Texas
Aug 23 2017 // Harvey, which could strengthen into the first hurricane to strike Texas since 2008, forced workers off Gulf of Mexico platforms, sent cotton rallying and has airlines preparing for flight disruptions. Tropical Storm...
Researchers Using Airplanes to Map Earthquake Faults in Oklahoma
Aug 23 2017 // Researchers are turning to the sky to help stop earthquakes from rumbling deep beneath the Oklahoma soil. The U.S. Geological Survey in coordination with the Oklahoma Geological Survey and other groups last week began...
Hurricane, Storm Surge Watches Issued for Texas Coast as Harvey Nears
Aug 23 2017 // The National Hurricane Center has issued a storm surge watch for Texas coast from Port Mansfield to High Island and a hurricane watch from north of Port Mansfield to San Luis Pass. The government of Mexican government also...
Severe Typhoon Hato Lashes Hong Kong; Flash Flood Warning Issued
Aug 23 2017 // Severe Typhoon Hato made landfall in China after it lashed Hong Kong with heavy winds and rain, forcing the city to issue the highest storm warning and its stock exchange to cancel trading for the day. The Hong Kong...
Wildfire in Yosemite National Park Grows, Evacuations Remain in California Town
Aug 22 2017 // Weather conditions have halped crews batttle a blaze in Yosemite National Park that has forced the evacuation of the tiny California community of Wawona. The blaze is now 3,820 acres and is now 17 percent contained. Singh...
Typhoon Hato Intensifies as It Heads to Hong Kong
Aug 22 2017 // Hong Kong was preparing to shutter businesses as Typhoon Hato drew closer to the city, with Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. scrapping flights and the local observatory warning it may raise the third-highest storm signal at...
As Congress Eyes Flood Insurance Renewal, Private Markets Get Ready
Aug 21 2017 // Unleashing the invisible hand that has been missing from the flood insurance market for nearly 50 years is no easy task. But private flood insurance experts say the change would be a good thing not only for private flood...
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...
