Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fighting Massive 2016 Wildfire Cost Kansas County $1.5M
Mar 6 2017 // Firefighting costs hit $1.5 million in the county hardest hit by a massive wildfire along the Kansas-Oklahoma border last year. Jerry McNamar, emergency management director for Kansas’ Barber County, said he’s...
Within Space of One Week, 2 Tornado Outbreaks in Texas
Mar 6 2017 // At least six tornadoes blew through Central Texas overnight on Feb. 19 and 20, damaging more than 100 structures in the San Antonio area, just days after another six were reported near Houston. The mayor of San Antonio...
Paid Claims from Mississippi Tornado Damage Top $31M, And Growing
Mar 6 2017 // Insurers have paid out more than $31.6 million on 2,801 claims from tornadoes that hit Mississippi in January. The Mississippi Insurance Department reported the figures through Feb. 3. Mississippi Insurance Commissioner...
Firefighters Gaining on Control of 2 Large Texas Wildfires
Mar 2 2017 // Firefighters have more fully contained two large wildfires in West Texas, including one that destroyed four homes and prompted the evacuation of nearly 1,200 others. Texas A&M Forest Service spokesman Phillip Truitt...
Nationwide Says Extreme Weather Brings Bigger Claims, Need for Disaster Plans
Mar 2 2017 // More extreme weather has led to more extreme insurance claims in the U.S. over the past few years. In a review of more than 100,000 commercial catastrophe claims during a 10-year period, Mark A. Anderson, a claims...
Tornado-Spawning Storm System Killed 3 in Midwest, Moved Eastward
Mar 2 2017 // A spring-like storm system that killed at least three people as it spawned tornadoes and damaged dozens of homes in the central U.S. rumbled eastward on March 1, putting about 95 million people in its path, forecasters...
The National Weather Service Confirms Tornado in Western Massachusetts
Feb 28 2017 // The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado with winds up to 110 mph touched down in western Massachusetts. Meteorologists say the EF-1 tornado touched down Saturday evening in Conway in Franklin County. The...
Paid Claims from Mississippi Tornado Damage Top $31M, And Growing
Feb 27 2017 // Parts of mobile homes and other property lay strewn throughout a neighborhood Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017, on Green loop Road in Lauderdale, Miss., after a tornado passed through the area late Saturday. (Paula Merritt/The...
Officials: Drone Interrupted Texas Wildfire Control Efforts
Feb 26 2017 // State fire officials say a drone being operated near a wildfire southwest of Fort Worth hampered firefighting efforts by forcing aircraft carrying retardant to be grounded. The Texas A&M Forest Service says two air...
Texas Bill Seeks Limits on Hailstorm Lawsuits
Feb 24 2017 // A bill has been filed in the Texas Senate that seeks to curb what the authors of the legislation say is a skyrocketing number of lawsuits filed against insurers for bogus or inflated hailstorm claims. Senate Bill 10, filed...
Europe’s Windstorm Egon to Cost Insurers an Estimated US$223.3M: PERILS
Feb 23 2017 // The initial estimate of the insured property market loss for extra-tropical cyclone Egon, which hit France and Germany in January, is €212 million (US$223.3 million), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based...
Louisiana Offers Tax Filing, Payment Extensions for Some Tornado Victims
Feb 22 2017 // Taxpayers who were victims of the severe storms and tornadoes that struck Louisiana earlier this month could be eligible for extensions filing their state taxes. Louisiana’s Department of Revenue announced that...
Mayor Issues Disaster Declaration for San Antonio After Tornadoes
Feb 22 2017 // The mayor of San Antonio has issued a disaster declaration for the city of 1.4 million during cleanup after four tornadoes touched down in the area. Mayor Ivy Taylor issued the declaration over twisters late Sunday and...
Insured Losses from New South Wales’ Bushfires & Hailstorms Pass US$53.7M
Feb 22 2017 // Combined losses from the two New South Wales catastrophes of bushfires and hailstorms, have passed A$70 million (US$53.7 million), according to the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA). As of Feb. 20, insured losses for...
Ironshore International Hikes Capacity to $400M for Terrorism & Sabotage Cover
Feb 22 2017 // Ironshore International has increased capacity for Terrorism & Sabotage programs to US$400 million, an increase from the current U$375 million limit, effective immediately. Ironshore’s Terrorism & Sabotage...
Dozens of Homes Around San Antonio Damaged by Severe Storms, Tornadoes
Feb 21 2017 // Severe storms, including at least one tornado, have wreaked widespread damage across parts of San Antonio, damaging dozens of homes but causing only minor injuries. A National Weather Service survey team confirmed that a...
Colombia’s Regulator Approves RMS Earthquake Model for Use by Insurers
Feb 21 2017 // RMS, the the Newark, Calif.-based catastrophe risk management firm, has received approval from the Colombian insurance regulator, Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia (SFC), to offer catastrophe modeling services to...
EPA to Oklahoma Officials: Do More to Curb Earthquakes
Feb 20 2017 // The Environmental Protection Agency told Oklahoma regulators last November to do more to protect the state from a surge in earthquake activity that scientists have linked to the underground disposal of oil and gas...
Southeast Louisiana Hit by Severe Storms, Tornadoes
Feb 20 2017 // The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF3 tornado on the enhanced Fujita scale, with winds between 136 mph and 165 mph, touched down in East New Orleans on Feb. 7. The twister was reported to have caused...
Texas Governor Deems Hailstorm Litigation ‘Lawsuit Abuse’
Feb 20 2017 // In his state of the state address, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gave a boost to the insurance industry’s effort to get legislation passed that would place limits on post-hailstorm litigation. Calling lawsuits against...
