Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Estimates Hurricane Matthew Damage to Recreational Boats at $110M
Feb 20 2017 // Hurricane Matthew, which threatened four coastal states as it corkscrewed through the Atlantic in early October, caused an estimated $110 million in damage to recreational boats, according to Boat Owners Association of The...
Colombia’s Insurance Regulator Approves Use of AIR’s Earthquake Model
Feb 15 2017 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide (AIR) announced that its earthquake model for Colombia has been approved by the country’s insurance regulator, the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia, for use by domestic...
At Least 7 Injured by Confirmed Tornado in Southeast Georgia
Feb 14 2017 // Experts have confirmed a tornado plowed through two southeast Georgia counties where mobile homes were destroyed and several people were injured. The National Weather Service reported Friday a survey team found a tornado...
Talk Expected to Turn to Earthquakes at Tornado Summit in Oklahoma
Feb 13 2017 // Hundreds of top meteorologists and disaster recovery experts will converge on Oklahoma City this week for a national tornado summit, though much of the discussion is expected to focus on temblors, not twisters. The annual...
Fighting Massive 2016 Wildfire Cost Kansas County $1.5M
Feb 13 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...
California Earthquake Authority Promotes Coombes, Schneider
Feb 10 2017 // The California Earthquake Authority has named Todd Coombes chief insurance and technology officer. The CEA also named Kellie Schneider chief operations officer. The moves follow the retirement at the end of January of Bob...
Central Texas Now Has Air Tanker Base to Help Fight Wildfires
Feb 10 2017 // State Rep. John Cyrier (Lockhart) announced the establishment of a portable air tanker base at Austin Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) capable of equipping large, Type 1 air tankers to drop fire retardant during...
New Orleans Mayor: 940 Homes Damaged by Half-Mile Wide Tornado
Feb 10 2017 // Dwight Powell lost his Lexus to the massive tornado that injured 33 people and destroyed or seriously damaged 940 properties on a half-mile wide rampage through two miles of east New Orleans. He had just parked it inside...
Nat Cats Cost Insurers $39.5B in 2016, Highest Level in 4 Years: Willis Re
Feb 10 2017 // Insured loss estimates from major natural catastrophes totaled US$39.5 billion during 2016, which is the highest level since 2012 when market losses totaled US$60 billion, according to a report published by Willis Re, the...
Louisiana Commissioner Extends Flooding Emergency Rule after Tornadoes
Feb 9 2017 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has issued Emergency Rule 32, which extends previous emergency rules issued after the historic flooding in the state in August 2016. The Louisiana Department of Insurance said...
Severe U.S. Weather During January Cost Insurers More Than $1B: Aon
Feb 9 2017 // Major weather and flood events in the U.S. during January will cost the insurance industry more than $1 billion as tornadoes hit a 17-year high, according a report published by Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s...
Tornadoes Across Southeast Louisiana Cause Widespread Damage
Feb 8 2017 // The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF3 tornado touched down in East New Orleans on Feb. 7. The twister was reported to have caused widespread damage and forced around 100 people from their homes. NOLA.com...
Proof of Loss Deadline Extended for Florida Hurricane Matthew Claims
Feb 8 2017 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has granted another extension giving National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders in Florida an additional...
Demotech Suspends Florida Insurer Rating Criteria; Says Downgrades Coming
Feb 7 2017 // Recent Florida Supreme Court decisions and ongoing abuse in Florida’s insurance market have led a ratings company to change the criteria it uses when rating insurers in the state. The announcement comes as insurers...
Amica Mutual Downgraded by A.M. Best Citing Increasing Catastrophe Losses, Auto Claims
Feb 6 2017 // Amica Mutual Insurance Co. no longer has a perfect financial strength rating from A.M. Best. More catastrophe losses and worsening automobile insurance claims severity are both to blame. Specifically, an A+ (Superior)...
EPA to Oklahoma Officials: Do More to Curb Earthquakes
Feb 6 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...
Tennessee Wildfire Insurance Claims Hit $842M
Feb 6 2017 // Tennessee state officials said last month that insurance claims have topped $842 million in the deadly eastern Tennessee wildfires that burned thousands of buildings. The Knoxville News Sentinel reported the number,...
Drought-Hit Oklahoma Under Rare National Fire Advisory
Feb 3 2017 // Oklahoma has been placed under a national fire advisory as much of the state struggles with unrelenting drought and tinder-dry vegetation capable of igniting and quickly spreading out of control, state forestry officials...
Allstate Profit Up for 2016 Despite Higher Catastrophe Losses
Feb 3 2017 // Allstate ended 2016 with a solid profit thanks to premium hikes and tighter underwriting, despite a $853 million jump in catastrophe losses over the previous year. The property/casualty insurer ended up with more than $2.5...
Flooding and Damaging Wind Were Most Destructive Natural Hazards in 2016
Feb 2 2017 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Annual Summary from CoreLogic Details 2016 Natural Hazard Events CoreLogic® analyzes and evaluates the number and severity of natural hazard events that occurred...
