Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Texas Governor Calls for Legislation to Rein in Hailstorm Litigation
Feb 2 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...
Strong Chubb 2016 Results Reflect Benefits of Merger: Greenberg
Feb 2 2017 // Chubb Limited CEO and Chairman Evan G Greenberg said that the company’s 2016 financial results have reflected the benefits of the nearly $30 billion ACE/Chubb merger that created today’s Chubb about one year...
Research Shows California Homeowners Lack Understanding of Retrofitting
Feb 1 2017 // A new study on California homowners shows a general awareness of earthquakes and other natural hazards, but that those owners did not necessarily take action to mitigate risks, and many didn’t know whether their home...
Earthquake Felt Widely in Anchorage Region of Alaska
Feb 1 2017 // A moderate earthquake struck Tuesday that was widely felt in the Anchorage, Alaska area, but there were no reports of damage. The Alaska Earthquake Center says the magnitude-5.2 temblor struck at 12:38 a.m. and was...
PERILS Forms Alliance with CatIQ to Provide Industry Loss Data for Canada
Feb 1 2017 // PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization that provides industry catastrophe insurance data, has announced that it has entered a strategic alliance with Toronto-based Catastrophe Indices & Quantification Inc....
New Tsunami Warning System Could Add Vital Minutes of Warning for Indonesia
Feb 1 2017 // Indonesia’s tsunami detection system, made up of seafloor sensors that communicate with transmitting buoys on the surface, has been rendered useless by vandals and lack of funding. Now Indonesian and U.S. scientists...
