Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida’s First Hurricane in 11 Years ‘Could Have Been a Lot Worse’ for Industry
Sep 12 2016 // A large oak tree toppled over a Whataburger restaurant in Tallahassee, Fla., Sept. 2, 2016. Many businesses and homes in Tallahassee are without power and several roads are blocked due to tree damage caused by Hurricane...
4 Tornadoes Sweep Through Central Illinois, Damage Reported
Sep 12 2016 // The National Weather Service is confirming that at least four tornadoes swept through east-central Illinois. Personnel from the weather service’s Lincoln office are surveying damage Saturday in Champaign and...
U.S. Disaster Loans Approved After Indiana Tornadoes
Sep 12 2016 // Indiana Gov. Mike Pence says the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved low-interest disaster loans for tornado-stricken Howard County. Pence said that the contiguous counties of Cass, Carroll, Clinton, Tipton,...
Catastrophe Bond Issuance Down But Returns Up: Aon
Sep 9 2016 // Catastrophe-bond issuance slipped to its lowest level since 2011 over the past year as the securities outperformed the S&P 500 Index, according to insurance broker Aon Plc. About $5.2 billion in cat bonds was issued in...
Lloyd’s Wins Right to Keep Oklahoma Quake Damage Lawsuit in New York
Sep 8 2016 // Lloyd’s of London has kept its lawsuit against New Dominion LLC over fracking out of the state where the ground is shaking. A federal judge in New York agreed Wednesday to decide the lawsuit by Lloyd’s seeking...
Fitch: No Credit Implications for Florida State-Run Insurers From Hermine
Sep 7 2016 // Hurricane Hermine, the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in 11 years, is not likely to have a significant impact on the financial condition of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (FHCF) or Citizens’...
5.6 Mag Oklahoma Quake Matches Record
Sep 6 2016 // Oklahoma registered one of its biggest earthquakes on Sept. 3 even after state regulators have beefed up limits on disposing oilfield waste and the rate of tremors had started to slow somewhat from unprecedented levels...
Hurricane Newton Hits Mexico with Threat of Flash Floods, Mud Slides
Sep 6 2016 // Hurricane Newton made landfall Tuesday morning in northwest Mexico and will probably cause damage from heavy rain. Cabo San Lucas, a popular tourist destination, will be hit by winds moving as fast as 90 miles (144...
The Future of Climate Change Modeling
Sep 6 2016 // For the last few years there’s been a common response from catastrophe modelers who advise the property/casualty industry when asked about including the effects of climate change in modeling. It went something like:...
More than 60 Mature Trees Indiana Park Uprooted by Tornado
Sep 2 2016 // A Kokomo, Ind. official says more than 60 mature trees at the city’s Highland park were uprooted during last week’s tornado. Parks and Recreation Superintendent Randy Morris told the Kokomo Tribune most of the...
Hermine Weakens As It Hits Florida Panhandle; Some Flooding, Power Outages Expected
Sep 2 2016 // Hermine, the first hurricane to strike Florida since 2005, has weakened to a tropical storm as it moves inland, after threatening soy and cotton crops and leaving large swaths of the region at risk of...
Northeast Could See Impact of Tropical Storm Hermine After Months of Drought
Sep 1 2016 // Over the past several months, the Northeastern U.S. has experienced abnormally dry conditions leading to a drought that could last into the fall. Now, it is facing a different problem with the looming risk of heavy rain...
Gulf Coast Prepares for Tropical Storm Hermine as Possibility of Hurricane Looms
Sep 1 2016 // Florida is being warned to prepare for arriving Tropical Storm Hermine, which is expected to dump heavy rain, bring strong winds and the possibility of isolated tornadoes across parts of the state, according to the Florida...
Cat Bonds Match Traditional Reinsurers on Reliability Scale: S&P
Sep 1 2016 // Some traditional reinsurers have asserted that catastrophe bonds are unreliable in terms of paying claims after major events. A new Standard & Poor’s article rebukes that idea. “We have explored the claims...
Commentary: It is a Catastrophe that No One Listens to the Experts on Florida
Sep 1 2016 // “If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.” Although the author is unknown, this comment is often attributed to Mark Twain or Thomas...
Tropical Weather System Approaches Southeast States
Aug 31 2016 // Crowds thinned Tuesday on the beaches of North Carolina’s Outer Banks ahead of a tropical weather system that threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas. Elsewhere, a powerful...
How Florida Insurers Can Prepare for Claims from a Major Hurricane
Aug 31 2016 // After eight hurricanes in two years between 2004 and 2005, we haven’t seen a hurricane in Florida for over 10 years. Has the state learned from those storms? Are the insurance companies ready? What about the...
Typhoon Lionrock Makes Landfall in Japan, Bringing Landslides, Floods & Deaths
Aug 31 2016 // With strong winds, drenching rain, high surf, and coastal flooding, Typhoon Lionrock made landfall in the Tohoku region of Japan Tuesday evening local time, near the city of Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture, according to an...
Woman High on Drugs and Driving on Wheel Rim Sparked California Wildfires
Aug 30 2016 // Fire officials in southern California say a car driven by a woman high on drugs has sparked several wildfires that so far have burned 450 acres and prompted evacuations. Authorities say Renee Hogan was arrested Sunday. The...
Typhoon Lionrock Expected to Hit Japan’s Tohoku Region, Site of 2011 Tsunami
Aug 29 2016 // Typhoon Lionrock is projected to make landfall in Japan Tuesday and is likely to strike the northern Tohoku region, the area devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It would be the first tropical cyclone to...
