Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
4.0 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Central Oklahoma
Aug 11 2016 // The U.S. Geological Survey says an earthquake that rattled central Oklahoma on Aug. 10 had a preliminary magnitude of 4.0. It struck shortly after 6 a.m. with an epicenter in Luther, about 23 miles northeast of Oklahoma...
Atlantic Could See 8 More Hurricanes Before Season Ends
Aug 11 2016 // The Atlantic basin will see the most named storms since the 2012 season, the year Sandy crippled the U.S. East Coast, with five to eight of those strengthening into hurricanes by Nov. 30, the National Oceanic and...
Group Seeks to Make New Orleans House into Hurricane Katrina Memorial
Aug 10 2016 // A house that was flooded by Hurricane Katrina could become a memorial to the catastrophic storm that nearly wiped New Orleans off the map 11 years ago. The city planning commission will consider a request by the group...
Oregon University Confidently Building $50M Center in Tsunami Zone
Aug 8 2016 // Oregon State University is moving ahead with plans to build a $50 million expansion to house its marine science initiative in a tsunami inundation zone in Newport despite warnings from a state geologist that the site could...
Ports in Japan, China and U.S. Face Highest Risk from Natural Catastrophes: RMS
Aug 8 2016 // Ports in Japan, China and the U.S. face the greatest financial risk from natural disasters because of their vulnerable locations and increasing cargo volumes, a risk-management firm said. Nagoya, Japan, leads all ports...
Utah Law Enables Authorities to Crash Drones at Wildfires
Aug 8 2016 // Utah’s governor has signed into law a measure that makes the state the first to let authorities jam drone signals and crash the devices specifically for flying too close to wildfires. Republican Gov. Gary...
Planning for the Worst: Terrorism and Workplace Violence
Aug 8 2016 // Several recent manmade events, including the attack at Pulse nightclub in Florida and the Belgium airport terrorist bombing, highlight the vulnerability of the workplace. Workplace violence costs employers more than $120...
Northeast Drought, Wildfire Risk Could Last Through October
Aug 8 2016 // The drought that has taken hold in the Northeast, from Maine to Pennsylvania, is being driven by a second year of below-average rainfall. Though not as dire as the West Coast drought of five-years running, the dry, hot...
Florida’s Homeowners Choice Secures Nearly $1B in Reinsurance
Aug 8 2016 // Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance Co. Inc., a Florida-based provider of homeowners insurance, has completed its reinsurance program for the 2016-17 reinsurance year, which runs from June 1, 2016, through...
Liberty Mutual Q2 Results Zapped by Energy Investments
Aug 5 2016 // Liberty Mutual Holding Co. Inc. reported net income of $15 million for the second quarter, a 94 percent drop from the $254 million recorded for last year’s second quarter. Energy investments were largely to blame for...
Allstate Q2 Profit Hurt by Catastrophes, Auto Loss Costs
Aug 4 2016 // Allstate Corp. reported that consolidated total revenue increased by 2.0 percent to $9.2 billion in the second quarter of 2016 compared to the prior year quarter, as higher insurance premiums outweighed declines in net...
Update: Earl Weakens from Hurricane to Tropical Storm as It Crosses Belize
Aug 4 2016 // Tropical Storm Earl* will continue to weaken as it crosses Belize after coming ashore early Thursday with drenching rains and hurricane-strength winds, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Earl was 90 miles (145...
Official: Tornado Activity in Kansas in July Was Unusually High
Aug 3 2016 // The high number of tornadoes seen in Kansas in July was unusual, according to a state official. Eight tornadoes touched down in the state in July, The Wichita Eagle reported. Three twisters occurred in Greenwood County on...
Update: Tropical Storm Earl Set to Become a Hurricane as It Heads to Belize
Aug 3 2016 // Tropical Storm Earl, forecast to grow into a hurricane, may just graze Mexico’s oil-rich Bay of Campeche as it heads west toward the Honduras Bay Islands before making landfall in Belize within the next 24...
Wildfires Threaten Homes in Central California
Aug 2 2016 // Crews contended with blistering temperatures Monday as they tried to beat back a wildfire that burned rural homes and forced hundreds of evacuations in California’s Central Valley, while cooler weather gave...
CNA Reports Q2 Results with Improved P/C Underwriting
Aug 2 2016 // CNA Financial Corp. reported second quarter 2016 net income of $209 million and net operating income of $201 million. “Overall I am pleased with the result this quarter. Although our International segment had a...
Tourism Decline in California’s Scenic Big Sur Sparked by Wildfire
Aug 1 2016 // Lodge managers and cafe owners along California’s dramatic Big Sur coast were looking at a summer of jittery guests and cancelled bookings after fire officials warned that crews will likely be battling a wildfire...
Swiss Re Q2 Profit Drops on Higher Natural Catastrophe Losses
Jul 29 2016 // Swiss Re AG, the world’s biggest reinsurer, said profit fell in the second-quarter as the company paid more for catastrophe claims including earthquakes in Japan and forest fires in Canada. Net income declined to...
Climate Change Modeling is Closer than You Think
Jul 28 2016 // For the last few years you got 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: “The...
Beazley Expands Event Cancellation Coverage for Political Violence, Terrorism Incidents
Jul 28 2016 // Beazley, a provider of event cancellation insurance, has expanded its terrorism and political violence event cancellation insurance for the sports, entertainment and leisure industries in the U.S. to include riots, civil...
