Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Global Flood Events Rack Up $5B in Economic Costs in June: Aon Report
Jul 8 2016 // Major floods across the globe during June – topped by events in China and the U.S. – are expected to bring economic costs in excess of US$5.0 billion, according to Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe...
Alberta Wildfires to Cost Insurers About $2.8B, in Canada’s Costliest Disaster
Jul 8 2016 // The wildfires that tore across the oil-producing region of Canada this year will cost insurers about C$3.58 billion ($2.8 billion) in claims, the most costly insured natural disaster in the country’s history, an...
Taiwan Readies for Typhoon Nepartak; AIR Worldwide Comments
Jul 7 2016 // Taiwan told schools and offices along its eastern coast to close early Thursday as Typhoon Nepartak threatens to unleash strong winds and heavy rain across the island through Friday. Airlines canceled or rerouted flights...
National Weather Service Confirms 3 Tornadoes in Kentucky, West Virginia
Jul 7 2016 // Three tornadoes have been confirmed in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia from recent storms, the National Weather Service said Tuesday. After sending a team Tuesday to survey damage reports from Monday’s...
Wildfire Threat in California, Southwest High in July
Jul 5 2016 // Forecasters say the threat of wildfires will remain high in Southern California and the Southwest this month because of persistent drought and because summer rains may not be as consistent as usual. The National...
Marsh: Industry Must Adapt to Meet Changing Terrorist Threats
Jul 5 2016 // The federal terrorism reinsurance program in 2015 has helped maintain certainty and stability for the U.S. market even as the nature of terrorist acts has changed, according to global insurance broker Marsh in its latest...
Treasury Recommends Some Terrorism Premiums Be Retained for Future Claims
Jul 5 2016 // In a report that concludes that the federal terrorism risk insurance program “remains an important mechanism” for ensuring that terrorism risk insurance is available and generally affordable, the U.S. Treasury...
California Earthquake Authority Wins Top Marketing Award
Jul 1 2016 // The California Earthquake Authority won the SAMMY Award for “overall Best of Show” at the 58th Annual Insurance Marketing & Communications Association Showcase Awards Gala. The SAMMY Award was voted on by...
Colorado State Ups Atlantic Hurricane Forecast to 15 Storms
Jul 1 2016 // Colorado State University edged up its seasonal Atlantic hurricane forecast to 15, three more than in an average year. The new prediction is that six of those storms will become hurricanes and two will grow into major...
Religious Extremists, ‘Lone Wolf’ Attacks Changing Political Risk Landscape
Jun 30 2016 // In a short period of time, the political risk market has experienced a significant shift in exposures, with new potential threats and different territories now threatened by attacks from religious extremists. Christof...
Terrorist Attack at Istanbul Airport Kills at Least 40; Islamic State Blamed
Jun 29 2016 // Coordinated suicide attacks at Istanbul’s international airport killed at least 40 people, tearing through the terminal at one of the busiest travel times of the year as Turkey struggles to contain the spillover from...
AIR Worldwide Introduces Earthquake Model for India
Jun 28 2016 // Catastrophe risk modeler AIR Worldwide, a Verisk Analytics business, has released a new earthquake model for India that estimates losses to residential, commercial and small industrial buildings as well as automobiles. The...
RMS Updates Cat Models for Terrorism, Europe Windstorm & US Flood
Jun 27 2016 // Global catastrophe risk management firm RMS has released version 16.0 of its catastrophe modeling platform, which includes updates to both the Europe Windstorm Clustering Model and Terrorism Modeling suite. Also included...
Google, Facebook, Twitter Sued by Father of Victim of Paris Terrorist Attack
Jun 21 2016 // The father of a young woman killed in the Paris massacre last November is suing Google, Facebook and Twitter, claiming that the companies provided “material support” to extremists in violation of the...
Wildfire in Southern Arizona Grows
Jun 20 2016 // Firefighters say a wildfire not far from the Arizona-Mexico border has grown but is not threatening any homes, so far. Carrie Dennett, of the Arizona State Forestry, said on June 18 that the blaze is burning about 20 miles...
AIR Expands Earthquake, Typhoon Models for Southeast Asia
Jun 20 2016 // Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide (AIR) said it has “significantly expanded” its earthquake and typhoon models for Southeast Asia. The new earthquake model features the ability to account for the...
Oklahoma Commissioner Deems Earthquake Coverage ‘Non-Competitive’
Jun 20 2016 // Oklahoma’s top insurance regulator says there’s a definite lack of competition in the state’s earthquake insurance market and has ordered insurers to change the way they file rates for the coverage in the...
California Wildfire Grows, Fires Threaten Communities around West
Jun 17 2016 // Hundreds of firefighters battled a 1,400-acre fire moving through coastal canyons in California on Thursday. Hot, dry weather across the Western U.S. challenged firefighters with blazes in Arizona and New Mexico. In...
Judge Skeptical of Widow’s Claim Twitter Aided Terrorist Group ISIS
Jun 16 2016 // A federal judge said he’ll probably dismiss a lawsuit against Twitter Inc. by the widow of a man killed at a police training center in Jordan that accused the social network of knowingly allowing the Islamic State to...
South Dakota Tornado Had Estimated Wind Speeds Up to 125 MPH
Jun 16 2016 // A tornado that damaged homes and other buildings near the southwestern South Dakota community of Hermosa had estimated wind speeds of up to 125 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The agency has rated the...
