Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
FBI Warns of More Terrorist Attacks in U.S. as ISIS Is Defeated in Syria
Jul 28 2016 // Hundreds of terrorists will fan out to infiltrate western Europe and the U.S. to carry out attacks on a wider scale as Islamic State is defeated in Syria, FBI Director James Comey warned. “At some point there’s...
California Wildfire Shuts Down Picturesque Big Sur
Jul 27 2016 // State parks along the California’s famed Big Sur coastline were closed Tuesday as one of the state’s two major wildfires threatened the scenic region at the height of the summer tourism season. The Big Sur fire...
Texas Windstorm Insurer: Submit Depopulation Documentation by August 25
Jul 26 2016 // Texas Windstorm Insurance Association member companies that want to participate in the Assumption Reinsurance Depopulation Program may now submit required documentation to both TWIA and the Texas Department of Insurance...
Containment on Massive California Wildfire Increases
Jul 26 2016 // Containment has increased on a wildfire north of Los Angeles, which has grown to more than 58 square miles. Officials report the blaze is 25 percent surrounded as of today, and most of the evacuation orders affecting...
Everest Re Group Reports Q2 Net Income of $155.7M vs. $209.1M in Q2 2015
Jul 26 2016 // Bermuda-based Everest Re Group Ltd. reported second quarter 2016 net income of $155.7 million, or $3.67 per diluted common share, compared to net income of $209.1 million, or $4.68 per diluted common share, for the same...
Tropical Storm Darby Makes Landfall on Big Island of Hawaii: AIR
Jul 25 2016 // Tropical Storm Darby, which formed off the coast of Mexico on July 11, quickly reached hurricane status as it moved westward toward Hawaii finally reaching landfall on Monday, according to catastrophe modeling firm AIR...
Woman’s Joplin Tornado-Related Suit Against Home Depot Tossed
Jul 25 2016 // A federal judge has tossed out a woman’s lawsuit against Home Depot over the deaths of her husband and two children who had sought refuge inside the big-box store destroyed during the devastating 2011 tornado in...
California Wildfires Gut Homes, Force Evacuations
Jul 25 2016 // Thousands were forced to flee a wildfire burning in tinder-dry canyons in Southern California, authorities said. The fire has destroyed at least 18 homes in northern Los Angeles County. The blaze momentum two days after it...
Weather Service Determines Tornado Touched Down in Washington
Jul 25 2016 // The National Weather Service says a tornado touched down near Coulee City as severe weather hit the Inland Northwest. The weather service confirmed the tornado touched down at about 3:30 p.m. Friday in the area, about 95...
