Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Farmers CEO Remembers Joplin Tornado at California Gala
Mar 21 2016 // Jeff Dailey, CEO of Farmers Insurance, turned what could have been a mere acceptance speech into a lesson-filled personal account of his first time seeing the devastation wreaked by the May 2011 tornado in Joplin,...
Dry, Windy Weather in North Carolina Increasing Mountain Wildfires
Mar 21 2016 // Windy and dry conditions are causing an increase in the number of wildfires in the North Carolina mountains. Media outlets report that a 60-acre fire near Bearwallow Mountain southeast of Asheville that firefighters have...
Alabama to Host Scientific Research Study of Southern Tornadoes
Mar 21 2016 // Weather researchers say they expect about 40 scientists from around the nation to participate in “VORTEX Southeast,” an upcoming study of the unique characteristics of tornadoes that develop in the South. Like...
Meteorologists Pioneer Method of Predicting Tornadoes Weeks in Advance
Mar 21 2016 // Researchers say they’ve come up with a way to predict the likelihood of tornadoes two or three weeks in advance – a step toward better warnings of storms that kill an average of 80 Americans each year. Victor...
Midwest Pounded by Tornado-Packing Storms
Mar 18 2016 // The National Weather Service confirmed that on tornadoes touched down this week in parts of eastern Iowa that also endured heavy rain and hail as large as golf balls. Tornadoes also touched down at least five times in...
North Texas Commuters Hit with Damaging Hailstorms
Mar 17 2016 // Severe thunderstorms moved in and around the Dallas/Fort Worth area this morning producing heavy rain, strong winds and hail as large as baseballs, the Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) reported. Several businesses...
NWS Confirms F-1 Tornado Caused Damage in Southwest Ohio
Mar 17 2016 // The National Weather Service confirms a tornado caused damage in a southwest Ohio village near Dayton. There were no immediate reports of injuries from the March 14 tornado. The National Weather Service says the EF-1...
Weather Service Assessing Possible Tornado Damage in Arkansas
Mar 15 2016 // The National Weather Service is sending investigators to assess damage and determine if tornadoes touched down in Arkansas as a fast-moving storm system brought rain and hail across the state. Meteorologist Michael Brown...
Earthquakes Hit South Central Alaska, Aleutians
Mar 15 2016 // A magnitude 4.5 earthquake that hit south-central Alaskawas felt in the state’s largest city, Anchorage, and was one of several recent quakes in the area. The National Tsunami Warning Center says the quake hit at...
Texas Seeks Comments on Windstorm Inspection Rule
Mar 10 2016 // The Texas Department of Insurance is seeking comments on an informal working draft of amendments that would update the rule relating to items not requiring inspection for the purposes of windstorm and hail insurance...
Ironshore Bolsters War & Terrorism Offering in Asia Pacific with Hill Appointment
Mar 9 2016 // Ironshore International announces that James W. Hill has been named underwriting manager of Terrorism, Political Violence and War for the Asia Pacific region. Hill, who joins Ironshore from Willis Ltd., will be based in...
Earthquake Response/Wastewater Reduction Plan for Central Oklahoma Unveiled
Mar 8 2016 // The Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s (OCC) Oil and Gas Conservation Division (OGCD), in response to the risk of triggered earthquakes, announced actions to further reduce the amount of oil and gas wastewater...
El Niño Wreaks Havoc in February with Fiji Cyclone, Floods & Drought: Aon Report
Mar 8 2016 // The Southern Hemisphere registered its strongest tropical cyclone on record during February with Tropical Cyclone Winston, according to Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team. With...
Farm Losses From Virginia Tornadoes Climbing
Mar 7 2016 // Farm losses from a series of tornadoes that battered Virginia last month stand at $1.6 million and counting. The Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. says it has received 126 claims since the twisters swirled from...
Meteorologists Can Predict Tornadoes Weeks in Advance
Mar 7 2016 // Researchers say they’ve come up with a way to predict the likelihood of tornadoes two or three weeks in advance — a step toward better warnings of storms that kill an average of 80 Americans each year. Victor...
Gulf Coast Mangled by Swath of Tornadoes
Mar 7 2016 // The National Weather Service on Feb. 26 updated to 13 the number of tornadoes that hit Louisiana on Feb. 23, including four tornadoes — one an EF-3 — that were responsible for extreme damage in Convent and...
Catastrophe Response Team Works to Protect Storm Victims
Mar 4 2016 // After tornadoes ravaged the Dallas area in late December, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Fraud Unit worked together to establish a new disaster outreach program, called...
Liberty Mutual Profit Fell 70% in 2015
Mar 4 2016 // Liberty Mutual Insurance saw profits fall for the fourth quarter and full year 2015 due to higher catastrophe and energy-related losses. Parent Liberty Mutual Holding Co. booked $411 million in net income in Q4, a nearly...
U.S. Treasury Seeks Terrorism Data from Insurers
Mar 4 2016 // The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Federal Insurance Office (FIO) is requesting that insurers voluntarily submit insurance data regarding their participation in the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (TRIP). The...
EF2 Tornado Strikes Alabama, Damages at Least 12 Homes
Mar 4 2016 // Forecasters say a tornado that severely damaged homes and trees in a Birmingham, Ala., suburb has been determined as an EF2, with winds of between 120 and 125 mph. National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Holmes told...
