Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Karen Clark Adds US Earthquake Reference Model to Modeling Platform
Dec 7 2015 // Karen Clark & Company (KCC) has released a new US earthquake Reference Model as part of the RiskInsight open loss modeling platform. The earthquake model is based on the latest 2014 US Geological Survey (USGS) report...
Oklahoma Shutting Down Disposal Wells after Series of Earthquakes
Dec 7 2015 // In response to an increase in larger earthquakes in certain oil production areas of the state, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission said it’s working to have some disposal wells shut down and volume reduced at other...
Report: Southeast States Not Prepared for Future Risks from Climate Change
Dec 7 2015 // Many states across the country, particularly in the Southeast, are unprepared to face the risks posed from extreme heat, drought, wildfires, inland flooding, coastal flooding and other extreme weather events, according to...
King Appointed to Texas Windstorm Insurance Board
Dec 3 2015 // Texas Commissioner of Insurance David Mattax has appointed Deborah King to the board of directors of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA). King of Highland Village is vice president and chief actuary at...
Hurricane Season Ends: Atlantic Stayed Below Normal; Pacific Set Records
Dec 1 2015 // The Atlantic, eastern and central Pacific hurricane seasons officially ended yesterday, and as NOAA predicted, the Atlantic season stayed below normal with 11 named storms, while the eastern and central Pacific were above...
Florida Marks 10 Years Without Major Hurricane, Sets Record
Dec 1 2015 // The state of Florida is marking a big milestone with the official end of the 2015 hurricane season – 10 years without a major hurricane making landfall in the state. The Miami Herald reports that the hurricane-free...
Terrorist Activity Boosts Interest in Travel Insurance
Nov 25 2015 // There has been a rise in demand for travel insurance due to recent terrorist attacks, according to an online seller of the coverage. Travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip said that since the attacks occurred in...
State-Backed Terrorism Reinsurance Fund Likely to Aid Paris Firms in Recovery
Nov 24 2015 // Parisian businesses struggling after the Nov. 13 attacks are likely to be able to make successful insurance claims, helped by a state-backed fund set up in the wake of the Sept. 11 2001 attacks in New York. The carnage in...
Tornadoes, Heavy Rain Cause Damage in 10 Mississippi Counties
Nov 20 2015 // At least two tornadoes and heavy rainstorms in Mississippi destroyed a mobile home, partially tore a roof off a house, and left a truck driver injured after he drove into a downed tree, state officials said...
Tornadoes in North Texas Damage Homes, Businesses
Nov 18 2015 // Multiple tornadoes hit North Texas late on Nov. 16 and early on Nov. 17, causing property damage. The National Weather Service says at least five tornadoes touched down in the Pampa, Texas, area Monday night. Forecasters...
UK’s Chancellor of Exchequer to Double Budget to Fight Cyber Terrorism
Nov 17 2015 // Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced he’ll double funding to strengthen the U.K.’s cyber defenses, while refusing to confirm that budget cuts to be announced next week would spare...
Global Acts of Terrorism Cost $52.9 Billion in 2014 – Highest Price Since 9/11
Nov 17 2015 // In the wake of Friday’s massacre in Paris, a new report says the world is paying the highest price for terrorism since the 2001 attack on New York’s Twin Towers. In 2014, acts of terror cost the world $52.9...
History Shows Economies Are Resilient After Terrorist Attacks
Nov 16 2015 // The French economy has history on its side. From the attacks of September 11 to those on Spain in March 2004 and London in July 2005, industrial economies have proven more resilient to terrorism than first feared,...
Wildfires, and Now El Niño, May Boost Californians’ Appetites for Surplus Lines
Nov 16 2015 // There’s little question that the drought and the recent wildfire season that it unleashed pushed more California homeowners into the surplus lines market. Now with what appears to be a strong El Niño on the horizon...
Paper Fingers Climate Change for California Wildfires
Nov 12 2015 // There was a bit of hesitation from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist Stephanie C. Herring when she was asked questions about the increased risk and the implications of that risk for the insurance...
Brazil Vows to Make BHP & Vale Pay Fine & Cleanup Costs for Mine ‘Catastrophe’
Nov 12 2015 // Brazil’s government said on Wednesday it may fine mining giants BHP Billiton Ltd and Vale SA for the “environmental catastrophe” caused by ruptured dams at an iron ore mine jointly owned by the companies...
Kate Becomes 4th Atlantic Hurricane of 2015
Nov 11 2015 // Hurricane Kate became the fourth Atlantic hurricane of 2015 early Wednesday morning, passing well north of Bermuda, according to a report from Weather Underground. “Kate is racing northeast, caught up in the jet...
Many Have Died in ‘Subpar’ Atlantic Hurricane Season
Nov 10 2015 // The 2015 Atlantic hurricane season may end up being remembered for a subpar number of storms, even though the total still beat early forecasts and more than 50 people died. The season, which also lags behind in terms of...
RMS: Cat Bond Analysis Reveals Market Predictions of Price Bottom Are Optimistic
Nov 10 2015 // Return relative to risk values for catastrophe bonds at current prices are actually higher in 2015 than they were last year, even though recent market commentary suggests that market prices have stabilized, according to...
Cyclone-Heavy Hurricane Season Not Over Yet
Nov 9 2015 // For a few minutes last Wednesday, there weren’t any hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons or tropical storms anywhere in the world. The respite didn’t last long. Thursday morning, the U.S. Navy and Air Force’s...
