Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wild Weather Leaves 1 Dead in Texas; Tornados, Flooding Reported
May 11 2015 // Several tornadoes ripped through the northern part of Texas, leaving one person dead and others unaccounted for in a sparsely populated area over the weekend, authorities said. One of the tornadoes on Saturday shattered...
Toward Sensible Risk Management of Earthquake Risk in Energy Production
May 11 2015 // Underground disposal of waste water produced from oil and natural gas wells has been blamed for triggering thousands of small earthquakes in Oklahoma and a number of other U.S. states since 2009. Heightened seismic...
$952 Million: PERILS Initial Loss Estimate for Windstorm Mike-Niklas
May 11 2015 // PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization providing industry-wide catastrophe insurance data, has given an initial estimate for windstorm Mike-Niklas (Lentestorm in the Netherlands) of €853 million [$952...
North Carolina Debt Option Proposed by Lawmakers to Pay Catastrophic Claims
May 11 2015 // The state-sanctioned property insurance program in North Carolina coastal counties could borrow to pay for extreme catastrophic losses from hurricanes in legislation making its way through the General Assembly. The House...
Update: North, South Carolina Coastline Warned on Subtropical Storm Ana
May 8 2015 // The National Hurricane Center issued a Tropical Storm Warning from South Santee River, South Carolina to Surf City, North Carolina due to subtropical storm Ana. A Tropical Storm Watch remains in effect for Edisto Beach,...
Nepal Quake Impact ‘Minimal on Global Reinsurers;’ Locally Severe: A.M. Best
May 8 2015 // A.M. Best’s analysis of the damages caused by the earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, describes the “significant property damages and fatalities in the Himalayan country.” However, no accurate...
Nepal Quake Biggest April Disaster: Aon Benfield/Impact Forecasting
May 8 2015 // Aon Benfield’s Impact Forecasting’s monthly catastrophe report for April highlights the catastrophic damage throughout Nepal, India, China, and Bangladesh, caused by the magnitude-7.8 earthquake that struck...
State of Emergency Declared in Oklahoma Following Severe Storms, Tornados
May 7 2015 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has declared a state of emergency after an outbreak of severe storms that swept across the state on May 6 bringing tornados, high winds, hail and flooding. At least 39 tornados were reported to...
Jardine Lloyd Thompson Capital Markets Adds $10M Cat Bond to Florida Book
May 7 2015 // Jardine Lloyd Thompson Capital Markets (JLTCM) Inc., part of JLT Re, has arranged a private placement catastrophe bond, Market Re 2015-1, which closed at $10 million. The new bond provides one year indemnity-based...
RenaissanceRe Reports Q1 Net Income of $167.8M, Up From $151M in Q1 2014
May 6 2015 // Bermuda-based RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. reported net income available to RenaissanceRe common shareholders of $167.8 million, or $4.14 per diluted common share, in the first quarter of 2015, compared to $151.0 million,...
NOAA in Miami to Send More Hurricane Drones into Atlantic this Season
May 6 2015 // Scientists are planning to send more drones flying into hurricanes that develop during the upcoming Atlantic storm season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration first launched the 13-pound winged drones into...
Verisk Expands Wildfire Risk Service to 3 More States
May 5 2015 // Verisk Insurance Solutions has added Montana, Oklahoma and Wyoming to its FireLine wildfire risk management service. FireLine provides information to insurers to analyze wildfire risk at the individual address...
Australian Storms Trigger ICA’s 5th Catastrophe Declaration for 2015
May 5 2015 // Thousands of claims, lodged from SE Queensland and Northern NSW storms, have now been declared catastrophes – the 5th such declaration this year – by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA). Most of the insured damage...
Fitch Upgrades Citizens’ Coastal Account, Outlook Stable
May 5 2015 // Fitch Ratings has assigned an ‘AA-‘ rating to the following senior secured bonds of the Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Coastal Account (formerly known as the High Risk Account): –$750 million series...
Wildfires Burn Buildings, Cause Evacuation in Central Wisconsin
May 4 2015 // Six buildings caught fire and 15 homes had to be evacuated as warm weather and dry conditions helped fuel wildfires in central Wisconsin. Catherine Koele, the wildfire prevention specialist for the state Department of...
2 Small Weekend Earthquakes Shake Central Mississippi
May 4 2015 // State emergency officials said no injuries or major damage were reported Saturday night as two small earthquakes briefly shook central Mississippi – a part of the state where quakes are unusual. The U.S. Geological...
Earthquake Fault Puts California at Risk for Tsunami
May 4 2015 // Scientists say the earthquake fault that runs through the coastal city of Ventura, Calif., can produce strong shaking and dangerous tsunamis, prompting state officials to study whether to revise hazard maps. The new...
Penn. Nixes Fracking Exclusions in Earthquake Endorsements
May 4 2015 // The Pennsylvania Insurance Department issued a notice telling insurance companies that earthquake endorsements to homeowners insurance policies in Pennsylvania cannot exclude coverage for earthquakes that may be caused by...
Researchers in Oklahoma Developing Seasonal Tornado Forecasts
May 4 2015 // Weather researchers in Oklahoma are working on a method to develop seasonal tornado forecasts that could predict the likelihood of the severe storms weeks in advance. Harold Brooks, senior research scientist at the...
North Texas Hit with Tornadoes, Large Hail
May 4 2015 // The National Weather Service said as many as 12 tornadoes and hail the size of softballs pounded portions of north Texas during the weekend of April 24 – 26. The Insurance Council of Texas reported that the storms...
