Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Weather Service Confirms Tornado Struck North Dakota City
Jul 31 2015 // The National Weather Service has confirmed that storm damage in Tolna, N.D. was caused by a tornado. The tornado last week was rated an EF-1, with an estimated peak wind speed of 110 mph. It was on the ground for about 4...
Public-Private Catastrophe Scheme in UK Would Help Mitigate Cyber-9/11: Study
Jul 31 2015 // A public-private, cyber-catastrophe reinsurance arrangement would improve the UK’s resilience against the growing threat of cyber risks in this interconnected world, according to a cyber report released this...
Firefighters Hold California Wildfire That Jumped Line
Jul 30 2015 // Crews battling the toughest of several wildfires burning across the state held their ground late Wednesday, keeping a blaze east of California’s Napa Valley from jumping any more containment lines, fire officials...
Japan Earthquake Premiums to Rise as Insurers Reassess Risk After Fukushima
Jul 30 2015 // Japan’s insurance companies are pushing for an average 19 percent increase in earthquake premiums as they reassess risk following the unprecedented magnitude 9 quake four years ago. The increase could come into...
Earthquake Shakes Alaska’s Aleutian Islands
Jul 29 2015 // The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting no damage from a strong earthquake that rocked Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The quake struck at 8:49 p.m. Sunday and was centered 45 miles southwest of the village of Nikolski...
Indiana School to Build Tornado Safe Room with $1.6M Grant
Jul 28 2015 // Federal officials have awarded a southern Indiana school district $1.6 million to build a tornado safe room at an elementary school. The grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will allow Salem Community Schools...
New Madrid Study Shows Need for Quake Coverage: Missouri Insurance Director
Jul 28 2015 // Missouri’s top insurance regulator says a new report on exposures within the reach of the New Madrid seismic zone reinforces the need for residents in affected areas to purchase earthquake insurance. Missouri...
More Wildfires in California, But Less Damage
Jul 28 2015 // The number of California wildfires so far this year is up, but the acreage burned is smaller, the result of favorable weather and more firefighters who can quickly be dispatched to corral flames, fire officials say. Since...
The Hartford’s Profit Up in Q2; CEO Addresses M&A Outlook
Jul 28 2015 // The Hartford reported core earnings of $389 million for the second quarter 2015, an increase of $245 million from $144 million in second quarter 2014. The increase was due in part to improved underwriting results with...
Lloyd’s Supports Natural Catastrophe Resilience Plan Across Asia
Jul 28 2015 // As he prepared to sign a Statement of Intent (SOI) between the British Government, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Lloyd’s in Singapore, UK Prime Minister David Cameron stressed that insurance is essential to...
Northern California Wildfire Threatens Homes, Prompts Evacuations
Jul 27 2015 // A Northern California wildfire raced through more than six square miles of drought-stricken timber over the weekend, threatening at least 150 rural homes in the Sierra Nevada, authorities said. The blaze forced evacuations...
Tornado in Colorado Forest Area Damages Campground
Jul 24 2015 // Tornado damage at a Pike National Forest campground has crews clearing felled trees in a six-acre area. KMGH-TV reported the Devil’s Head campground was hit by a tornado that the National Weather Service confirms...
Chubb Reports Q2 Results
Jul 24 2015 // The Chubb Corp., which on June 30 agreed to be acquired by ACE Limited for $28 billion, reported net income in the second quarter of 2015 totaling $494 million, just a notch below the $499 million achieved in the second...
Officials Say Washington Wildfire Was Human-Caused
Jul 23 2015 // Officials say a wildfire that has burned one home and torched nearly 6 square miles in southeastern Washington was likely human-caused. Fire spokeswoman Sarah Foster says the cause is under investigation, though officials...
Allied World Reports Decreases in Q2 Net and Operating Income
Jul 23 2015 // Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG has reported net income of $9.5 million, or $0.10 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2015 compared to net income of $151.9 million, or $1.52 per diluted share, for the...
4.4M Northern Oklahoma Earthquake Rattles State
Jul 22 2015 // A magnitude 4.4 earthquake centered in northern Oklahoma has shaken the state, with reports of it being felt hundreds of miles away. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the July 20 quake happened at about 3:20 p.m., with...
Texas Had Costliest U.S. Cat Losses in First Half of 2015: PCS
Jul 22 2015 // Texas had the most catastrophe losses in the United States during the first half of 2015, according to a new report on North American cat losses during the first six months of the year. Seventeen second-quarter catastrophe...
Insured Catastrophe Losses Fell 36% in First Half of 2015
Jul 22 2015 // Property/casualty insurers catastrophe losses in North America for the first-half of this year were down 36 percent to $8.1 billion from 2014’s total of $12.6 billion, making it the lightest catastrophe first half...
Travelers Q2 Profit Up 19% on Lower Catastrophe Costs
Jul 21 2015 // Travelers Cos., the only property/casualty insurer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, said second-quarter profit advanced 19 percent as natural disaster costs dropped. Net income climbed to $812 million, or $2.53 a...
Tornado-Torn South Dakota Town Getting Advice on Insurance, Resources
Jul 20 2015 // South Dakota organizations aiming to aid residents of the tornado-ravaged town of Delmont are encouraging those affected to utilize all the resources available to them. Scott Swier of the Swier Law Firm in Avon and Jesse...
