Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Work on ‘Tsunami-Proof’ School on Washington Coast Underway
Feb 9 2015 // Ground has been broken for a new school building on the Washington coast at Westport that officials say is designed to be tsunami-proof. The planned “vertical evacuation structure” will be an addition to the...
Legislation Addressing Property Claims Litigation Likely to Crop Up in Texas
Feb 9 2015 // By the end of 2008, the Texas residual market for insuring seacoast properties for wind and hail figured it had enough resources available to pay claims for both Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Dolly that hit the Texas coast...
Geologists Look for Earthquake, Fracking Connection in Kansas
Feb 6 2015 // For at the last 15 months, Kansas geologist Rex Buchanan estimates, he’s spent 90 percent of his time studying something once relatively rare in the state — earthquakes. He has learned a lot, said the director of...
Minor Damage to Courthouse after Northern Oklahoma Earthquake Swarm
Feb 6 2015 // A swarm of earthquakes has shaken parts of Alfalfa County in northern Oklahoma. The U.S. Geological Survey says four earthquakes have been recorded around Cherokee and Helena since late on Feb. 4, including a magnitude 4.3...
Paris Murders Make Finding a Solution to Violence More Imperative
Feb 6 2015 // It will be a month on Saturday since the murderous attacks on the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and the kosher supermarket in Paris took place. These were not the first such attacks by fanatics on...
Aon Benfield/Impact Forecasting Jan. Cat Report Highlights Winter Storms
Feb 6 2015 // The latest edition of Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team’s, Global Catastrophe Recap report, evaluates the impact of the natural disaster events that occurred worldwide during...
Attorneys, Insurers Facing Off over Hail Litigation in Texas
Feb 4 2015 // The vestiges of twin hailstorms that ravaged the south Texas coast in 2012 are now blowing through the halls of the Capitol in Austin. Two of the state’s most-powerful lobbies, the insurance industry and trial...
Hannover Re: Capital Markets Are ‘More Friend Than Foe’ to Reinsurers
Feb 4 2015 // Pension and hedge funds flush with cash and hungry for yield are creating a market for reinsurers willing to look past the price cuts these investors have inflicted on traditional catastrophe coverage. The growth of...
Though Rising, Ohio Home and Auto Insurance Rates Still Low
Feb 3 2015 // Combined, average homeowners and auto insurance premiums in Ohio are nearly $500 less than national averages, according to the state’s insurance department. Personal lines premiums in the state are among the lowest...
Palomar Specialty, Civil Service Employees Insurance to Offer Earthquake Coverage
Feb 2 2015 // Palomar Specialty Insurance Co. has partnered with Civil Service Employees Insurance Co. to offer a comprehensive residential earthquake solution for CSE’s customers. Palomar Specialty’s residential earthquake...
Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission Develops Earthquake Plan
Feb 2 2015 // The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission now has a plan for future earthquakes after two small quakes rattled an area in Weld County that officials later determined were likely caused by a nearby injection...
Obama Budget: Taxes, Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Crop Insurance, Wildfires
Feb 2 2015 // President Barack Obama on Monday proposed a $3.99 trillion budget for fiscal year 2016 that sets up a battle with Republicans over programs to boost the middle class that are funded by higher taxes on corporations and...
5.7 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Northern California Coast
Jan 30 2015 // A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 struck off the coast of Northern California on Jan. 28. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake shook at 1:08 p.m. about 40 miles southwest of Eureka. Lt....
Kansas Geologists Seek More Funding for Earthquake Monitoring
Jan 28 2015 // Kansas geologists say they need more funding to investigate an unprecedented spike in earthquakes in the state. Kansas Geological Survey Director Rex Buchanan told the House Energy and Environment Committee that about half...
Oklahoma Supreme Court to Hear Oil Company/Earthquake Lawsuit
Jan 26 2015 // Oklahoma’s highest court has decided to hear a lawsuit that alleges two oil companies are liable for injuries a Prague woman suffered during a 2011 earthquake. The lawsuit by Sandra Ladra of Prague is among dozens of...
Characteristics of ‘Charlie Hebdo’ Attack Thwarted Counter-Terrorism Efforts: RMS
Jan 26 2015 // A number of unique characteristics of the January 7 terrorist attack against satirical French magazine “Charlie Hebdo” allowed terrorists to succeed despite counter-terrorism efforts, according to a new report...
TWIA Legislative Recommendations Address Funding, Depopulation
Jan 26 2015 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the state-created insurer that provides property coverage for wind and hail in 14 coastal counties and parts of Harris County, has submitted a report to the Legislature with...
Legislative Focus for Texas Windstorm Insurer: Funding, Depopulation
Jan 22 2015 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the state-created insurer that provides property coverage for wind and hail in 14 coastal counties and parts of Harris County, has submitted a report to the Legislature with...
Work on ‘Tsunami-Proof’ School on Washington Coast Underway
Jan 22 2015 // Ground has been broken for a new school building on the Washington coast at Westport. Officials say the structure is designed to be tsunami-proof. KOMO-TV reported that the planned “vertical evacuation...
Small Tornado in Washington Confirmed by Weather Service
Jan 21 2015 // The National Weather Service confirms it was a small tornado that knocked down some trees and blew around loose objects Sunday afternoon at Gig Harbor in Washington. A Weather Service survey team determined the tornado was...
