Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Philippines on Alert as Typhoon Hagupit Strengthens
Dec 4 2014 // AccuWeather Global Weather Center reports that a strengthening Typhoon Hagupit is bringing life-threatening dangers to the Philippines. Hagupit strengthened into a typhoon early Tuesday night PHT (Tuesday morning EST) and...
Insurance Council: No Hurricanes, but Bad Weather Plagued Texas
Dec 3 2014 // As 2014 hurricane season ends the people of Texas can count themselves lucky to have dodged hurricanes for the past six years, which has been particularly good news for coastal residents. Despite the lack of hurricanes,...
Update: Hartford Unit Accused of Using Fudged Hurricane Sandy Report
Dec 3 2014 // A Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. unit was accused by a lawyer representing Hurricane Sandy victims of using a falsified damage report to dodge paying homeowner claims, the second insurer blamed in the last month...
XL’s New Standalone Terrorism Policy Addresses TRIPRA Gaps
Dec 3 2014 // XL Group’s U.S. Crisis Management business has introduced a new standalone terrorism insurance policy intended to help U.S. businesses address potential gaps in coverage provided by the Terrorism Risk Insurance...
Willis Re Unveils New Japan Tsunami Model
Dec 3 2014 // Willis Re, the reinsurance division of Willis Group Holdings, the risk adviser, insurance and reinsurance broker, has released a new Japan Tsunami Model to advance the industry’s understanding of catastrophic tsunami...
A.M. Best Report: Last Resort Insurers Welcome Catastrophe Bond Market
Dec 3 2014 // The convergence market has provided an opportunity for entities that act as insurers of last resort to transfer some of their peak exposures to the capital markets, according to a Best’s Special Report titled,...
Arizona Hit by Moderate Earthquake
Dec 2 2014 // A moderate earthquake that struck near Sedona, Ariz. was widely felt in the area. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-4.7 temblor struck shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday and was centered seven miles north of Sedona...
Atlantic Hurricane Season Spared All But North Carolina
Dec 2 2014 // Sunday marked the end of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season during which North Carolina was the only state to have a storm hit the mainland. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the six-month season saw...
Hartford Unit Accused of Using Fudged Hurricane Sandy Report
Dec 2 2014 // A Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. unit was accused by a lawyer representing policyholders affected by Hurricane Sandy of denying a claim from the storm based on an altered engineering report. The lawyer submitted...
No Ratings Impact from UK’s Counter-Terrorism/Security Bill: A.M. Best
Dec 1 2014 // A bulletin from A.M. Best indicates that it “does not expect rated insurers to be impacted by the amendments to the UK’s Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill, making it illegal for insurers to reimburse ransom...
Illinois Man Promises Neighbors Spot in Underground Tornado Shelter
Dec 1 2014 // The 1,200-pound steel cylinder in James Trudeau’s driveway certainly struck his Bourbonnais, Ill., neighborhood as odd, at least at first. Even Kankakee County’s planning department wasn’t sure what to...
Texas Company Turns Trucks into Wildfire Fighters
Dec 1 2014 // Could icemakers be next? Most of the options on the brush fire trucks made at Texas-based Steele Fire Apparatus fall into the category of things you might expect. Light towers, electrical inverters, pumps for hydraulic...
Kansas Agents See Increased Demand for Earthquake Insurance
Dec 1 2014 // Kansas insurance agencies say they’ve been flooded with queries about earthquake coverage after a 4.8 magnitude temblor struck near Conway Springs on Nov. 12. “We have been getting calls all day,” said...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Launches Depopulation Portal
Dec 1 2014 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) has initiated a process whereby interested insurance companies may access information on TWIA insured properties in an effort to move policies to private insurers. The...
Experts: Eastern Colorado Wildfires Likely to Start on Private Lands
Dec 1 2014 // Fires ignited on private lands pose the most significant wildfire threats to populated areas on the eastern-facing range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, according to risk analysts who used extensive evidence regarding a...
4.0 Magnitude Earthquake Included in Swarm Near Medford, Oklahoma
Nov 26 2014 // A swarm of earthquakes has rattled the Medford area in northern Oklahoma, including a magnitude 4.0 quake. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake struck at 8:43 a.m. on Nov. 25. Its epicenter was less than one mile...
‘Silver Tsunami’ Predicted by Oregon Economist
Nov 26 2014 // A prominent Oregon economist says one of the counties hardest hit by the decline of the state’s forest industries should expect a “silver tsunami” of retirees as aging baby boomers flee California and, if...
Risk and Insurance Experts Predict Thanksgiving NFL Winners, Losers
Nov 26 2014 // Ah, Thanksgiving. A time for family, good meals and joy – unless your team epically fails on national television, stirring your gut into an acidic cauldron of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mounting...
Japan Assesses Damage from Earthquake in Olympics Site Region
Nov 26 2014 // The damage from an overnight earthquake in a mountainous area of central Japan that hosted the 1998 winter Olympics proved more extensive than initially thought. A daylight assessment Sunday found at least 50 homes...
University of Memphis Earthquake Center Receives $2M Grant
Nov 26 2014 // The U.S. Geological Survey is awarding a $2 million grant to the Center for Earthquake Research and Information at the University of Memphis. The university said the three-year grant will help the center continue to...
