Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Experts: Steady Rate of Earthquakes in Oklahoma in 2014
Jan 21 2015 // After increasing rapidly over the past three years, the pace of earthquakes in Oklahoma held steady in 2014 at a rate higher than California and far higher than the historic average in Oklahoma. Oklahoma experienced 567...
Texas Windstorm Expert Panel to Discuss Work at Public Meeting
Jan 20 2015 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance expert panel will hold a public meeting on Jan. 28 to inform the public about the progress of the panel’s work, to allow the public to observe the panel discussing its work, and to give...
Earthquake Risk in North Texas Likely to Be Upgraded
Jan 20 2015 // The U.S. Geological Survey is considering raising its risk projections for earthquakes in North Texas. The Dallas area has experienced more than 120 quakes since 2008. The Dallas Morning News reports that USGS will likely...
Catastrophe Bond Issuance Reaches Record Levels: Aon Benfield Report
Jan 16 2015 // Property catastrophe bond issuance for the fourth quarter 2014 stood at USD$2.1 billion across six separate transactions, contributing to a record annual property catastrophe bond issuance of USD$8.0 billion, according to...
Connecticut Issues Consumer Advisory on Earthquake Insurance
Jan 15 2015 // The U.S. Geological Service has reported a series of minor earthquakes in parts of eastern Connecticut this week, including a 2.0-magnitude earthquake Thursday morning near Plainfield, Connecticut. The Weston Observatory...
Record Number of Quakes in Alaska Detected In 2014
Jan 15 2015 // Alaska experienced a busy year underground in 2014, according to experts who record the state’s earthquakes. The Alaska Earthquake Information Center detected 40,686 quakes in the state and bordering parts of Canada,...
Paris Terror Attacks Not Unexpected; Demand for Political Risk Cover Is Up
Jan 14 2015 // Terrorism, security and political risk experts from Willis provided some broad observations about last week’s terror attacks in Paris and how insurance buyers are responding. “The tragic events in Paris are a...
Lowest Insured Losses since 2009: Impact Forecasting Climate and Cat Report
Jan 13 2015 // Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team, has released its Annual Global Climate and Catastrophe Report, which evaluates the impact of the natural disaster events that occurred worldwide...
Seismologists Expand Texas Earthquake Study
Jan 12 2015 // Southern Methodist University seismologists are installing more measuring equipment in a Dallas suburb as earthquakes continue to rattle North Texas. More localized seismometers in Irving are “the first step in...