Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
AIR Worldwide Discusses Expected Damages From Typhoon Phanfone
Oct 6 2014 // An ominous storm from the outset, Typhoon Phanfone is now on track to impact large areas of Japan with damaging winds and substantial rainfall, from Osumi and the southeastern coast of Kyushu to Shikoku and Honsh,...
Earthquake coverage should be standard for mortgage loans
Oct 6 2014 // When it comes to California earthquake insurance, affordability is in the eye of the beholder. Californians are not convinced that earthquake risk is sufficient to warrant the purchase of products that are currently...
Aon Benfield’s Impact Forecasting Head Explains the Latest in Models
Oct 6 2014 // Adam Podlaha, the head of Aon Benfield’s Impact Forecasting division, is responsible for overseeing the collection of the data and its implementation in creating the latest catastrophe and other models. He explained...
Oklahoma Earthquakes Rattle On
Oct 6 2014 // Government officials say the rate of earthquakes in Oklahoma of magnitude 3.0 or greater has risen significantly and that statistics show an increased chance for a magnitude 5.5 or greater quake in the state. From January...
Knowing Clean Technology Customers
Oct 6 2014 // In the next 10 years, the clean technology market is expected to increase by more than 60 percent to nearly $400 billion worldwide, according to Clean Edge’s Clean Energy Trends 2014 Report – creating an enormous...
Alabama’s Lessons from Hurricane Ivan at 10th Anniversary
Oct 6 2014 // Last month marked the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Ivan, one of the costliest tropical storms to ever hit the U.S. Ivan came ashore near Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Sept. 16, 2004, as a Category 3 storm. The storm also...
California Governor Signs Earthquake Insurance Information Bill
Oct 6 2014 // Gov. Jerry Brown has signed Assembly Bill 2064, which aims to change the way Californians learn about earthquake insurance for their homes. Under California law, insurers that sell residential property insurance also must...
Pacific Sees Storm Deja Vu as Atlantic Starts to Run Out of Time
Oct 2 2014 // Yet another tropical storm is budding in the Pacific south of Manzanillo, Mexico, while in the Atlantic the danger is fading, at least for the energy-producing areas of the Gulf of Mexico. Tropical Depression 19-E...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Says Finances Are Shaping Up
Oct 1 2014 // Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) announced it has successfully obtained $500 million in funds to assist in paying future catastrophic claims and that the association is now in its best financial position since...
California Wildfire Price Tag Exceeds $53M
Sep 26 2014 // A huge wildfire in northeast California has run up a firefighting tab in excess of $50 million and become the second priciest blaze in the state this year, officials said. The King Fire east of Sacramento has cost some $53...
Missouri Contractor Going to Prison for Tornado Repair Fraud
Sep 26 2014 // A southwest Missouri contractor is going to prison for stealing more than $73,000 from an elderly Joplin couple who hired him to repair their home after the May 2011 tornado. The U.S. Attorney’s office says...
Cuomo Says Terror Threat Spurs Higher Security Presence in N.Y. Region
Sep 24 2014 // New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the metropolitan area remains under threat of terrorist attack, and that commuters will see an increased security presence in the city and at transit points as a result. Cuomo and New...
U.S. Jury Finds Arab Bank Liable Under Terrorist Financing Law
Sep 23 2014 // A U.S. jury on Monday found Arab Bank Plc liable for providing material support to Hamas and said it must compensate victims of two dozen attacks attributed to the Islamic militant group in Israel and the Palestinian...
Magnitude 4.0 Earthquake Recorded in Oklahoma
Sep 22 2014 // The U.S. Geological Survey has reported a magnitude 4.0 earthquake near Medford, Okla. The earthquake happened shortly after 8:30 p.m. about 20 miles east of Enid and 17 miles southeast of Medford. A Grant County...
Duperreault, Reardon and Deutsch Lead Hamilton Re into the ‘Data Analytics’ Future
Sep 22 2014 // If you’re going to successfully operate a relatively new reinsurance company in these troubled times, you better know what you’re doing. Fortunately Bermuda-based Hamilton Re would seem to pass muster. Firstly,...
California Wildfire Concerns Include Hotter Temperatures, Erratic Winds
Sep 22 2014 // Crews battling a huge Northern California wildfire are bracing for hotter temperatures and erratic winds. Fire spokesman Ryan Lubben says cooler, wet weather that helped firefighters over the weekend were expected to give...
Washington Saw 567 Square Miles Burned by Wildfires
Sep 22 2014 // Wildfires this summer in Washington have burned about 567 square miles. Last year wildfires burned about 156 square miles in the state. State Forester Aaron Everett said this year’s scorched acreage is about six...
Once Again, Texas Lawmakers Asked to Do Something about Windstorm Insurer
Sep 22 2014 // What to do about Texas’ wind insurer of last resort? That’s the question being asked again of Texas lawmakers in advance of the coming legislative session. In a surprise visit to a Senate Business &...
Treasury Hasn’t Determined Boston Bombing Was ‘Act of Terrorism’ Under TRIA
Sep 19 2014 // A U.S. Treasury Department spokesperson last week provided a statement to Boston news outlets that said “The Secretary has not determined that there has been an ‘act of terrorism’ under the Terrorism Risk...
Explosive Growth From California Wildfire Threatens Homes
Sep 19 2014 // An out-of-control wildfire that was threatening more than 2,000 homes in Northern California showed explosive growth, consuming tens of thousands of additional acres, fire officials said Thursday. The fire east of...
