Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tornado Warning in Washington County Now Expired
Oct 13 2014 // The National Weather Service issued an emergency tornado warning for Pierce County, Wash. over the weekend though a tornado did not develop. The News Tribune reported the warning was issued shortly after noon on Saturday...
Scientists in New Mexico Predict Post-Wildfire Erosion Risks
Oct 13 2014 // It’s nearly impossible to predict when and where the next major wildfire will be and whether an ill-timed thunderstorm could result in tons of ash and charred debris being washed down the bare mountainsides once the...
RMS: ‘Big One’ in Northern California Could Cause $200B in Losses
Oct 13 2014 // Earthquake risk in the San Francisco Bay Area is on the rise while earthquake insurance penetration statewide has dropped significantly since the Loma Prieta earthquake that rocked the Bay Area 25 years ago, causing nearly...
4.3 Magnitude Earthquake Recorded in Oklahoma
Oct 13 2014 // The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded a 4.3 magnitude earthquake near Cushing in north-central Oklahoma. Cushing Emergency Management Director Bob Noltensmeyer says there are no injuries or major damage as a result of...
Atlantic Hurricane Season Could Still Surprise
Oct 12 2014 // The Atlantic hurricane season isn’t dead yet. As weather-watchers focus on Typhoon Vongfong in the Pacific and Cyclone Hudhud in the Bay of Bengal, a subtropical depression has formed south of Bermuda late last week,...
Atlantic Hurricanes Still Threaten to Brew
Oct 10 2014 // As weather-watchers focus on Typhoon Vongfong in the Pacific and Cyclone Hudhud in the Bay of Bengal, there are signs that the Atlantic may have a storm of its own, or more, in the next few weeks. A patch of showers and...
Abacus Brokers, Golden Bear Launch Online Earthquake Program
Oct 9 2014 // Abacus Insurance Brokers Inc., a Los Angeles-based program manager that distributes specialty insurance products online, has partnered with Golden Bear Insurance Co. for its new online residential earthquake program. The...
Tornado Touched Down Near New Mexico City: Weather Service
Oct 6 2014 // The National Weather Service says a tornado briefly touched down and caused some damage near Chama, in a sparsely populated mountainous area of northern New Mexico earlier this week. According to the weather...
P/C Insurers’ Net Income Rose, Operating Income Fell in First Half
Oct 6 2014 // U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income rose $1.6 billion to $26.0 billion in first-half of 2014 while pretax operating income fell $1.9 billion to $23.9 billion in first-half 2014, a decrease driven by lower...
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...
