Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Washington Governor Asks Feds to Reconsider Aid for State’s Largest Wildfire
Sep 12 2014 // Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is asking the federal government to reconsider providing federal aid to people hurt by the state’s largest wildfire. Inslee said that more homes were destroyed or damaged than initially...
Washington Saw 567 Square Miles Burned by Wildfires
Sep 12 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 says this year’s scorched acreage is about six...
California Earthquake Claims First Death
Sep 12 2014 // A 65-year-old woman who suffered a head injury when a television struck her during last month’s earthquake in California’s wine country has died – the first death attributed to the magnitude-6.0 temblor,...
Odile Nears Hurricane Strength in Pacific; Edouard Forming in Atlantic
Sep 12 2014 // Tropical Storm Odile may become a hurricane today off Mexico’s Pacific coast, while Tropical Storm Edouard formed in the Atlantic, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Odile, with top winds of 60 miles (97...
Post-Tornado Teardowns Continue in Mississippi City
Sep 12 2014 // Tupelo, Mississippi officials say they’re deciding whether to require demolition of buildings damaged by the April 28 tornado on a case-by-case basis. Last week, the City Council ordered the owner of the Comfort...
Northern Missouri Hit by Heavy Rains, Tornadoes
Sep 11 2014 // A heavy rain storm has left much of northern Missouri facing low-level flooding and cleaning up mostly minor damage caused by tornadoes and high winds. The National Weather Service says 10 inches of rain was reported in...
I.I.I.: 13 Years After 9/11, Threat of Terrorist Attack Remains Real
Sep 11 2014 // The Insurance Information Institute said this week that the threat of terrorist attack remains real and that the 13-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attack is a reminder of the urgent need for federal lawmakers to...
Dewhurst to Lawmakers: How About Shutting Down Texas Windstorm Insurer?
Sep 11 2014 // Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has asked state lawmakers to consider shutting down a windstorm insurance provider for coastal Texans. Dewhurst asked a state Senate committee to look at phasing out the Texas Windstorm...
Turbulent Pacific Hurricane Season Contrasts with Calm Atlantic
Sep 11 2014 // For all the Atlantic Ocean’s composure this hurricane season, the eastern Pacific is turbulent after already producing its 15th storm. Tropical Storm Odile formed southwest of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, yesterday,...
Atlantic Hurricane Season Peaks with No Named Storms
Sep 11 2014 // The statistical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season has arrived and for the first time since 2000 there isn’t a named storm in the basin. While forecasters are watching a pair of potential candidates, neither is...
Tropical Storm Odile in Pacific Threatens Mexico
Sep 11 2014 // Tropical Storm Odile off the west coast of Mexico is forecast to become a hurricane tomorrow. Odile, with top winds of 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour, was 210 miles southwest of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, moving west at 2...
Reinsurance Alternative Capital Now 20% of Cat Market: Aon Benfield ILS Report
Sep 11 2014 // Alternative capital has captured approximately a 20 percent market share of property catastrophe reinsurance volume. That news came our of Aon Benfield Securities, which issued its annual report on the insurance-linked...
Havoc in Pacific amid Atlantic Calm Points to Tale of Two Oceans
Sep 11 2014 // For all the Atlantic Ocean’s composure this hurricane season, the eastern Pacific is turbulent after already producing its 15th storm. Tropical Storm Odile formed southwest of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, yesterday,...
Earthquakes Increase in Kansas Task Force Can’t Pinpoint Why
Sep 9 2014 // There’s not enough data to make any determinations about why there has been an increase in the number of earthquakes in Kansas, a three-member task force appointed by Gov. Sam Brownback has concluded. The state has...
Is There a House Republican Deal on Export-Import Bank, Terrorism Insurance?
Sep 9 2014 // Representative Jeb Hensarling, a Texas Republican who has been a key opponent of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, now supports a short-term extension of the bank’s mandate, opening the door to a temporary reprieve for...
U.S. Economic Losses Due to Napa Quake, August Floods Top $4 Billion: Aon
Sep 8 2014 // As far as natural perils go, August was mostly about earthquakes, along with a few tropical storms and typhoons around the world to add to the trouble, according to Aon Benfield’s Impact Forecasting in its latest...
Earthquake Shakes Iceland Volcano, Still No Ash Cloud
Sep 8 2014 // An earthquake struck the region around Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano on Sunday while fissures in the area continued to spew out lava but still none of the ash that could hamper airline traffic. The earthquake...
Oklahoma to Require Earthquake Insurance Education for Producers
Sep 8 2014 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin approved an emergency rule adopted by Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak that requires all licensed producers and adjusters with the property line of authority to complete one hour of continuing...
Over 1,300 Claims Filed After Revere Tornado
Sep 8 2014 // The Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) said that as of Aug. 27, the state’s insurers have received more than 1,300 claims from a rare tornado that ripped through the coastal city of Revere on July 28. The DOI...
Wildfire Spending In Oregon Triggers Lloyd’s Insurance Policy
Sep 5 2014 // Oregon’s tough wildfire season has pushed spending to the point the state Department of Forest is tapping its special insurance policy for the second year in a row. The Bulletin reported that state wildfire costs...
