Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Powerful M6.9 Quake Strikes near Mexico-Guatemala Border: AIR Analysis
Jul 8 2014 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, at about 6:30 am local time yesterday, July 7, a powerful M6.9 earthquake struck near the border of Mexico and Guatemala near the town of Puerto Madero, Mexico, at a...
South Dakota Lawmakers Seek Federal Help for Flooding and Tornado
Jul 7 2014 // South Dakota’s three members of Congress have asked President Barack Obama to declare a major disaster for three counties hit last month by a tornado and flooding. In a letter to the president, Rep. Kristi Noem and...
Willis Sees Catastrophe Bonds Setting Record This Year After Busy Q2
Jul 7 2014 // The largest ever volume of non-life catastrophe bonds was issued during the second quarter of 2014 (Q2), according to a report by Willis Capital Markets & Advisory (WCMA), part of Willis Group Holdings. The Willis...
Typhoon Neoguri Strengthens; Heads towards Okinawa, Japan
Jul 7 2014 // Typhoon Neoguri is currently roiling the waters of the Western Pacific, south of Okinawa. The latest weather reports indicate that it is an immense storm and is gaining strength with sustained winds of 140 mph [225...
Southeast Has Higher Tornado Fatality Risk Than Midwest
Jul 7 2014 // Oklahoma and Kansas may have the reputations as tornado hot spots, but Florida and the rest of the Southeast are far more vulnerable to killer twisters, a new analysis shows. Florida leads the country in deaths calculated...
Florida Sends ‘Hurricane Tax’ to Early Retirement
Jul 7 2014 // A 1.3 percent surcharge on most property/casualty policies in Florida to help pay for past hurricane claims is coming to an end earlier than originally planned. The Florida Cabinet voted recently to end the assessment on...
10 Things to Know About Earthquakes
Jul 7 2014 // The earth’s surface consists of 25 interlocking plates. —National Aeronautics and Space Administration The earth’s plates move at a rate of roughly 2 centimeters per year. —National Aeronautics and Space...
Official: Massachusetts Life Returns to Normal After Hurricane Arthur
Jul 6 2014 // Massachusetts state emergency officials say life is returning to normal after Hurricane Arthur dumped surprising amounts of rain and unleashed strong winds in parts of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Emergency Management...
Arthur Damage Assessments Underway in North Carolina
Jul 6 2014 // Hurricane Arthur made landfall before midnight on July 3 near Cape Lookout, North Carolina, as a Category 2 hurricane. Maximum sustained winds at landfall were 100 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. State...
Climate-Driven Firefighting in West Takes Cash From Prevention Budgets
Jul 3 2014 // Wildfires blamed in part on climate change are consuming timber in the U.S. West at such a furious pace that half the Forest Service’s budget is now spent fighting them — up from 21 percent in 2000. Add in the...
Wisconsin Tornado Caused $1M Damage To Colfax Schools
Jul 3 2014 // A weak tornado that struck Wisconsin last week caused more than $1 million in damage to Colfax schools and the district’s athletic complex. The Chippewa Herald reported the tornado touched down briefly twice Friday...
Five Tornadoes Struck Illinois, Weather Service Says
Jul 3 2014 // The National Weather Service is now reporting five tornadoes touched down in Illinois during a storm that dumped heavy rain as it swept across the state. A weather service damage survey has confirmed modest tornadoes...
Hurricane Arthur Prompts North Carolina Coast Evacuations, East Coast Flood Watches
Jul 3 2014 // Hurricane Arthur gained strength as it bore down on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where some residents and visitors were ordered to evacuate as the Atlantic’s first storm of the season moved north. Arthur was...
UN, IIS, Willis Urge ‘Convergence of Communities’ to Face Climate Change
Jul 2 2014 // The third day of the International Insurance Society’s Annual Seminar was an all-day session devoted entirely to the threat posed by climate change, the studies of its risks and the solutions available to face...
Forecast Update: North Carolina on Watch for Hurricane Arthur
Jul 2 2014 // Tropical Storm Arthur is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane within two days and threaten North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where tourists are visiting for the Fourth of July holiday, while also adding to heavy rain...
GC Securities Places $30 Million World Bank Cat Bond for CCRIF
Jul 2 2014 // GC Securities, a division of MMC Securities Corp., a U.S. registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/NFA/SIPC, announced the placement of Floating Rate CCRIF Catastrophe-Linked Capital at Risk Notes, with notional principal...
Brokers Say Reinsurance Prices under Pressure at Mid-year Renewals
Jul 2 2014 // Reinsurance prices fell by as much as 25 percent in key markets mid-year as pension funds poured in money and demand for cover from insurance companies remained subdued, brokers said on Tuesday. Reinsurers have been...
Reinsurers Starting to Drop their Terrorism Exclusions
Jul 1 2014 // As property insurers lock up their July 1 reinsurance renewals, many are finding a bonus surprise above and beyond the soft pricing environment – the terrorism exclusions that have been standard in reinsurance contracts...
Tropical Depression Could Grow Into North Carolina Hurricane Arthur
Jul 1 2014 // A tropical depression off the coast of Florida is forecast to grow into Hurricane Arthur and strike North Carolina’s Outer Banks during the Fourth of July holiday. The storm was stationary 95 miles (153 kilometers)...
Tornado Recovery in Nebraska Town Expected to Cost Tens of Millions
Jun 30 2014 // Nebraska officials are still tallying the cost of the tornadoes that destroyed most of the town of Pilger, but it’s expected to climb into the tens of millions. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency will send...
