Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Typhoon Neoguri Approaches Kyushu: AIR Analysis
Jul 10 2014 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Typhoon Neoguri, the strongest typhoon so far in the 2014 Western Pacific season, is slowly closing in on the west coast of Kyushu, the most southerly of Japan’s...
Report: $100M in Losses from Southern California Quake
Jul 9 2014 // The moderate earthquake that struck Southern California in spring did more damage than people may think – and a bigger quake on that fault could be more devastating than a “big one” on the region’s...
Central Texas Home an Example of the Benefits of Building Stronger
Jul 9 2014 // A home in Burnet County, Texas, that was picked up and carried 100 yards by a tornado last month, was reinforced according to its owner, Trenton Ashworth. The National Weather System reported that the EF-2 tornado that hit...
Typhoon Neoguri Lashes Okinawa; Heads for Kyushu: AIR Report
Jul 9 2014 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Typhoon Neoguri made its closest approach to Japan’s southern Okinawa islands last night, lashing the islands with torrential rain and strong winds. The storm...
Cat Bonds Totaling $4.5 Billion Issued in Q2 2014: Aon Benfield ILS Study
Jul 9 2014 // Aon Benfield Securities, the investment banking division of global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor Aon Benfield in its latest report on the insurance-linked securities (ILS) sector, reveals that 12 catastrophe...
Firefighters Gaining Upper Hand on California Wildfire
Jul 8 2014 // Nearly 2,000 firefighters are getting the upper hand on a wildfire in rugged and steep terrain in rural Northern California. Fire officials say the Monticello Fire near Lake Berryessa in Yolo County was 55 percent as of...
Guy Carpenter Says Reinsurance Prices Squeezed by Oversupply
Jul 8 2014 // Reinsurance prices declined on policies renewed for July 1 amid low losses and as record levels of catastrophe bonds drove an oversupply of capital, according to Guy Carpenter & Co. LLC. There were “price...
Typhoon Neoguri to Skirt Okinawa; Nears Kyushu Landfall: AIR Analysis
Jul 8 2014 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, at about 6:30 am local time today, Typhoon Neoguri—the strongest typhoon to date in 2014—is “roaring toward Japan with sustained winds of 180 km/hr [112 mph]...
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...
