Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S., Global Natural Disasters Exact Heavy Toll in May
Jun 17 2013 // Severe weather in May caused an estimated $4 billion in insured damage in the U.S. alone and billions more in economic losses around the globe, according to an Aon Benfield report. The Global Catastrophe Recap by Aon...
Midwest Pelted With Rain, Wind, Hail, Tornadoes
Jun 14 2013 // A massive line of storms packing hail, lightning and tree-toppling winds rolled through the Midwest on June 12 in the evening, driving people into basements for shelter, tearing down power lines and causing flooding in...
Colorado Wildfire Destroys At Least 360 Homes
Jun 13 2013 // A wildfire in Colorado has destroyed at least 360 homes, topping last year’s record-setting Waldo Canyon Fire in a nearby wooded area that destroyed 346 homes. The tally of lost homes was a dramatic increase from a...
Colorado Wildfire Destroys 92 Homes
Jun 13 2013 // Sheriff’s officials released a preliminary list Wednesday showing the Black Forest Fire northeast of Colorado Springs, Colo. has destroyed at least 92 homes and damaged five more. The fire was among several that...
Best Affirms RenaissanceRe; Top Layer Re Ratings; Outlooks Stable
Jun 13 2013 // RenRe and Affiliates A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of Renaissance Reinsurance Ltd. (RenRe) and...
Airmic, Willis Terrorism Review Explores Global Insurance Schemes
Jun 12 2013 // “Several of the world’s long-established terrorism insurance schemes were set up to deal with a different terrorism threat than is predominant today,” according to a new technical guide produced by...
Claims from Late May Oklahoma Tornadoes Top 60K
Jun 11 2013 // Insurance claims filed in Oklahoma following the tornado outbreak at the end of May have jumped to 60,308 with insurance payments reaching $470,323,299, the top state insurance regulator reported. “These numbers are...
Washington Files Suit To Recoup Wildfire Costs
Jun 11 2013 // Washington state has filed suit against two companies to try to recover firefighting costs from a blaze that destroyed 61 homes and blackened 36 square miles last year. A state investigation into the cause of the Taylor...
Can Missouri Schools Withstand a Severe Storm?
Jun 11 2013 // Buildings in the St. Joseph, Mo., School District can withstand winds up to 90 mph. None are prepared to withstand the likes of an EF5 tornado, with winds of more than 200 mph, which devastated parts of Oklahoma City and...
Early Tornado Season in North Dakota Prompts Safety Warnings
Jun 11 2013 // Western North Dakota has already had three tornadoes in June, and a meteorologist warns that severe weather might be the norm this summer. Patrick Ayd of the National Weather Service tells the Forum News Service that last...
Post-Tornado, Looters Come from Afar to Oklahoma
Jun 11 2013 // Authorities say looters have come from as far away as New York and Virginia to steal from victims of last month’s tornado in Moore, Okla. The Oklahoman reports that police arrested one man from Elmhurst, N.Y., and...
Oklahoma Insurance Department Employees Lauded for Tornado Response
Jun 11 2013 // Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb on June 10 recognized the efforts of Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) employees in the aftermath of the deadly tornado outbreak that impacted central Oklahoma in May. “You guys have...
Alabama Changes School Construction After Storms
Jun 11 2013 // The large amount of rebar and concrete on the construction site at Hatton High is not there by accident. Instead, it represents a change in how schools are constructed in Alabama. Three years after eight students died when...
Geneva Association’s Fitzpatrick on Systemic Risks, Nat Cats, ILS, Cyber Risks
Jun 11 2013 // When the Geneva Association’s presentation on how and why governments and re/insurers need to work more closely adjourned, we were able to talk to the organization’s Secretary General, John Fitzpatrick, a...
Officials: Oklahoma Tornado Damaged Vehicles Must Be Moved
Jun 10 2013 // Officials in Moore say vehicles that have been abandoned since being damaged by the May 20 killer tornado that struck the Oklahoma City suburb must be moved by June 12 or they will be impounded. An estimated 300 vehicles...
Clinton to Honor Kentucky Tornado-Ravaged Town’s Rebuilding Effort
Jun 10 2013 // A rebuilding effort in an eastern Kentucky town devastated last year by tornadoes is getting some national recognition. WYMT-TV reported that former President Bill Clinton’s Clinton Global Initiative will recognize...
Oklahoma Death Toll at 20 After Tornado, Floods
Jun 7 2013 // Oklahoma medical examiner’s office says eight of the 20 people killed during the tornadoes on May 31 and subsequent flooding either drowned or probably drowned. The agency said that one person died of asphyxiation...
U.S. Insurers Financially Prepared for Hurricanes in 2013: Fitch
Jun 7 2013 // There is sufficient capacity available in insurance and reinsurance markets to provide sufficient coverage and withstand potential losses from hurricane related perils this storm season, according to Fitch Ratings’...
Tropical Storm Andrea Weakens Over Florida After Fueling Tornadoes
Jun 6 2013 // Tropical Storm Andrea lost strength as it passed over northern Florida on Thursday evening and is forecast to drench much of the U.S. Southeast with heavy rain as it cuts across Georgia and swing up the Atlantic Coast, the...
Deadly Oklahoma Tornado Widest on Record, Rare EF5
Jun 6 2013 // The deadly tornado that struck near Oklahoma City late last week had a record-breaking width of 2.6 miles and was the second top-of-the-scale EF5 twister to hit the area in less than two weeks, the National Weather Service...
