Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Report: Wildfires Pose Risk to Three Quarter-Million Western U.S. Homes
Sep 24 2012 // More than three-quarters of a million homes in the Western U.S. have a high risk of wildfire damage, according to a report released by Santa Ana, Calif.-based CoreLogic. CoreLogic’s Wildfire Hazard Risk Report...
Chartis Private Client Group Expands, Enhances Wildfire Protection Unit
Sep 21 2012 // Chartis has enhanced its Private Client Group’s Wildfire Protection Unit with geographic expansion and improved monitoring technologies. The unit now is available to clients in additional areas of Colorado. The...
Report Points to Insurance Industry’s Vulnerability to Climate Change
Sep 20 2012 // A report out Thursday urges the insurance industry to act to protect itself and the community against the increasing frequency of extreme weather due to climate change. In short, the report, its authors and those endorsing...
Oklahoma Prosecutor: Charges Expected In Creek Co. Wildfire
Sep 20 2012 // An assistant Creek County, Oklahoma, district attorney says charges are expected soon in connection with an August wildfire that burned about 90 square miles. Mike Loeffler told the Tulsa World that he expects charges this...
Study: More Than 2 Million California Homes Exposed To High Wildfire Danger
Sep 19 2012 // More than 2 million homes in California face “extreme wildfire hazards,” over 400,000 of which are in Los Angeles County, according to a study issued Wednesday by an insurance industry group. A study by the...
Hurricane Isaac Washed Away Alabama’s Sand Island
Sep 18 2012 // Sand Island along the Alabama coast has disappeared beneath the waves. The Sand Island Lighthouse is still standing alone in the water. But the island that was rebuilt by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers last year got...
Typhoon Sanba Makes Landfall in South Korea: AIR Analysis
Sep 18 2012 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Typhoon Sanba made landfall on September 17 just before noon local time (3:00 UTC) in South Gyeongsang Province on the southern coast of South Korea. Maximum sustained...
Capital Markets: A Threat or a Complement for Reinsurers?
Sep 18 2012 // Investments from the capital markets in various forms now provide around 14 percent of the total capital dedicated to providing reinsurance – approximately $35 billion [$17 billion in cat bonds] out of $250 billion. The...
Cat Models – More Accurate, More Sophisticated and More Useful
Sep 17 2012 // Catastrophe models have become such an indispensable tool for re/insurers, particularly those who write P&C catastrophe coverage, that it’s hard to believe the service is only 25 years old. It was launched in...
Isaac Losses Won’t Strongly Impact P/C Industry in Louisiana
Sep 14 2012 // While insured losses in the United States from Hurricane Isaac likely will fall between $1 billion and $2 billion, according to some risk management experts, the storm’s impact will not severely impact the...
2012 Hurricane Season at Halfway Point
Sep 14 2012 // Thus far, the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season that is about at its midpoint has seen 14 tropical storms, with seven strengthening to hurricane status. According to catastrophe modeling firm Risk Management Solutions (RMS),...
Hurricane Isaac Insured Losses to Reach $1-$2 Billion: RMS
Sep 14 2012 // U.S. insured losses from Hurricane Issac’s wind and surge impacts on the U.S. Gulf Coast will fall between USD$1−2 billion, excluding rainfall driven flood losses and all National Flood Insurance Program losses,...
Utility Hit With Lawsuit Over Utah Wildfire
Sep 13 2012 // Nearly 100 property owners are suing Rocky Mountain Power and blaming the utility for one of Utah’s largest wildfires this year. The Wood Hollow Fire destroyed 52 cabins or houses in central Utah and left one man...
Alaska To Get $1 Million For Tsunami Cleanup
Sep 12 2012 // Japan is providing money for cleanup of debris from that country’s tsunami last year. KTUU-TV reported that Alaska will receive $1 million from Japan. The money is part of a $6 million appropriation for the task to...
New York City Cleans Up From 2 Twisters After Eastern Storms
Sep 10 2012 // Two tornadoes struck the outer edges of New York City this past Saturday, hurling debris into the air and knocking out power in an area unaccustomed to the phenomenon. No serious injuries were reported when a twister hit a...
Tropical Storm Leslie Brushes Bermuda, Heads Northeast to Newfoundland
Sep 10 2012 // The core of Tropical Storm Leslie passed 120 miles (200 km) east of Bermuda, bringing sustained winds of 39 mph (and gusts of up to 54 mph) and heavy rains to the island on Sunday, Sept 9. Leslie is currently accelerating...
Survivors of Earthquakes in Southwest China Await Relief
Sep 10 2012 // Survivors of a series of earthquakes that killed 81 people and injured more than 800 in a mountainous area of southwestern China were desperately waiting for more aid to arrive Sunday as jolting aftershocks kept fears high...
Report: Wildfires Pose Risk to Three-Quarter-Million Western U.S. Homes
Sep 10 2012 // More than three-quarters of a million homes in the Western U.S. have a high risk of wildfire damage, according to a report released by Santa Ana, Calif.-based CoreLogic. CoreLogic’s Wildfire Hazard Risk Report...
Reinsurance Rendezvous Focuses on Euro Zone, Interest Rates, Capital
Sep 10 2012 // For once there’s no natural catastrophe hanging over the annual Reinsurance Rendezvous in Monte Carlo (the 56th edition). Tropical storm Leslie missed Bermuda and Hurricane Michael is safely out in the Atlantic. But...
Hurricane Ike Claims Still Being Filed Four Years Later
Sep 10 2012 // Nearly four years after Hurricane Ike made landfall near Galveston Island, coastal residents are still filing claims and hundreds of lawsuits. Most of the legal activity is aimed at the Texas Windstorm Insurance...
