Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Louisiana Governor Urging Voluntary Evacuation Along Coast
Aug 27 2012 // With the National Hurricane Center showing Tropical Storm Isaac tracking northwest toward southeast Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal has declared a state of emergency and is encouraging residents of coastal parishes to...
New Jersey Looks Back on Tropical Storm Irene One Year Later
Aug 27 2012 // New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s blunt warning a year ago to “get the hell off the beach!” kicked off what became the costliest natural disaster in the state’s history, causing more than $1 billion...
Update: Isaac Menaces Gulf States; Forces Evacuations, Closings; Serious Flooding Feared
Aug 27 2012 // Tropical Storm Isaac closed in on the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast on Monday, triggering some mandatory evacuation orders and disrupting U.S. offshore oil production as it threatened to make landfall between Florida and...
TS Isaac Drenches Haiti, Cuba; Turns West in Gulf of Mexico: AIR Analysis
Aug 27 2012 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Tropical Storm Isaac made landfall about 40 miles [64 kms] east of Guantanamo, Cuba, on Sunday with sustained winds of 60 mph [96 km/h]. AIR said Isaac’s...
Powerful Typhoon Bolaven Nears Japan’s Okinawa Island
Aug 27 2012 // The strongest typhoon to approach Okinawa in several years was bearing down on the southern Japanese island on Sunday as residents were told to stay indoors and warned its strong gusts could overturn cars and cause waves...
N.Y. Distributed $574M in Post-Hurricane Irene, TS Lee Aid So Far
Aug 24 2012 // New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday marked the upcoming one-year anniversary of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee by issuing a comprehensive report – “NY Responds.” The report says more than...
Tropical Storm Isaac Threatens Haiti; Oil Rigs Shut; Southeast Prepares
Aug 24 2012 // Tropical Storm Isaac strengthened on Friday as it took aim at flood-prone Haiti, but it was not expected to become a hurricane until it barreled into the Gulf of Mexico early next week. On its current path, forecasters...
Typhoon Tembin Approaching Taiwan: AIR Analysis
Aug 24 2012 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Typhoon Tembin, the 14th of the 2012 Pacific season, is “heading slowly for southern Taiwan, and is expected to make landfall in the early morning of Friday,...
Joplin Tornado Spurs Change in Missouri Mutual Insurance Rules
Aug 23 2012 // State regulators say mutual insurance companies that provide property coverage to rural Missourians will be financially stronger because of a new reinsurance requirement. Missouri Department of Insurance reports that a new...
Weak Earthquake Shakes Colorado Mountains
Aug 23 2012 // A weak earthquake has hit the Colorado mountains. The National Earthquake Information Center says the quake Tuesday afternoon registered a preliminary magnitude of 3.3. It was centered north of Basalt and south of...
Tampa, Host of Republican Convention, Prepares for Possible Hurricane Isaac
Aug 23 2012 // Tropical Storm Isaac is posing a potential threat to next week’s Republican National Convention in Florida, which culminates in the nomination of Mitt Romney for president. The U.S. National Hurricane Center on...
Florida Keys’ Citizens Look to Lower Islands’ Risk Profile, Rates
Aug 23 2012 // Frustrated by rising premiums, reduced coverage and a single market, citizens and officials in the Florida Keys are hoping to convince catastrophe modelers, insurers and reinsurers that their islands are not as big a risk...
Fitch Notes Reinsurers More Risk-Focused For More Asian Catastrophes
Aug 23 2012 // Fitch Ratings has issued a statement which points out that the “spate of Asia-Pacific catastrophes in the past two years have prompted reinsurers to take stock of their existing portfolio and re-evaluate their...
Tropical Storm Isaac Strengthening; Floridians, Citrus Growers Begin to Worry
Aug 22 2012 // New York orange juice futures jumped more than 5 percent on Wednesday after U.S. forecasters warned Tropical Storm Isaac would strengthen into a hurricane and could hit the south coast of citrus-rich Florida by Monday. The...
TS Isaac Forms in Atlantic; Strengthening Expected; Could Hit Florida: NHC
Aug 22 2012 // For the past week the National Hurricane Center in Miami has been monitoring a low pressure system that formed off the Cape Verde Islands. Late yesterday it coalesced into a tropical storm, which has been given the name...
Best Upgrades NIPPONKOA’s Ratings to ‘A+’; Affirms Subs
Aug 22 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to ‘A+’ (Superior) from ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) to “aa-” from “a+” of Japan’s...
Texas Wind Pool: $800M Available for Claims Should Storm Hit Coast
Aug 21 2012 // Going into the peak time of the year for hurricane development, Texas’ property insurance company of last resort in coastal areas has around $800 million in available cash to immediately handle claims in the event a...
Texas Windstorm Pool: Fax Problems Due to Provider Connectivity
Aug 21 2012 // Agents who place insurance with Texas’ property insurer of last resort in coastal areas apparently have been having difficulty faxing policy changes to the company. The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association says the...
Lower Catastrophe Losses Boost P/C Insurers’ Earnings in Q2: Moody’s
Aug 21 2012 // U.S. property/casualty insurers reported significantly higher net income in the second quarter of 2012 relative to second-quarter 2011, driven by lower catastrophe losses and increased growth in earned premiums, says...
Historical U.S. Hurricanes: What If They Struck Today?
Aug 21 2012 // There have been 28 storms in U.S. history since 1900 which if they were happen today would each cause $10 billion or more in insured losses. Hurricane Andrew, which struck Florida 20 years ago this week, would be three...
