Latest Catastrophe Headlines

All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Habitat to Build Homes for Tornado Victims

Jun 18 2012 // Habitat for Humanity is planning to build nine houses in Indiana for residents displaced by tornadoes. Madison’s local planning commission recommended that the city council rezone 1.25 acres of former city property...

Tornadoes Sweep Through Va., Penn. Counties

Jun 18 2012 // Tornadoes swept through several counties in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland earlier this month, knocking down trees and power lines and damaging dozens of structures and homes, according to The Associated Press....

Deductible Reminder

Jun 18 2012 // Eighteen coastal states permit insurers to use hurricane deductibles in their homeowners policies. But the Insurance Information Institute is concerned insureds may not see them even though they are clearly listed on their...

NYC Faces Greatest Financial Risk From Storms: CoreLogic

Jun 18 2012 // When people think of hurricane damage they usually think of Miami or New Orleans, but a new report suggests the greatest financial risk of all may be much farther north: the greater New York City area. Data analysis firm...

Researchers Seeks Details of Georgia’s Hurricane History

Jun 18 2012 // Before Georgia began its current streak of 114 years without a major hurricane, the state’s coastline was a fairly frequent target in the 1800s. At least six big storms, some of them responsible for violent death...

Atlantic Storm Forecast Raised

Jun 18 2012 // Colorado State University researchers have raised their forecast for the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season to 13 tropical storms, with five hurricanes and two major hurricanes. In April they forecast 10 tropical storms, with...

Florida Court OK with Insurer Not Following Hurricane Deductible Notice to a ‘T’

Jun 18 2012 // The failure to strictly follow the requirements for providing policyholders with information about their hurricane deductible does not mean the deductible is unenforceable, Florida’s high court has ruled. The Florida...

Federal Grants Available in July for Vt. Towns Hurt by Hurricane Irene

Jun 15 2012 // Some federal funds are due out this summer for Vermont towns hurt by Tropical Storm Irene.This photo, taken on Sept. 12, 2011, shows debris from destroyed homes after Irene passed through Pittsfield, Vt.. Photo: FEMARay...

PERILS Updates Loss Estimates from Windstorm Joachim

Jun 15 2012 // Swiss based insurance advisor PERILS has issued an updated loss report for windstorm Joachim, which occurred from December 15 to 17, 2011 in Western Europe. PERILS’ third property market loss announcement estimates...

Major Michigan Wildfire Contained After 3 Weeks

Jun 14 2012 // Officials say a major wildfire in the Upper Peninsula area of Michigan that started about three weeks ago has been fully contained. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources on Wednesday issued the update about the Duck...

Rare Tornado Confirmed Last Week In Michigan’s UP

Jun 14 2012 // The National Weather Service has confirmed that a rare tornado touched down last week in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. WLUC-TV and The Mining Journal of Marquette report the weak tornado touched down Friday in...

West Drought Conditions Make For ‘Tragically Historic’ Wildfire Season

Jun 13 2012 // In what could be shaping up to be one of the worst wildfire seasons in recent memory, insurers are scrambling to deal with the aftermath of several massive wildfires in the region – and they’re preparing people for...

Insurance Associations: West Wildfire Season Could Be Among Worst

Jun 12 2012 // As the fire season begins in the West insurance professionals who’ve been around for a while are calling this potentially one of the worst in recent memory. The season is shaping up to be “one of the most...

Climate Change Will Alter Risks of Wildfire Worldwide: Study

Jun 12 2012 // Climate change is widely expected to disrupt future fire patterns around the world, with some regions, such as the western United States, seeing more frequent fires within the next 30 years, according to climate scientists...

Texas Windstorm Insurance Technical Advisory Group Members Named

Jun 11 2012 // Texas top insurance regulator has named eight industry professionals to participate in an advisory group to work on issues related to windstorm insurance along the state’s coast. The Texas Department of Insurance...

UW Offers Website to Reduce Wildfire Risks

Jun 11 2012 // The University of Wyoming has established a website that provides ways for landowners to reduce wildfire risks to houses, cabins and outbuildings. The website address is BarnYardsAndBackyards.com. The website is part of...

Colorado Wildfire Nearly Doubles Overnight

Jun 11 2012 // A wildfire in northern Colorado that has forced the evacuation of thousands nearly doubled in size overnight from 20,000 acres to 36,930 acres, authorizes said Monday. The Red Cross, Humane Society and other aid groups...

Habitat to Build Homes for Indiana Tornado Victims

Jun 8 2012 // Habitat for Humanity is planning to build nine houses in Madison for southern Indiana residents displaced by tornadoes. Madison’s local planning commission recommended that the city council rezone 1.25 acres of...

N.J.’s Insurance Regulator Offers Tips on Preparing for Hurricanes

Jun 8 2012 // As the 2012 hurricane season begins, New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Acting Commissioner Ken Kobylowski is encouraging state residents — particularly those who live in coastal areas — to make...

Aon Benfield May Cat Report Highlights Italian Quakes; $6 Billion Econ. Loss

Jun 8 2012 // Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon plc, has released its latest edition of its Global Catastrophe Recap report, which reviews the natural disaster perils that occurred worldwide...