Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida City Doubles in Size Since Hurricane Andrew
May 30 2012 // The havoc wreaked by Hurricane Andrew in Homestead, Florida two decades ago still serves as a warning about the devastation even a slow tropical storm season can bring. Homestead was ground zero when Andrew plowed ashore...
Another Earthquake Strikes Northern Italy
May 29 2012 // On Tuesday, May 29 a Mw5.8 (moment magnitude) earthquake struck the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, a little more than a week after a Mw6.0 earthquake struck the region on Sunday, May 20. According to the U.S....
Researchers to Fill Gaps in Georgia Hurricane History
May 29 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...
Arizona Towns At Risk As Wildfires Hit Southwest
May 25 2012 // An Arizona wildfire threatened two more towns on Friday, with high winds on the way, as firefighters made progress against the largest of several fires spreading across the U.S. Southwest. More than 1,000 firefighters in...
Virginia’s Sales-Tax Holiday on Hurricane-Prep Items Begins Today
May 25 2012 // Virginia residents can prepare for the upcoming hurricane season and save money at the same time. The Virginia Department of Taxation says the state’s sales-tax holiday on emergency items such as batteries,...
Hurricane Bud Moving to Mexico’s Coast
May 25 2012 // A tropical storm warning has been issued for the west coast of Mexico as Hurricane Bud gains strength in the Pacific. The warning was in effect early Thursday for Mexico’s Pacific coast from Punto Telmo to Cabo...
U.S. Insurers Have Capacity to Provide 2012 Hurricane Coverage: Fitch
May 25 2012 // Sufficient capacity remains available in the insurance and reinsurance markets to meet the demand for coverage prior to the approaching U.S. hurricane season, according to Fitch Ratings. Early forecasts for the 2012 U.S....
NOAA Forecasts ‘Near Normal’ 4 to 8 Atlantic Hurricanes in 2012
May 25 2012 // The 2012 Atlantic hurricane season will be “near normal” with nine to 15 tropical storms and four to eight of those will strengthen into hurricanes, the U.S. government weather agency predicted on Thursday. One...
R.I. Enacts New Law to Assist Homeowners With Hurricane-Related Claims
May 24 2012 // Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee on Tuesday signed into law legislation designed to provide additional protection to homeowners when they suffer damages from hurricanes. The legislation (House bill 2012-H7484A and Senate...
Insurers Paid $200M to Victims of June 1, 2011 Massachusetts Tornadoes
May 23 2012 // Massachusetts officials said that insurers so far paid out $200 million in claims related to devastating tornadoes in western and central Massachusetts that occurred on June 1, 2011. The Massachusetts Insurance Division...
After Joplin Tornado, Town Looked Like a War Zone, Adjusters Say
May 22 2012 // “One of the eeriest things was … the lack of noise. There were no birds. There was no sound. There was no vegetation. There was nothing. There were no dogs. There were no cars. It was just mounds of rubble,”...
Colorado Wildfire 87 Percent Contained
May 21 2012 // Firefighters in Colorado are working to finish containment lines around a blaze that has burned 12 square miles. The fire in the northern part of the state was 87 percent contained Monday and managers expect it to fully...
Season’s First Tropical Storm Forms Off Carolina Coast
May 21 2012 // Tropical Storm Alberto emerged off South Carolina’s coastline Sunday, the first storm of its kind to form in a hurricane season that doesn’t officially begin until June 1. The storm was not expected to approach...
Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake Strikes Italy’s Emilia Romagna Region: AIR Analysis
May 21 2012 // AIR Worldwide has released its preliminary analysis of the earthquake which struck the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy in the early hours on Sunday, May 20. The US Geological Survey issued a “moment magnitude...
Weather Channel’s Knabb Named Chief of National Hurricane Center
May 21 2012 // Richard Knabb, the tropical weather expert at The Weather Channel, will be the next chief of the U.S. government’s hurricane forecasting hub in Florida, federal officials said Friday. The promotion to director of the...
Records: Joplin Twister Was Costliest Since 1950
May 21 2012 // The cost of 30 manhole covers that got sucked away: $5,800. A new concession stand at the destroyed high school: $228,600. Shelter and care for more than 1,300 homeless pets: $372,000. The tornado that tore through Joplin...
Joplin, Missouri: One Year Later
May 21 2012 // After the Tornado, Town Looked Like a War Zone, Adjusters Say “One of the eeriest things was … the lack of noise. There were no birds. There was no sound. There was no vegetation. There was nothing. There were...
Q1 Earnings: AIG, Liberty Mutual Profits Soar
May 21 2012 // AIG Profit More Than Doubles American International Group Inc. reported $3.21 billion net income for its 2012 first quarter, a 147 percent increase from $1.30 billion net income posted during the same period one year...
Let the Games Begin
May 21 2012 // Insurance Coverage for the 2012 Olympic Games Is a Herculean Task Before the 2012 Olympic Games open in London on July 27, the city will already have experienced an unprecedented round of preparations, notably the...
Major League Baseball to Help Tornado Victims
May 21 2012 // Major League Baseball and a charitable foundation run by players are working with Habitat for Humanity to build five homes in Joplin, Mo. State Farm Insurance Co. is providing more than half of the funding. Crews will work...
