Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Storm Damages Missouri Country Music Resort Town, Kills 9
Mar 2 2012 // AP Photo: The News-Leader, Dean Curtis A powerful storm system that produced multiple reports of tornadoes and lashed the Midwest early Wednesday roughed up the entertainment resort town of Branson and laid waste to small...
Storm That Hit Branson Was 22-Mile Tornado
Mar 2 2012 // The National Weather Service has confirmed that the heavy damage in the southwestern Missouri town of Branson was caused by a 22-mile-long tornado. The agency’s office in Springfield said an EF2 tornado with maximum...
Storms Blamed for 4 Deaths, Widespread Damage in Midwest
Mar 1 2012 // A powerful storm system that produced multiple reports of tornadoes lashed the Midwest early Wednesday, roughing up the country music resort city of Branson and laying waste to a small town in Kansas. At least four people...
1-5 Percent Of Tsunami Debris Could Reach West Coast
Feb 29 2012 // Tsunamis generated by the magnitude-9 earthquake in Japan last March dragged 3 million to 4 million tons of debris into the ocean after tearing up Japanese harbors and homes. Scientists believe ocean currents are carrying...
California Commissioner Jones Announces Settlement for Earthquake Policyholders
Feb 28 2012 // The California Department of Insurance has settled a noncompliance action against GeoVera Insurance Co. following a 2010 investigation into consumer complaints concerning GeoVera’s underwriting practices. GeoVera...
Light Earthquake Felt in Alaska Communities
Feb 28 2012 // Seismologists say a light earthquake struck Alaska’s east-central region and was felt in several communities. The Alaska Earthquake Information Center says the 4.3 magnitude quake occurred at 2:42 p.m. Sunday about 8...
Oklahoma Panel Rejects Earthquake Insurance Notification Bill
Feb 27 2012 // An Oklahoma state representative said he is disappointed that a legislative panel rejected a bill aimed at informing consumers about earthquake insurance. Oklahoma State Rep. Mike Shelton said the House Insurance Committee...
Forecasters Unsure What to Expect This Tornado Season
Feb 27 2012 // Tornado season is starting, but don’t ask meteorologists how bad it will be this spring and summer. They don’t know. They’re having a hard enough time getting a fix on the likely path of storms expected...
Tornado Chasers Prepare for High Season
Feb 24 2012 // With the month of March looming, United States tornado chasers are already watching the Southeast as a nasty storm brews with the potential to spin off a batch of tornadoes. But if funnel clouds develop Thursday or Friday...
Texas Regulators Looking at Ways to Restructure Windstorm Pool
Feb 23 2012 // Texas insurance regulators are seeking a consultant to explore options for restructuring the insurer of last resort for properties along the Texas coast. The Texas Department of Insurance has issued a request for proposal...
4.0 Earthquake in Missouri Shakes 9 States
Feb 23 2012 // Just days after the 200th anniversary of a series of massive earthquakes in southeast Missouri, residents woke up on Feb. 21 to a rumbling reminder that they live in one of the continent’s most active seismic...
2011 an Exceptional Year for Tornadoes
Feb 23 2012 // While 2011 marked the fourth deadliest year on record for tornadoes in the United States, Texas was spared tornado-related fatalities and recorded fewer-than-average number of such storms. Not so Alabama, which led all...
California Earthquake Authority Kicks off Second Marketing Program for Agents
Feb 21 2012 // The business of selling earthquake insurance to homeowners may have just gotten a bit easier. The California Earthquake Authority has launched its annual “Marketing Value Program,” in which the quasi-private...
U.S. Should Expect Another Above-Normal Tornado Season in 2012
Feb 21 2012 // The U.S. should expect an active severe weather season with above-normal tornadoes in 2012. That’s after a near-record number of tornadoes in 2011, according to forecasters at AccuWeather.com in State College,...
Florida Lawmakers Still Balk at Raising Homeowners’ Premiums for Cat Fund
Feb 21 2012 // State lawmakers have gambled with their constituents’ money for years when it comes to dealing with Florida’s property insurance issues. But now, many top industry analysts suggest, the odds may be turning...
Earthquake Simulator to Be Built at University of Alabama
Feb 21 2012 // There aren’t very many rooms in the world that can successfully reproduce the devastating effects of an earthquake. But come May 1, a laboratory on the University of Alabama campus may be able to do just that. Work...
Q4 Reports: Earnings Continue to Disappoint
Feb 20 2012 // The Hartford Q4 Profit Down 79% Hartford Financial Services Group reported $127 million for its 2011 fourth-quarter net income, down 79 percent from one year ago. Results were dragged down by higher net capital losses and...
Utah Offers New Earthquake Hazard Maps
Feb 20 2012 // Utah is selling new maps that show the shaking intensity of earthquakes for the west half of Salt Lake County. The set of 10 maps also spotlights the risks of landslides, rock falls, floods, radon gas and other hazards in...
Washington Tribe OK’d to Move Out Of Tsunami Zone
Feb 20 2012 // The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that will allow the Quileute tribe to move its school and other buildings out of a tsunami zone on the Washington coast to higher ground in Olympic National Park. The...
AIR Analyzes Increased Japan Risk after Tohoku-Oki Earthquake
Feb 17 2012 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has released a new report – “Understanding Earthquake Risk in Japan Following the Tohoku-Oki Earthquake of March 11, 2011.” The report stresses that the “M9.0...
