Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Four Northeastern States Get New Federal Emergency Aid From HUD
Jan 23 2012 // New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and New Jersey are among the eight states nationwide that will share in $400 million in new federal emergency aid announced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development last...
U.S. Nuclear Plants Need Better Safety Against Earthquakes, Floods: Panel
Jan 23 2012 // An expert task force convened by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission called Japan’s nuclear disaster “unacceptable” and concluded that nuclear power plants in the U.S. need better protections for rare,...
Texas Ranks Low in Study of Statewide Building Codes
Jan 23 2012 // Neighboring Louisiana Fares Better That Texas was ranked among the bottom three states in a recently released analysis of residential building codes in the 18 hurricane-prone coastal states does not sit well with the...
Despite Heavy Catastrophe Losses, Top 25 P/C Insurers Report Premium Growth, Net Income Through Third-Quarter 2011
Jan 23 2012 // Amid the continued difficult economic conditions, a heightened frequency of catastrophic events in 2011 has resulted in nearly $40 billion of losses to insurers. The losses associated with these catastrophes have been...
Texas Tornadoes Hit Homes, Mall
Jan 23 2012 // Forecasters say two tornados hit the Houston area during early January thunderstorms that flooded roads and knocked out power. The National Weather Service said a tornado with 95 mph winds touched down on Jan. 9 in Mission...
Texas Ranks Low in Study of Building Codes; Louisiana Fares Better
Jan 20 2012 // That Texas ranked among the bottom three states in a recently released analysis of residential building codes in the 18 hurricane-prone coastal states does not sit well with the state’s insurance regulators. In the...
Indiana City Getting New Earthquake Risk Maps
Jan 19 2012 // Government officials and Evansville residents soon will have access to a new set of maps detailing areas at greatest risk of damage from strong earthquakes that periodically shake southwestern Indiana. The maps will be...
AXIS Estimates Thai Flood Losses at $48 Million; Updates 2011 Loss Estimates
Jan 18 2012 // Bermuda-based AXIS Capital Holdings Limited announced that the net financial impact of the severe flooding in Thailand on the Company’s fourth quarter results is expected to be $48 million – net of reinsurance,...
Report: Joplin Might Not Have Debt From Tornado
Jan 18 2012 // A new report says the city of Joplin, Mo., might not end up with any debt related to the May 22, 2011, tornado. The report from the city finance director estimated that costs to the city, including damage to city property,...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Names New Controller and VP of Claims
Jan 18 2012 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) recently named Pete Gise as controller and David Williams as vice president of claims. As controller, Gise manages financial reporting, accounts receivable processing and...
Swiss Re Report Examines Insurance Role in Earthquake Disasters
Jan 17 2012 // Swiss Re’s new report – “Lessons from recent major earthquakes,” focuses on the most recent series of devastating quakes, which have caused extensive loss of life and injuries, along with widespread...
Report Suggests Arizona Wildfire Was Accident
Jan 17 2012 // A government report suggests that someone working for a proposed silver mine accidentally started a wildfire last year in the Patagonia Mountains. The Arizona Daily Star reports that the report by the U.S. Forest Service...
National Hurricane Center Chief Reed to Retire
Jan 17 2012 // National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read, who took over the forecasting agency during a time of turmoil and leaves it much calmer, announced Saturday he will retire effective June 1. Read, 62, said he never intended to...
Report: Louisiana Homeowners Insurance Rates Rising More Slowly
Jan 16 2012 // Homeowners insurance premiums in Louisiana remain among the nation’s highest, but are rising much more slowly than they did in the first two years after Hurricane Katrina, new data from by the National Association of...
Alabama Man Tracks Earthquakes from Basement
Jan 16 2012 // Down in the basement of Steve Jones’ southeast Huntsville home, just past the electrical workshop, is a door into an unfinished sub-basement. Here, on a concrete base on a rock outcropping, sits Jones’ latest...
North Carolina Farmers Hurt by Hurricane Irene Eligible for Federal Help
Jan 13 2012 // North Carolina farmers hurt by Hurricane Irene last August and by tornadoes in April can now get more help from the federal government with more loan options and payments to recover from crop losses. State officials...
2012 Off to Bad Weather Start for P/C Insurers
Jan 13 2012 // A tree lays in a yard after a possible tornado roared through Icard, N.C,. on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012.Damaging hailstorms in Australia. Unprecedented tornadoes in the southeastern United States. Constant windstorms in...
2 Tornados Confirmed in Houston Area From Storms
Jan 12 2012 // Forecasters say two tornados hit the Houston area during recent thunderstorms that flooded roads and knocked out power. The National Weather Service said a tornado with 95 mph winds touched down on Jan. 9 in Mission Bend,...
Australia’s QBE Slashes 2011 Forecast; Shares Dive
Jan 12 2012 // Australia’s QBE Insurance Group said on Thursday its 2011 net profit would fall by as much as 50 percent after record catastrophe claims and it would cut its final dividend, sending its shares down as much as a...
Property Damage Prompts Search for Signs of Houston-Area Tornadoes
Jan 11 2012 // National Weather Service teams are surveying parts of the Houston area to determine if tornadoes are responsible for damage to homes and a suburban shopping mall. Some roads flooded and nearly 20,000 Houston-area residents...
