Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Kentucky Orders Halt to Insurance Cancellations in Tornado-Stricken Areas
Mar 16 2012 // Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has signed an executive order prohibiting insurance companies from canceling policies or changing rates in counties hit by deadly tornadoes. Beshear’s staffers said it was the first time...
Insurance Exec Blasts Florida Inaction on Hurricane Fund, Citizens
Mar 16 2012 // Florida lawmakers have put taxpayers at risk by not reforming the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund or Citizen’s Property Insurance Corp. in advance of the 2012 hurricane season, an insurance executive has...
Pilot Project in Kansas, Missouri, Seeks Better Storm Warnings
Mar 15 2012 // When weather radios start sounding warnings in the Wichita, Kan., area this spring, the computerized voice nicknamed Chance Storms won’t just alert listeners to severe thunderstorms or tornado warnings. He’ll...
PERILS Lowers Loss Estimates from Windstorm Joachim to $377 Million
Mar 15 2012 // PERILS, Europe’s catastrophe data provider, has updated its loss report for windstorm Joachim, which occurred from December 15 to 17, 2011 in Western Europe. The second published loss estimate for Joachim is €289...
Catastrophe Frequency, Tornadoes Test Insurers in U.S.: A.M. Best
Mar 15 2012 // According to A.M. Best Co., the frequency of catastrophe weather events represents the “new normal” for the insurance industry. “The insurance industry continues to be tested as catastrophic weather...
Illinois Officials Dispute FEMA Denial of Tornado Aid
Mar 14 2012 // Looking at the destruction in his southern Illinois town, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Gregg couldn’t understand why federal officials turned down a plea to financially help local homeowners. Nearly a hundred homes are now...
Chief: California Wildfires May Signal Busy Season
Mar 14 2012 // Forest fire authorities say a series of a dozen small wildfires over the past two months may herald an active fire season this summer on the California coast. Anthony Escobar, Los Padres National Forest fire chief, said...
Magnitude-3.1 Earthquake Off Oregon Coast
Mar 13 2012 // Seismologists say they’ve detected a magnitude-3.1 earthquake off the Oregon coast. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake occurred at 4:37 a.m. with an epicenter 27 miles west of Newport. There were no...
Branson Officials Mostly Pleased with Tornado Response
Mar 12 2012 // Branson, Mo., city officials said they were mostly happy with the emergency response to a tornado that hit the tourist city in February. City officials met on March 8 to assess the response and tally damage. Police Chief...
ICA Declares Flood Zone Catastrophe; Economic Losses May Top $1.5 Billion
Mar 12 2012 // The Insurance Council of Australia has declared widespread areas of New South Wales and Victoria a formal catastrophe zone. The ICA said the declaration covers the NSW Riverina, NSW Central West and northern Victoria,...
Japan Marks One Year Since Earthquake – Tsunami Disaster
Mar 12 2012 // People across Japan prayed and stood in silence on Sunday to remember the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck the nation one year ago, killing just over 19,000 people and unleashing the world’s worst nuclear...
Geneva Association Report: 2011 an ‘Annus Horribilis’ for Insurance Industry
Mar 9 2012 // The latest report from the Geneva Association , No. 5 in the current series – Extreme events and insurance: 2011 annus horribilis -, describes the global impact of the major 2011 natural catastrophes, and analyzes...
Central Texas Wildfire Victims Benefit from $4M in Donations
Mar 8 2012 // Parts of Central Texas devastated by wildfires last year have benefited from more than $4 million in private donations and the help of volunteers who are rebuilding homes. The Austin American-Statesman reports that in...
Liberty Mutual Posts $284M Q4 Income; $365M Profit for Full Year
Mar 7 2012 // Liberty Mutual Group reported $284 million in net profit for 2011 fourth quarter — down 50.7 percent compared to the same period one year ago. The insurer said the quarterly operating results were hurt especially by...
7-Day Advance Hurricane Forecasts Not Far Away, Says Storm Center Chief
Mar 7 2012 // National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read said that science will improve to the point where forecasters can reliably issue forecasts showing where a hurricane will be a week ahead of time. “We’re two to five...
NWS: Warning System No Match for Fast-Forming Tornado
Mar 6 2012 // Meterologists in the Topeka, Kan., bureau of the National Weather Service say the tornado that hit Harveyville on Feb. 28 formed too quickly to have time to issue a warning. The EF2 tornado killed one person, injured 11...
FEMA Begins Survey of Illinois Tornado Damage
Mar 6 2012 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency on March 5 began surveying the damage from tornadoes and other severe weather that roiled southern Illinois last week, starting in the small town of Harrisburg, where six people were...
Polak Named Texas Windstorm Insurance Association General Manager
Mar 6 2012 // John PolakJohn Polak has been named general manager of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA). Since April 2011, Polak served as interim general manager for the association. Polak has more than 39 years of...
Insurance Claims from Recent Tornadoes May Top $1B
Mar 5 2012 // March came in like a very large and powerful lion, spawning severe weather across the Midwest, interior south and southeast United States. Insured losses from the tornadoes, hail and high winds that struck in late February...
Illinois Church That Gave Hurricane Aid in ’05, Now Gets Tornado Aid
Mar 5 2012 // Four pickup-and-trailer loads of goods brought over the weekend to tornado-stricken Harrisburg, Ill., are just a partial return for help after Hurricane Rita in 2005, say residents of Lake Arthur, a town of 2,700 in...
