Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Small Earthquake Shakes Rural Area North Of San Francisco
Feb 14 2012 // A small earthquake has shaken a rural area of Northern California about 90 miles north of San Francisco, but there are no reports of any damages or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-4.4 quake struck...
Earthquake Shakes Switzerland; No Damage Reported
Feb 13 2012 // The Swiss Seismological Service said a moderate earthquake shook Switzerland with the epicenter in the northcentral canton Zug and Lake Zurich area. The Zurich-based service said Sunday that the magnitude-4.2 quake could...
Georgia’s Warm, Dry Weather Could Bring Busy Wildfire Season
Feb 9 2012 // With forecasters predicting an early spring in southeast Georgia, forestry officials are gearing up for what could be an early start to a fire season they fear could be a repeat of 2011. Three large fires torched nearly...
Report: Active 4Q Pushes 2011 Cat Bond Issuance Over $4 Billion
Feb 8 2012 // It was a traditionally active fourth quarter for cat bond issuance stayed in 2011, according to the Insurance-Linked Securities Market Update from Willis Capital Markets & Advisory. The quarter saw nine new non-life...
US House Oks Bill For Tribe’s Move Out Of Tsunami Zone
Feb 8 2012 // The U.S. House approved a bill Monday 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 land transfer...
Despite Uptick in Frequency, January Sees No Major Natural Disaster
Feb 7 2012 // January was a good month in terms of global catastrophes. Yet while there was no single major loss event throughout the month, a series of relatively small aggregated losses impacted insurers and economies worldwide, a new...
Rescuers Dig to Reach People Trapped by Philippines 6.9 Earthquake
Feb 7 2012 // Rescuers dug with picks and shovels trying to reach dozens of people trapped under houses collapsed by a strong earthquake Monday that shook a central Philippine island and set off landslides. At least 13 people were...
8 States to Hold Earthquake Drills Today
Feb 7 2012 // Eight states are expected to take part in an earthquake drill today that will be conducted throughout the central United States on the 200th anniversary of the 1812 New Madrid earthquakes. The event is called the 2012...
Minor Earthquake Shakes North-Central Utah
Feb 6 2012 // Scientists say a minor earthquake has shaken the Utah Valley, but apparently causing no injuries or property damage. The University of Utah Seismograph Stations report the magnitude 3.7 quake occurred around 4:27 a.m....
Global Mining Insurance Market Capacity Down 30% After Losses: Willis
Feb 6 2012 // In 2011, the mining insurance market was not only hit by $2.7 billion in natural catastrophe losses, but over 60 operational losses totaling $835 million. The $3.5 billion total estimate of losses facing mining insurers...
Utah Offers New Earthquake Hazard Maps for Salt Lake County
Feb 3 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...
Alaska Volcano Lava Dome Forms, Alert Level Raised
Feb 2 2012 // The warning level for a remote Alaska volcano has been raised after a new lava dome began forming, indicating the mountain could explode and send up an ash cloud that could threaten aircraft. The Alaska Volcano Observatory...
Markel Reports $52.3M Q4 Income, Down 63% From One Year Ago
Feb 2 2012 // Markel Corporation reported $52.3 million for its 2011 fourth-quarter net income, down 62.8 percent from one year ago when the specialty insurer posted $140.4 million. For the 2011 full-year, Markel posted net income of...
Talk of ‘Tornado Tourism’ Stirs Anger in Joplin, Missouri
Feb 2 2012 // Eight months after a tornado laid waste to much of this city, Joplin, Mo., is wrestling with an emotional question: Should the community market its devastated neighborhoods to tourists? When the convention and visitors...
Haiti, Dominican Republic May Be Entering Big Earthquake Period
Feb 2 2012 // Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic could be in for a period of periodic powerful earthquakes, according to a recent scientific study. The study says Haiti’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake two years ago is likely...
Nuclear Accidents Pose Little Risk to U.S. Health, Say Regulators
Feb 2 2012 // The risk to public health from a severe nuclear power plant accident in the United States is “very small” because reactor operators should have time to prevent core damage and reduce the release of radioactive...
New Tool Helps P/C Insurers Manage Volatility of Catastrophe Models
Feb 1 2012 // A new risk management tool promises to help insurance companies understand wide swings in loss estimates from traditional catastrophe models and better plan for large loss events. Karen Clark & Co. (KCC), founded by a...
Measures Taken To Earthquake-Proof Alaskan Hospital
Jan 31 2012 // For decades, the people who oversaw Fairbanks Memorial Hospital shared a comforting thought about the building—even if a powerful earthquake struck, they were confident it would remain standing. But in the past few...
Maryland High Court Sides With Allstate in Coastal Homeowners Case
Jan 31 2012 // The Maryland Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, ruled in favor of Allstate last week. It upheld a previous lower court’s ruling that the insurer was within its rights to stop writing new homeowners...
Best Revises Chartis, Lexington & Members Outlooks to Stable; Affirms Ratings
Jan 27 2012 // In connection with its revision of its outlook on AIG, A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength ratings of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of Chartis US Insurance...
