Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Weather Service Documents 10 Tornadoes in Alabama
Jan 27 2012 // The National Weather Service has now documented paths of destruction from at least 10 tornadoes in the outbreak of storms across central Alabama early Monday. Recently completed surveys show that tornadoes struck in Perry...
Severe Storms Drench Texas, at Least 3 Tornadoes Reported
Jan 26 2012 // Buckets of rain and powerful winds that likely spawned several tornadoes swept across Texas on Jan. 25, forcing drivers to abandon cars on flooded roads but not dropping enough water to make up for a historic dry...
S&P: Excess Capital, Strong ERM Give Reinsurers 2011 Cat Loss Cushion
Jan 26 2012 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it is “maintaining its stable outlook on the global reinsurance sector despite the near-record level of catastrophe losses in 2011,” as it...
Companies Partner on Smaller Earthquake Insurance Risks
Jan 26 2012 // Insurance Company of the West (ICW) and WKFC Underwriting Managers have announced a continued expansion of the relationship between the firms for commercial earthquake insurance. The partnership between ICW Group and WKFC...
Everest Re Estimates Q4 Total Catastrophe Losses at $245 Million
Jan 25 2012 // The Bermuda-based Everest Re Group announced that it expects to incur net catastrophe losses of approximately $245 million, after reinstatement premiums and taxes, for the quarter. “This loss provision includes an...
Study: Major Earthquake Could Hit Tokyo Within Years
Jan 25 2012 // A new study is warning that the Tokyo region has a 70 percent chance of being hit directly by a powerful magnitude-7 earthquake within four years. The study by University of Tokyo seismologists bases the estimate on an...
January P/C Reinsurance Renewals Flat or Up Slightly: Towers Watson
Jan 25 2012 // January 1 renewal rates for U.S. property/casualty reinsurance premiums showed firming with changes from -5 percent to +5 percent on an overall basis, with loss-affected property catastrophe business up considerably...
Hailstorms, Heat and Wildfires Made 2011 a Rough Year in Texas
Jan 24 2012 // With weather forecasters issuing severe weather alerts for Texas as a slow moving cold front rolls across the state, many Texans may be reminded of the natural forces in 2011 that destroyed lives and property in all...
Alabama Rescuers Search Homes for Tornado Survivors
Jan 24 2012 // Searchers in the Birmingham area were going from house-to-house early Monday in an effort to rescue people trapped in their homes after storms moved across the Midwest and South, prompting tornado warnings in a handful of...
Alabama Tornado Recovery Report Delayed
Jan 24 2012 // The severe weather prompted Alabama Governor Robert Bentley to cancel a meeting this week where he was supposed to receive a study from a group of community and corporate leaders that studied Alabama’s response to...
Reno Wildfire That Destroyed 29 Homes Contained
Jan 23 2012 // The wildfire that destroyed 29 homes near Reno is contained. Thousands of evacuees are back home. And the family of the woman found dead says there’s no point in prosecuting the remorseful man who accidentally...
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,...
