Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
State Farm: Weather Claims Reach $5 Billion
Oct 3 2011 // State Farm Insurance has paid $5 billion to its customers for weather-related catastrophes — damage to cars, homes and other property so far this year — the company said. That payout has been increased by wildfires,...
People
Oct 3 2011 // State Auto Insurance’s previously announced Austin, Texas, claims facility is now operational, the company reported. The following individuals serve on the claims team at the Austin facility: Sandra Robinson, claims...
State Farm: Weather Claims Reach $5 Billion
Oct 3 2011 // State Farm Insurance has paid $5 billion to its customers for weather-related catastrophes — damage to cars, homes and other property so far this year — the company said. That payout has been increased by wildfires,...
Tornadoes Offer Lessons in Disaster Response and Planning
Oct 3 2011 // In a year marked by a high number of severe and devastating natural catastrophes, one thing is evident – while rare, some situations are not survivable. For instance, if people or structures happen to be located...
Florida in Danger, Warns Hurricane Fund Chief
Oct 3 2011 // Florida’s hurricane fund chief is warning that the state-created fund used to help insurers pay off claims after a big storm is in danger. The state has relied on a hurricane fund ever since Hurricane Andrew...
Safe as Houses?
Oct 3 2011 // Safe as houses. That’s an expression I’ve never quite understood. In light of the catastrophic events of 2011, the phrase is especially confusing. How safe are houses – from wildfires, hurricanes,...
California Earthquake Authority Inks Risk Deal Sans Reinsurance
Sep 30 2011 // The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) has completed what it called a “first-of-its-kind transaction,” taking reinsurance out of the equation and opening “a more direct path” to transfer...
Agriculture Losses from Texas Wildfires Adding Up
Sep 30 2011 // In addition to the $5.2 billion in agricultural losses as a result of the drought in Texas this year, an additional $150 million in losses can be attributed to wildfires, according to state agriculture experts. Dr. Andy...
Oklahoma Governor Announces Storm Shelter Rebate Offer
Sep 30 2011 // Oklahoma homeowners will be eligible for a cash rebate of up to $2,000 for the installation of a qualified tornado shelter under a program announced by Gov. Mary Fallin. Using $1 million in federal grant money, the program...
Typhoon Nesat Hits Hainan Island, China Mainland; AIR Analysis
Sep 30 2011 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide’s latest bulletin on Typhoon Nesat notes that it “made landfall as a moderate Category 1 storm on the northeastern corner of the island of Hainan at 2:30 pm local time...
Tornado Repairs Tracked in Minneapolis
Sep 29 2011 // City inspectors are fanning out across north Minneapolis, where some homes remain damaged four months after a tornado strike, to assess what can be done to help residents before winter arrives. ‘There are a number of...
Power Utility Sued After Massive Texas Wildfire
Sep 29 2011 // A utility knew about wildfire dangers amid Texas’ severe drought but failed to remove dead trees and branches near power lines that sparked the most destructive wildfire in state history, an attorney said after...
Typhoon Nesat Hits China after Pummeling Hong Kong
Sep 29 2011 // Typhoon Nesat hit Hainan Island in south China on Thursday after it swept past Hong Kong, closing financial markets, schools and most businesses in one of Asia’s largest financial centers. China recalled ships and...
AIR Analyzes Typhoon Nesat’s Impact on Philippines
Sep 28 2011 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, “Typhoon Nesat (known locally as ‘Pedring’) made landfall in the eastern Isabela and Aurora provinces on the Pacific coast of the Philippines at 18:21...
Huge Floods in Manila as Typhoon Nesat Hits Philippines
Sep 28 2011 // Manila residents waded through waist-deep floodwaters, dodging branches and flying debris Tuesday as a powerful typhoon sent surging waves as tall as palm trees crashing over seawalls and submerging entire...
Lloyd’s Calls for Redrawing Disaster Roles in U.S. for Government, Private Insurers
Sep 27 2011 // Government intervention in the insurance market is putting the financial burden of natural disasters on U.S. taxpayers, according to a report by Lloyd’s of London, the global specialist insurance market. The report,...
Hurricane Center Tracking Hurricane Hilary off Coast of Mexico; Atlantic Storms
Sep 27 2011 // The National Hurricane Center in Miami is currently tracking Hurricane Hilary in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula. The NHC’s latest bulletin, issued at 2:00 a.m. PDT,...
Texas Denies State Farm’s Catastrophe Petition
Sep 26 2011 // The Texas Department of Insurance has denied a catastrophe determination petition submitted by State Farm Insurance Cos. in response to wildfires that have plagued the state in September. The department said it denied the...
State Farm: Weather Claims This Year Reach $5 Billion
Sep 26 2011 // State Farm Insurance has paid $5 billion to its customers for weather-related catastrophes — damage to cars, homes and other property so far this year — the largest U.S. insurer of homes and cars said...
$97M Worth of Timber Destroyed in Texas Wildfires
Sep 23 2011 // East Texas is deeply rooted in the timber industry — and during the last 10 months, wildfires have wiped out more than $97 million worth of the region’s trees, the Texas Forest Service reports. Since wildfire...
