Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
North Carolina Residents Near Wildfire Urged to Evacuate
Jun 24 2011 // Residents near the Onslow and Pender county line in North Carolina are being evacuated on a voluntary basis as a wildfire spreads. As of Thursday, the fire has burned 20,000 acres. Fire officials said the wildfire started...
Tornado Repairs at St. Louis Airport May Cost $30M
Jun 24 2011 // The cost to repair tornado damage at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport could reach as much as $30 million. Airport officials said they’ve received estimates of $25 million to $30 million to restore Terminal 1...
Bridgeport Rebuilding as Tornado Anniversary Marked
Jun 24 2011 // A year has passed since a tornado roared down Main Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut, battering buildings and toppling trees in the Nutmeg State’s largest city. Recovery has been steady in some areas and lagging in...
Report: SoCal Quake Would Rattle Economy
Jun 24 2011 // A new study says a big Southern California earthquake would rattle the region’s economy as well as its buildings. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said a magnitude-7.8 quake in the southern segment of the San...
Californians’ Biggest Disaster Fear: Earthquakes
Jun 24 2011 // Of the many possible disasters that could befall Californians, Golden State residents fear earthquakes the most, according to a recent poll. Statewide, 57 percent of voters cite earthquakes as their greatest threat from...
Churchill Downs Cleaning Up After Tornado
Jun 23 2011 // Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Ky., said it will resume live horse racing the night of Friday, June 24, after a day off to survey tornado damage to barns and other structures. The racing facility was forced to...
Texas Senate Passes Windstorm Bill
Jun 23 2011 // The Texas Senate has passed a bill intended to improve the state’s coastal windstorm insurance agency, clarifying the claims process and increasing transparency at the agency. The measure to reform the Texas...
Analysts Debate Outlook for Reinsurance Stocks
Jun 23 2011 // With reinsurance stocks trading below book value, equity analysts basically agree on the factors affecting these stocks but differ on their outlook on the sector. Property/casualty insurance analysts Meyer Shields, analyst...
Florida Agents’ Leader Grady Cites Progress, Disappointments on Reform
Jun 23 2011 // For those in the industry, Florida’s recent legislative session was a long march as they tried to navigate through a process that initially promised much in the form of a new governor and strong pro-business...
Florida Counties Ban Fireworks Due to Wildfire Risk
Jun 23 2011 // Drought conditions and rampant wildfires have forced 29 Florida counties to ban open fires. And for 22 of those counties, the ban covers fireworks. The Florida Division of Forestry said that more than 440 active wildfires...
Wildfires Continue to Plague Arizona, New Mexico
Jun 22 2011 // Fourteen homes have been destroyed in Arizona yesterday, after the Monument Fire burning near Sierra Vista went south into neighborhoods. All told, there are six fires burning in Arizona, and five in New Mexico. As of June...
P/C Insurers’ Profits Fell in Q1 as Underwriting Losses Grew
Jun 22 2011 // Private U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income after taxes dropped to $7.8 billion in first-quarter 2011 from $8.9 billion in first-quarter 2010, with insurers’ annualized rate of return on average...
Wildfires Burn 3 Dozen Homes Across Texas
Jun 21 2011 // Firefighters in Texas are attempting to contain more wildfires after several blazes broke out across the state and destroyed more than three dozen homes. Hundreds of people were told to evacuate June 19 after fires swept...
Hurricane Beatriz Hits Mexico’s Pacific Coast
Jun 21 2011 // Hurricane Beatriz bore down on Mexico’s Pacific coast Tuesday, putting tourist areas and major ports on alert for heavy rainfall and flash floods, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The eye of the hurricane was...
Some evacuees in AZ, NM Return Home From Wildfires
Jun 20 2011 // Some residents evacuated because of wildfires in Arizona and New Mexico were allowed to return to their homes as firefighters battled strong winds and hot weather to try to keep more houses, dry forests and stretches of...
Alabama Governor Tackles Tornado Recovery, Home Insurance Options
Jun 20 2011 // Anyone with a suggestion or complaint about Alabama’s recovery from the deadly tornadoes in April should know that the buck stops with the governor. Gov. Robert Bentley said he’s not looking to the Federal...
Ships Tossed Ashore by Japan Tsunami Rescued
Jun 20 2011 // More than a dozen ships heaved inland by Japan’s tsunami in March sit with red bellies and propellers exposed among the demolished houses of this once-bustling fishing town, a jarring daily reminder of the...
Takeaways from a Disaster
Jun 20 2011 // It’s a sight to which native New Englanders are unaccustomed: toppled trees, boarded windows, ripped-off roofs and the general destruction left by the three tornadoes that earlier this month tore through...
Florida Reinsurance Renewals Reflect Unsettled Market
Jun 20 2011 // The Florida reinsurance renewals on June 1, 2011, experienced a wide range of outcomes as substantial catastrophe losses combined with two major catastrophe model revisions over the past 16 months led to a volatile renewal...
The Aftershocks of Vulnerable Supply Chains
Jun 20 2011 // The massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March has led to supply chain disruptions around the world, sending a wakeup call to companies that do not have viable business continuity plans in place for themselves...
