Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wildfires Burn Across Texas; Weekend Losses Expected to Top $100M
Sep 6 2011 // While Tropical Storm Lee drenched Southeast Louisiana with up to 15 inches of rain over the weekend, the low pressure system whipped up strong northwesterly winds across Texas that are blamed for the rapid spread of...
Connecticut Asks Insurers to Waive Storm Deductibles for Irene Damages
Sep 6 2011 // Connecticut is negotiating with several insurance companies to waive hurricane policy deductibles for coastal homeowners whose properties were damaged or destroyed by Tropical Storm Irene, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy...
Hurricane Katia Now Expected to Miss East Coast
Sep 6 2011 // Hurricane Katia powered up to a major Category 4 storm Monday, but was expected to veer away from the U.S. East Coast later this week, avoiding a direct hit on a seaboard already battered by Hurricane Irene. The U.S....
Typhoon Talas Kills At Least 15 As It Passes Japan
Sep 6 2011 // Heavy rains and mudslides from powerful Typhoon Talas killed at least 15 people in Japan as the storm moved northward past the country Sunday. At least 43 others are missing, local media said. [Ed. Note – latest...
After Drenching New Orleans, Tropical Storm Lee Threatens Southeast
Sep 5 2011 // After testing New Orleans’ flood defenses over the weekend, Tropical Storm Lee moved northeast Monday after weakening to a tropical depression, and threatened to bring heavy rains and flooding to a large section of...
‘Old’ East Coast Shows Cracks After Earthquake
Sep 5 2011 // There was a crack in the Washington Monument, and capstones were broken at the National Cathedral. In the District of Columbia suburbs, some people stayed in shelters because of structural concerns at their apartment...
Legislative Changes Aim to Limit Texas Windstorm Lawsuits
Sep 5 2011 // Legislative changes to the operation of Texas’ primary property insurer in coastal areas that go into effect Sept. 28, 2011, include an increased focus on mediation and arbitration of disputed windstorm claims and a...
Terrorism 10 Years After
Sep 5 2011 // Ten years after the events of Sept. 11, 2011, terrorism remains a significant risk both globally and within the United States. The need to be vigilant against those who would harm innocent people in the name of whatever...
California Earthquake Authority Bond Issue a ‘First Step’
Sep 5 2011 // Officials with the California Earthquake Authority said that their recent $150-million bond issue is just a first step in diversifying their risk so that they can expand earthquake coverage in the state. “It is just...
Fitch: Hurricane Irene Losses Manageable
Sep 2 2011 // Hurricane Irene, while inflicting severe economic damage, will come in far behind the most severe storms to strike United States in recent years, according to a new report by Fitch Ratings. At over $45 billion of insured...
Typhoon Talas Heading for Japan
Sep 2 2011 // A report from catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, notes that Typhoon Talas, which formed in the western Pacific on the 25th of August, is the 12th named storm of the 2011, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency...
Update: Irene State by State Estimates
Sep 2 2011 // Catastrophe modeling company Eqecat, whose software is used by insurers to predict exposure to disasters, estimated the economic losses in the United States from Hurricane Irene at more than $10 billion. Irene was the 10th...
Tornado Has Cost Insurance $2.2B So Far in Joplin, Missouri
Sep 1 2011 // The tornado that devastated Joplin in May is expected to cost insurance companies about $2.2 billion. Property Claims Services, which determines insurance payouts for catastrophes, said that figure includes payouts already...
Gulf Coast Told to Keep Eye on Possible Storm
Sep 1 2011 // A low-pressure system pushing northwest through the Gulf of Mexico has a strong chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next two days and threatening U.S. states on northern coast of the gulf, the National Hurricane...
Customer Satisfaction with Home Insurers Improves, Says J.D. Powers
Sep 1 2011 // Customer satisfaction with homeowners insurance companies this year is up from 2010, but still remains below levels achieved in 2009. Overall satisfaction with homeowners insurance companies averages 769 in...
Alabama Governor Names Tornado Recovery Panel
Sep 1 2011 // Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley chose the president and CEO of Protective Life Corp., Johnny Johns, and the publisher of The Birmingham News, Pam Siddall, this week to lead his Tornado Recovery Action Council. Bentley...
Katia Becomes Hurricane East of Leeward Islands
Sep 1 2011 // Tropical storm Katia has become the second hurricane of the season, as it passes over the warm water of the Atlantic Ocean. The most recent bulletin from the National Hurricane Center in Miami at 2:00 a.m. EDT located the...
Earthquake, Hurricane Keep Maryland Insurance Agents Busy
Sep 1 2011 // First came the earthquake; then the hurricane. Now comes the bill. And with any luck, you have a decent insurance policy that will cover the cost of most, if not all, of the damages sustained in one or both natural...
Irene’s Impact on Private Insurance Markets
Aug 31 2011 // The $7 billion in estimated losses from Hurricane Irene compound the vast damage caused by weather in the United States this year. Yet despite billions they’ve paid out for floods, tornadoes and earthquakes, big...
Irene’s Impact on Fragile U.S. Economy
Aug 31 2011 // The struggling U.S. economy should escape largely unscathed from Hurricane Irene and may even get a boost from reconstruction. Irene, which killed about 40 people when it dumped 5 to 15 inches (12 to 38 cm) of rain over...
