Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
What’s In Florida’s Property Insurance Cost Control Bill?
Jun 6 2011 // Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed into law legislation that promises to lower costs for the state’s property insurers, including what they pay on sinkhole claims. Scott said the bill (SB 408) “strengthens...
How Florida’s Agents Fared in Tallahassee
Jun 6 2011 // FAIA President Jeff Grady on Property Insurance Reform, Effects of RMS Model, Citizens For those in the industry, Florida’s recent legislative session was a long march as they tried to navigate through a process that...
Tornado Damages Philly Business
Jun 6 2011 // Weather officials have confirmed that a tornado descended on a northeast Philadelphia block late last month – tearing part of the roof off a beer distributor and bar and restaurant and demolishing a car repair...
Hurricanes and Floods
Jun 6 2011 // In light of the hurricane season that began June 1 and ongoing Mississippi and Atchafalaya flooding, Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon is imploring consumers to protect themselves and their property against...
P/C Insurers Facing Record Losses from Weather
Jun 6 2011 // Devastating tornadoes, floods, earthquakes overseas and a busier-than-usual hurricane season have U.S. insurance companies bracing for record losses in 2011. Insurers could suffer as much as $10 billion from...
Florida Braces as RMS Model Makes Landfall
Jun 6 2011 // Storm Model Hits Inland Territories; Could Alter Property Insurance Political Landscape Florida’s history with hurricanes has created a series of assumptions long treated as facts, none of which is more quoted than...
States Hit Hardest by Recent Tornadoes Among Least Insured
Jun 6 2011 // Many of the states hammered by what’s already the deadliest year for tornadoes in more than half a century have among the nation’s highest rates of homes without hazard insurance despite being among the most...
2011 on Pace to Be Deadliest U.S. Tornado Year
Jun 6 2011 // The tornado that raked Joplin, Mo., was the deadliest single twister in the United States since 1953, putting 2011 on pace for a possible record year for tornado fatalities, U.S. weather experts said. As of May 25, this is...
Catastrophes Issue Wake-Up Call on Supply Chain Risks
Jun 6 2011 // The Japanese earthquake and tsunami that occurred in March 2011, as well as intense spring weather, served as a wakeup call of sorts for businesses vulnerable to supply chain exposures: It’s important to prepare for...
Risky Decisions
Jun 6 2011 // All the devastation from natural disasters that have occurred across the nation in recent months illuminates the fact that many, many homes across the United States are either uninsured or underinsured. Violent weather and...
Obama Consoles Tornado-Ravaged Missouri City
Jun 6 2011 // Exactly a week after the Missouri city of Joplin was nearly leveled by the deadliest tornado to strike the United States in decades, President Barack Obama visited the area to offer hope to survivors and promises of...
Eight Wildfires Burn in Arizona, Evacuations Ordered
Jun 3 2011 // Arizona is currently ablaze with eight wildfires burning thousands of acres of land and property and causing evacuations from some areas, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center. While most of the fires...
Massachusetts Digs out After Deadly Tornadoes
Jun 3 2011 // Residents of 19 small communities in central and western Massachusetts were left to deal with widespread damage this week, after at least two late-afternoon tornadoes shocked emergency officials and residents more...
Alabama City Faces Equipment Replacement Costs After Tornado
Jun 3 2011 // Officials in Tuscaloosa, Alabama say it will cost about $1.3 million to replace 47 vehicles and other pieces of equipment that were destroyed or damaged in the April 27 tornado. They say city taxpayers will be responsible...
May 24 Oklahoma Tornado Upgraded to EF-5
Jun 3 2011 // The National Weather Service has upgraded a tornado that tore through central Oklahoma on May 24 to EF-5, the highest rating given to tornadoes. The weather service in Norman said the tornado that started in Binger and...
Florida Reinsurance Renewals Reflect Unsettled Market: Guy Carpenter
Jun 2 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...
Insurer Groups Say Windstorm Issue Must be Addressed in Texas
Jun 2 2011 // The Texas Legislature, which adjourned its regular session on May 30, passed a number of bills of interest to the property and casualty insurance industry, including tort reform legislation and a measure requiring that...
Above Average Number of Tornadoes in Oklahoma This Year
Jun 2 2011 // A meteorologist with the federal government’s Storm Prediction Center said on May 31 that Oklahoma has seen a greater than average number of tornadoes so far in 2011. Preliminary data from the agency show 63 reports...
9 Days After Tornado, Rebuilding Begins in Joplin, Missouri
Jun 2 2011 // Electrical crews hoisted power poles, small businesses opened in tents and residents snatched up construction supplies as rebuilding got underway nine days after a tornado tore through the southwest Missouri town of...
A.M. Best Downgrades Ratings of State Auto Insurance Companies
Jun 2 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to A (Excellent) from A+ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “a+” from “aa-” of Columbus, Ohio-based State Auto Insurance...
