Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Wildfires Evacuees Anxious to Return Home
Sep 11 2011 // After spending nearly a week wondering whether his home had been destroyed in massive wildfires sweeping across Central Texas, George Gaydos got the news Sept. 10: His house had burned down in the blaze. But Gaydos — who...
9/11 and Terrorism Risk 10 Years Later
Sep 9 2011 // The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks forever changed how the insurance industry views terrorism risk, says Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute. For the global insurance and reinsurance...
Why 9/11 Changed Everything
Sep 9 2011 // Prior to September 11 attacks ten years ago, the thought of terrorism didn’t loom large in our nation’s collective psyche or our business decisions; since then, however, it has become a constant factor. Just...
Swiss Re Report Estimates 2011 First 6 Months Cat Losses at $70 Billion
Sep 9 2011 // Preliminary estimates from Swiss Re’s newly released sigma report indicate that “total insured losses for the global insurance industry from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters reached an estimated $70...
East Coast Quake Shook US Nuclear Plant Twice as Hard as Design Allowed
Sep 8 2011 // Preliminary data from the U.S. Geological Survey shows last month’s record earthquake in the eastern United States may have shaken a Dominion Resources nuclear plant twice as hard it was designed to withstand, a...
AIR Estimates Talas Insured Losses between $150 -$600 Million
Sep 8 2011 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide’s initial estimates for insured losses from Tropical Storm Talas are between JPY 12 billion ($150 million) and JPY 46 billion ($600 million). Talas is the season’s 12th...
Best Affirms Markel International’s Ratings; Syndicate 3000; Outlook Stable
Sep 8 2011 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings of ‘a+’ of UK-based Markel International Insurance Company...
Hurricane Center Tracking 3 Atlantic Storms: Katia, Maria and Nate
Sep 8 2011 // It’s a busy time of year for the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The NHC is currently following one hurricane – Katia, and two tropical storms – Maria and Nate. Katia is following the previously forecast...
North Carolina County Recovers From Trio of Disasters
Sep 7 2011 // Driving along the back roads of Bertie County, it’s hard sometimes to tell one disaster’s damage from another. That huge old tree, its limbs chopped and stacked after falling across a road, was definitely...
Irene Raises Hurricane Deductible Questions in Hard-Hit Northeast States
Sep 7 2011 // New York and New Jersey regulators said recently that hurricane deductibles should not apply on homeowners’ insurance policies for Irene damages in their states. That’s because Irene was downgraded and...
Best Affirms Ratings of Lloyd’s Syndicate 958 (Omega); Outlook Stable
Sep 7 2011 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Ltd. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of ‘a+’ of Lloyd’s Syndicate 958, which is managed...
UPDATE: Killer Typhoon Talas Brings More Misery to Japan
Sep 7 2011 // Japan braced for more heavy rain and floods Monday as the death toll from the worst typhoon to hit the country in seven years climbed to 34. Rescuers searched for 55 others who remained missing, and tens of thousands of...
Hurricane Center Reports Katia Weakens; Tropical Depression 14 Forms
Sep 7 2011 // The 5:00 a.m. AST bulletin from the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that Hurricane Katia has weakened somewhat. It is now a category one hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale with maximum sustained winds...
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...
