Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Northern Calif. Shakes in 3.3 Magnitude Earthquake
Sep 2 2010 // Northern California experienced mild shaking when a 3.3 magnitude earthquake struck the San Pablo, Calif., area at 9:35 a.m. this morning. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake, which occurred on the...
Hurricane Preparations Intense, Weather Calm
Sep 2 2010 // On Thursday, with Hurricane Earl about 250 miles to the south, and on a trajectory to skim the coast of North Carolina, Larry Whitt of Outer Banks Insurance said the sun was shining in Kill Devil Hills. There was no wind,...
Hurricane Earl Weakens Slightly; Churns Toward East Coast
Sep 1 2010 // Visitors and some residents evacuated from low-lying vacation islands off the North Carolina coast Wednesday as Hurricane Earl bore down on the U.S. eastern seaboard, churning up dangerous swells. Earl, still a major...
Island of Anguilla to Receive Earl Damage Payment from CCRIF
Sep 1 2010 // The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) is preparing to make a payout to the Government of Anguilla as a result of Tropical Cyclone Earl which passed close to Anguilla and other islands in the...
Reinsurers Under Pressure from Low Premiums, Catastrophes: Fitch
Sep 1 2010 // The reinsurance sector is vulnerable to a significant insured loss from the Atlantic storm season as their reserve capital has been used to offset low premiums, Fitch Ratings said, as Hurricane Earl threatens to hit...
Hurricane Earl Causes Evacuation of North Carolina Coast
Sep 1 2010 // The threat of Hurricane Earl is prompting many to flee North Carolina’s vacation islands and federal authorities are warning residents along the Eastern seaboard to be ready to evacuate, the Associated Press is...
East Coast Advised to Keep Eye on Category 4 Hurricane Earl
Aug 31 2010 // Hurricane Earl, now a Category 4 storm, moved away from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands this morning, continuing on a track that could bring it close to the East Coast later this week, possibly Thursday. The National...
AIR Tracking Typhoon Kompasu, Tropical Cyclones
Aug 31 2010 // According to catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide, the sixth, seventh, and eighth named storms of the northwest Pacific season are approaching the Asian mainland bringing high winds and expected heavy...
Sumatra Volcano Erupts after 400 Dormant Years
Aug 30 2010 // A volcano in western Indonesia on the Island of Sumatra spewed hot lava and sand high into the sky early Sunday in its first eruption in 400 years. Government volcanologist Surono, who uses only one name, said Mount...
Best Affirms ‘A++’ Ratings of French Gov’t. Reinsurer Caisse Centrale
Aug 30 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A++’ (Superior) and issuer credit rating of “aa+” of French government backed reinsurer Caisse Centrale de Réassurance (CCR), both...
Earl Now Major Hurricane, Headed Toward East Coast
Aug 30 2010 // Hurricane Earl has strengthened into a major Category 3 storm Monday and could arrive off the East Coast of the U.S. by the end of this week. It is currently rocking the Caribbean’s Northern Leeward Islands. The...
5 Years After Katrina Gulf Coast Building Codes Still Inadequate
Aug 30 2010 // Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina caused an estimated 1,300 tragic deaths as well as $41.1 billion in insured losses across six states. Louisiana and Mississippi suffered the brunt of Katrina’s wrath followed by...
Illinois Town Marks 20th Anniversary of Deadly Tornado
Aug 30 2010 // Survivors of a deadly tornado that roared across the northern Illinois village of Plainfield have marked the storm’s 20th anniversary. About 200 people gathered Aug. 28 for a ceremony that was held near downtown...
Stormy Danielle, Earl, Frank Strengthen But No Landfall Expected
Aug 27 2010 // The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued advisories on Hurricane Danielle, Tropical Storm Earl and Hurricane Frank. No watches or warnings of possible landfall have been issued. Danielle, a Category 4 hurricane, is...
Hurricane Katrina Changed the Market in Gulf States
Aug 27 2010 // Writing about the landfall of Hurricane Katrina five years ago, essayist Ellis Anderson of Mississippi likened the communities along the gulf to a string of pearls. “Then, in August 2005, in the course of a single...
Danielle Again a Category 2 Hurricane; TS Earl Forms in Atlantic
Aug 26 2010 // Hurricane Danielle has recovered some strength, and is once again a “category two hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale,” according to the most recent bulletin from the National Hurricane Center...
Hurricane Danielle Headed East of Bermuda
Aug 26 2010 // The U.S. National Hurricane Center is reporting that Hurricane Danielle is still a category two hurricane, with sustained winds of 105 miles per hour, and that it is expected to strengthen somewhat in the next 24 hours. As...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Assoc. Chief Favors Gradual Rate Hikes
Aug 26 2010 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association recently filed for 5 percent increases in both its residential and commercial rates, effective Jan. 1, 2011. While indications are those hikes won’t bring the rates for the...
Danielle Weakens; 90% Chance of Another Tropical Storm
Aug 25 2010 // The latest bulletin, issued at 5:00 a.m. AST by the National Hurricane Center in Miami, notes that Hurricane Danielle has weakened slightly, with “maximum sustained winds near 85 mph, 140 km/hr. with higher...
Big Quakes More Frequent Than Thought on San Andreas Fault
Aug 24 2010 // Southern California is overdue for a major earthquake, according to UC Irvine and Arizona State University researchers who have charted temblors along the San Andreas fault stretching back 700 years. The findings, to be...
