Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Scientists Find Cause of Oregon Earthquakes
Oct 28 2009 // Scientists say a group of previously unknown faults was behind an odd swarm of earthquakes last year off the Oregon Coast. But just what set them off remains unknown. Oregon State University marine geologist Robert Dziak...
South Carolina Court Hears Wildfire Case This Week
Oct 27 2009 // A man fined in the most destructive wildfire in South Carolina history is facing a court date to answer to charges. Court documents show the trial for Marc Torchi is set for Wednesday in Central Jury Court in Conway, a...
Lloyd’s Notes Success of Regional Catastrophe Pools, CCRIF
Oct 26 2009 // An article on the Lloyd’s of London web site (www.lloyds.com) discusses the success of an “innovative solution” which can make funding available to governments in the aftermath of a natural...
California Still at Earthquake Risk
Oct 23 2009 // California is still vulnerable to devastating loss should another earthquake occur like the Loma Prieta earthquake, which occured 20 years ago, according to ProtectingAmerican.org. “The fact is, that...
Drop in Catastrophe Losses Leads Travelers to Strong Underwriting Gain
Oct 22 2009 // Travelers Companies Inc., the No. 1 publicly-traded U.S. property/ casualty insurer, said its quarterly profit more than quadrupled, strongly beating expectations, as a dearth of costly catastrophes left the company with...
Analysts Forecast Healthy Q3 Reports from Insurers
Oct 22 2009 // If the stock market and weather are any indication, third-quarter earnings reports from insurers will look a lot better than they did a year ago. The big companies, which began their reporting season today with Travelers...
Murder Arrest in 2003 California Wildfire
Oct 22 2009 // Almost six years after a wildfire destroyed nearly 1,000 homes in Southern California, prosecutors say they have enough evidence to charge a prison inmate with arson and murder in connection with the 2003 blaze. San...
Researchers: Hurricane-related Power Outages Can Be Predicted
Oct 22 2009 // Using data from Hurricane Katrina and four other destructive storms, researchers from Johns Hopkins and Texas A&M universities say they have found a way to accurately predict power outages in advance of a hurricane....
Typhoon Lupit on Course to Hit Philippines; Rick Continues to Weaken
Oct 21 2009 // Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide warns that the Philippines are bracing for the arrival of Typhoon Lupit. The storm is located about 800 kms (500 miles) east of northern Luzon island and is moving west at...
Homeless Man Detained in California wildfire Probe
Oct 21 2009 // A homeless man was arrested and charged with arson for starting a tiny blaze in August near the spot where a gigantic wildfire erupted several days later, killing two firefighters, homicide detectives said...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Proposed Rate Hike Rejected
Oct 21 2009 // The Texas Department of Insurance has rejected a request from the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association for a 10 percent rate increase for both residential and commercial risks. However, regulators left open the...
Tropical Storm Rick Weakens as it Approaches Baja California
Oct 20 2009 // The National Hurricane Center in Miami reports that Tropical Storm Rick is weakening slightly as it continues to move in an easterly direction towards the Baja California Peninsula. However, the Mexican government has...
Third Typhoon Threatens Philippines
Oct 19 2009 // The Philippines, already devastated by deadly floods from two recent tropical cyclones, is bracing for yet a third storm, as typhoon Lupit approaches the island chain. The most recent bulletin from catastrophe modeler Risk...
Mississippi Court Rules Home Policy Covers Hurricane Wind Damage
Oct 19 2009 // In a 9-0 decision, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled that so-called “all-risk home insurance policies may cover wind damage from hurricanes, even in situations where the loss is later exacerbated by water from...
California Jury Orders First-Ever Wildfire Environmental Damages
Oct 19 2009 // A Los Angeles jury recently ordered two construction companies to reimburse the government for $36.5 million in damages from a 2002 wildfire, in the largest such award and the first-ever damages for environmental harm,...
California Wildfires Raise Landslide Risk
Oct 19 2009 // Rainstorms could send huge flows of water laden with mud, rocks and other debris toward cities below steep slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains stripped bare by a wildfire near Los Angeles this summer, according to federal...
Strong Earthquakes Abroad Could Weaken Geologic Faults in U.S.
Oct 19 2009 // Powerful earthquakes may be a trigger for weakening geologic faults a half a world away, U.S. researchers said this week in a study that points to new ways to predict earthquakes. “Earthquakes are caused when a fault...
FEMA Grant to Help Build Tornado Shelters in Oklahoma
Oct 16 2009 // Residents of a southern Oklahoma town that was devastated by a deadly tornado are getting help to build storm shelters in their homes. Lone Grove City Manager Marianne Elfert says half of a $600,000 Federal Emergency...
Insurers Happy About Quiet Atlantic Hurricane Season
Oct 14 2009 // Thanks to El Nino, the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season has been the quietest in more than a decade, offering a reprieve for residents in the danger zone and a chance for insurance firms to refill depleted coffers. With the...
California Braces for Fake Quake
Oct 14 2009 // Tomorrow at exactly 10:15 a.m. almost 7 million Californians are expected to drop to the ground, cover their heads, and hold on for dear life. This curious behavior is part of an event called the Great California Shakeout,...
