Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tropical Storm Danny Weakens; East Coast Likely Spared Hurricane
Aug 28 2009 // Tropical Storm Danny weakened in the Atlantic Ocean Thursday and was no longer expected to become a hurricane, but it edged closer to the U.S. coast on a path that could take it to Canada’s Atlantic provinces by...
Golfers Help South Carolina Wildfire Victims Who Lacked Insurance
Aug 28 2009 // Golfers teed off on the South Carolina coast to help the victims of a wildfire that scorched hundreds of acres earlier this year. Thursday’s pro-am at Barefoot Resort & Golf in North Myrtle Beach was held to...
Multiple Earthquakes Shake Central Oklahoma in 24 Hours
Aug 28 2009 // At least 10 minor earthquakes have shaken central Oklahoma in the past 24 to 36 hours, the most recent occurring early in the morning on Aug. 28, according to the Oklahoma Geological Survey. This morning’st tremor...
Florida’s Tower Hill Insurance Downgraded by A.M. Best; Tower Hill Responds
Aug 27 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength ratings (FSR) to D (Poor) from B (Fair) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “c” from “bb” of Tower Hill Preferred Insurance Co., Tower Hill Prime...
Lloyd’s Explores Terrorism/Internet Threats
Aug 27 2009 // Politico-social trends are rarely static; they evolve over time. Terrorism is no exception. An article on the Lloyd’s of London web site (www.lloyds.com) notes that “today’s extremists are just as intent...
Tropical Storm Danny, Expected to Become Hurricane, Heads Northeast
Aug 27 2009 // The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Danny was located about 575 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, as of 8 a.m. EDT (Noon GMT) Thursday and packing winds near 60 miles per...
RMS Analyzes Greek Wildfires
Aug 26 2009 // A bulletin from Risk Management Solutions notes that over the past 24 hours, the wildfire situation in Athens has greatly improved, but continues to be closely monitored as there is a high risk of further flare-ups. In...
Tropical Storm May Form Today
Aug 26 2009 // The U.S. National Hurricane Center said an area of disturbed weather centered about 470 miles east of Nassau in the Bahamas could become the season’s latest tropical depression, or more likely, tropical storm, later...
Numbers Tell of Reconstruction of Mississippi Since Hurricane Katrina
Aug 26 2009 // August 29 will mark four years since Hurricane Katrina pummeled Mississippi. Since then, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in partnership with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and other state and...
UPDATE – Thousands Flee Raging Wildfires in Greece
Aug 25 2009 // An overnight drop in gale-force winds offered hard-pressed Greek firefighters a brief respite Monday after wildfires raged unchecked for two days north of Athens, burning houses and swathes of forest while forcing...
RMS Reports on Hurricane Bill
Aug 25 2009 // The latest bulletin from Risk Management Solutions describes Hurricane Bill making landfall in southeast Newfoundland as a weak category 1 hurricane. As of a few hours ago the storm was approximately 90 miles (145 kms)...
Atlantic Tropical Wave Could Become Cyclone, Warns U.S. Hurricane Center
Aug 25 2009 // The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tuesday a tropical wave in the western Atlantic Ocean northeast of Puerto Rico had a high chance — greater than 50 percent — of becoming a tropical cyclone during the...
Private Forecaster Still Sees Quiet Hurricane Season
Aug 25 2009 // Private weather forecaster WSI Corp. said on Monday it still sees a quiet 2009 Atlantic hurricane season with conditions not conducive to an active year for violent storms. WSI’s updated forecast predicted a season...
Hurricane Bill Served Warning to North Carolina Island Homeowners
Aug 25 2009 // Although Hurricane Bill made no direct impact on the North Carolina coast, the seas that the storm churned up has caused worries for some homeowners. The Star-News of Wilmington reported Sunday that residents of Bald Head...
California Wildfires Called Contained
Aug 25 2009 // Firefighters have surrounded three wildfires that have been burning throughout California for weeks. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says that a wildfire that consumed about 7,800 acres (3,157...
Hurricane Bill Drenches Eastern Canada; Two Die in U.S.
Aug 24 2009 // Hurricane Bill brought rain and heavy winds to eastern Canada Sunday after pounding the U.S. East Coast with heavy seas that killed two people. A seven-year-old girl died in a hospital after she was pulled unresponsive...
Caribbean Agencies Create Partnership for Natural Disaster Management
Aug 21 2009 // The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalizing a partnership to facilitate capacity...
Hurricane Bill to Pass Between Bermuda, U.S. Coast Saturday
Aug 21 2009 // Hurricane Bill became less organized Friday as it pursued a path that would take it between Bermuda and the eastern United States, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Bill, a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson...
Hurricane Bill Continues on Course; Bermuda on Alert
Aug 21 2009 // Hurricane Bill continues to follow the trajectory forecast by the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The storm remains a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of around 115 mph, 185 km/hr, with higher...
Cleanup Starts After Tornadoes, Storms Slam Midwest States
Aug 21 2009 // Residents began cleaning up Aug. 20 after tornadoes and severe storms slammed a large part of the Midwest, tearing the roofs from buildings and overturning vehicles. The National Weather Service in Davenport, Iowa,...
