Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Georgia Firefighters Lack Tools for Wildfires, Hazardous Materials
May 20 2009 // Georgia firefighters say they are feeling the negative effects of the current economic crisis and lack some key equipment, according to a national survey of firefighters. The survey identified the top three challenges...
Colorado Nears Anniversary of Its Costliest Tornado
May 20 2009 // The tornado that devastated the community of Windsor, Colorado, on May 22 of last year added up to an estimated $193.5 million in insured damage– making it Colorado’s most expensive tornado. The claims came...
Better Predictions of Storm Intensity Could Take Decade
May 19 2009 // People living in hurricane danger zones could have a long wait — as much as 10 years — for improved forecasts of rapid intensity changes in a hurricane, the top U.S. hurricane forecaster said recently. In the...
Winds Fan Santa Barbara Wildfire During Wildfire Awareness Week
May 18 2009 // A wildfire that began on May 5 in Santa Barbara County, Calif. — during Wildfire Awareness Week May 3-9 — continued to burn as of press time, having burned 8,733 acres and destroyed 77 residences as of May 10,...
Virginia Begins Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday May 25
May 18 2009 // The state is giving Virginia residents an incentive to prepare for hurricane season. Virginia’s Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday begins May 25 and runs through May 31. During the weeklong holiday, state and...
Study: Tahoe May be Overdue for Large Earthquake
May 18 2009 // Two new studies suggest the Lake Tahoe region in California and Nevada has gone longer than usual without a large earthquake and may be due for a magnitude-7 temblor capable of spawning a tsunami that could flood shoreline...
Midwest’s ‘Tornado Alley’ Now Under Special Radar
May 18 2009 // As part of an ambitious attempt to figure out how tornadoes form and how to predict them more accurately, engineers from the University of Massachusetts are deploying two special mobile Doppler radar systems to the Great...
Santa Barbara Wildfire 95% Contained
May 15 2009 // A 8,733-acre fire that destroyed 80 homes and forced 30,500 people from their homes in Santa Barbara, Calif., was reported 95 percent contained on May 15. The last mandatory evacuation orders associated with the Jesusita...
CSU’s Gray May Reduce Atlantic Storm Outlook
May 14 2009 // Colorado State University hurricane forecaster Bill Gray said Wednesday he may reduce his next Atlantic season forecast because sea temperatures are cooling and a weak El Nino may appear by late summer. “Things are...
For Some in Florida, Hurricane Season Is Time to Party
May 14 2009 // When a hurricane approaches South Florida, Robin Sing-Cunningham makes sure she has plenty of ice, candles and a generator. Then there’s the gas-powered blender, storm-themed music (think ‘It’s Raining...
U.S. Hurricane Center Applying Storm Surge, Other Lessons Learned
May 14 2009 // Tropical storms are unpredictable, but as the National Hurricane Center’s director contemplates ways to improve forecasting errors and communicating with the public, he is confident he has an ally at the Federal...
Arizona Wildfire Budgets About the Same as Last Year
May 13 2009 // Not much may seem recession-proof these days, but budgets for preventing and fighting wildfires nationally and in Arizona have stayed largely the same for the past five years. That much is good news for firefighting...
Forecasting Hurricane Intensity Still a Puzzle
May 13 2009 // People living in hurricane danger zones could have a long wait — as much as 10 years — for improved forecasts of rapid intensity changes in a hurricane, the top U.S. hurricane forecaster said Tuesday. In the...
Safety Measure May Have Sparked SoCal Wildfire
May 12 2009 // A wildfire that destroyed dozens of homes is 70 percent contained and firefighters are mopping up hot spots. Fire officials released updated figures, saying the 13-square-mile blaze had destroyed 77 homes, damaged 22...
AIU Offers Hurricane Resources in 2 South Carolina Counties
May 12 2009 // Homeowners in the South Carolina counties of Charleston and Beaufort who purchase homeowners policies from AIU Holdings’ Private Client Group can now access the advanced disaster preparedness and post-hurricane...
New Jersey Senate Tackles Two More Insurance Bills
May 8 2009 // The New Jersey Senate’s Commerce Committee is in the midst of vetting two key bills that would have significant impact on the Garden State’s insurance industry. One bill would create a create a financial...
Santa Barbara Wildfire Increase 448%, Insurers Ready for Calls
May 8 2009 // A wildfire that began on May 5 in Santa Barbara County, Calif., continues to burn, increasing 448 percent from 500 acres burned yesterday to 2,739 acres burned and at least 20 homes destroyed as of this morning, according...
Chubb Helps to Protect Homes from Santa Barbara Wildfire
May 8 2009 // As the wildfire in Santa Barbara, CA, expands in scope and intensity, the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies has stepped up measures to help protect its homeowners insurance customers’ properties. Earlier this week,...
RMS Performs Risk Analysis for Ibis Re Hurricane Cat Bond
May 7 2009 // Risk Management Solutions has completed the expert modeling analysis in connection with the securities offering undertaken by Ibis Re Ltd., a special purpose reinsurance company domiciled in the Cayman Islands. “The...
Named Storm Deductible Bill Passes Louisiana House
May 7 2009 // Two bills of interest to the insurance industry are making their way through the Louisiana legislative session, which convened April 27. House Bill 333, by Rep. Kleckley, which places limitations on named-storm, hurricane,...
