Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
As Hurricane Season Nears, Florida Still Facing Large Exposure
Mar 16 2009 // Florida lawmakers need to make some smart decisions on reducing the risk for Florida property owners from hurricane damage, the state’s chief financial officer said Thursday. In a letter to key legislative leaders,...
Obama’s FEMA Director Brings Hurricane Experience from Florida
Mar 16 2009 // Florida emergency manager Craig Fugate would bring a lot with him if he takes over the Federal Emergency Management Agency: plenty of hurricane experience, a blunt style, and a belief that preparation begins on the local...
Ohio Windstorm Losses in Feb. Reach Nearly $89M; Ike Losses Rise
Mar 16 2009 // Ohio’s Feb. 11-12 windstorm caused at least $88.9 million in damages, based on preliminary insured loss estimates from the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII), an insurance industry trade group. Widespread losses were...
Florida CFO Sink: 4 Steps to Reduce State’s Hurricane Exposure
Mar 12 2009 // Citing the high level of catastrophic risk exposure Florida faces, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink today suggested guidelines for the Legislature to follow in working to reduce the state’s hurricane risk. CFO Sink...
Florida Officials Searching For Ways to Back Up Hurricane Fund
Mar 12 2009 // The state board that oversees the fund designed to pay homeowner claims in the event of a catastrophic hurricane searched this week for ways to reduce its risk with hurricane season only months away. The Board of...
Wildfire Threat in Mississippi High
Mar 11 2009 // A Mississippi forestry official says property owners should be cautious when burning leaves or brush because conditions are ripe for wildfires. Jimmy Mordica, director of conservation education and public outreach for the...
Mississippi’s Rep. Taylor Renews Push for Federal Wind Insurance Policy
Mar 10 2009 // Rep. Gene Taylor, D.-Miss., isn’t letting opposition by major insurance companies keep him from pushing his plan to make wind coverage for properties available through the federal flood insurance...
Texas Legislators Want to Modify Catastrophe Response After Ike
Mar 10 2009 // Nursing homes were left without electricity and medical evacuees flooded hospitals during Hurricane Ike, but more than a dozen bills pending in the Texas Legislature could help change the way state agencies and facilities...
Geographers Create U.S. ‘Death Map’ of Natural Event Fatalities
Mar 9 2009 // University of South Carolina geographers have produced a map of natural-hazard mortality that gives a county-level representation of the likelihood of dying as the result of natural events such as floods, earthquakes or...
Florida Governor’s Insurance ‘Plan’ Is Dangerous and Expensive
Mar 9 2009 // The Florida property insurance market today reminds me of the old cartoon with the insurance pitch: “Here’s a nice little policy with a real low premium if you promise never to have any claims.” When the...
Alaska’s Elmendorf Air Force Readies for Earthquake
Mar 6 2009 // Airplanes and crews from Alaska’s Elmendorf Air Force have temporarily moved to southern New Mexico’s Holloman Air Force Base after warnings of a possible eruption of a volcano. The 3rd Wing from Elmendorf,...
RMS Warns Cricket Team Attack Shows Vulnerability of Sports Events
Mar 6 2009 // “The terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore [Pakistan] highlights the vulnerability of sporting events to terrorist disruption,” warned Dr. Gordon Woo, terrorism risk expert at Risk Management...
Proposal Would Set Up Catastrophe Reinsurance Fund in Texas
Mar 6 2009 // A group of Texas legislators wants to require insurance companies to pay into a state catastrophe fund they could tap in case of big losses in a hurricane or other natural disaster. The Texas Windstorm Insurance...
Best Says 2009 Global Non-Life Reinsurance Outlook Remains Stable
Mar 4 2009 // A.M. Best Co. said it is “maintaining a stable outlook in 2009 for the global reinsurance sector for the third consecutive year. This current outlook implies that the majority of 2009 reinsurer rating actions are...
Willis: Increase in Capacity, Downturn in Energy Sector Tempers Hardening Market
Mar 3 2009 // With capacity levels up at the start of 2009, the energy insurance market remains relatively stable — says a new industry report — despite insurers seeking rate increases and the energy industry trying to...
Homeland Chief Orders Gulf Coast Hurricane Recovery Review
Feb 26 2009 // In one of her first moves as Homeland Security secretary, Janet Napolitano has ordered a fresh review of hurricane recovery efforts in the gulf coast 31/2 years after two killer hurricanes swept ashore. In testimony...
Estimate of Damage From Georgia Tornadoes Upped to $35 Million
Feb 25 2009 // The damage estimate from last week’s tornadoes is now more than $35 million based on new observations in southwest Georgia by the state insurance commissioner. Commissioner John Oxendine said after a tour that at...
USC Geographers Create U.S. ‘Death Map’ of Natural Event Fatalities
Feb 22 2009 // Hazard mortality is most prominent in the South, where most people are killed by severe weather, such as tornadoes. University of South Carolina geographers have produced a map of natural-hazard mortality that gives a...
More Earthquakes Rattle New Jersey
Feb 19 2009 // For the third time in three weeks, a small earthquake has rattled an area of north-central New Jersey. No damage or injuries were reported from the 2.3 magnitude quake, which was recorded shortly before 1:42 a.m....
Post-Tornado Emergency Ruling Aims to Bring Adjusters to Oklahoma
Feb 17 2009 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland declared a state of emergency following the recent deadly tornadoes and severe weather in her state. The declaration enables emergency claims adjusters to be licensed temporarily...
