Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Sen. Nelson Seeks U.S.Help on Florida Hurricane Losses
Mar 25 2009 // U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson has asked the U.S. Treasury to provide assurances to private market lenders that any loans they make in Florida would be repaid at fair market interest in the event of a catastrophe. Nelson, however,...
Obama’s Grabs Florida’s Fugate to Head FEMA
Mar 23 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...
Sink-ing Feeling: Florida Still Searching for Fix for Hurricane Exposure
Mar 23 2009 // Florida lawmakers need to make some smart decisions on reducing the risk to Florida property owners from hurricanes, the state’s chief financial officer said. In a letter to legislative leaders, CFO Alex Sink said...
Sports Terrorism, ‘Names,’ Tongues and Mergers
Mar 23 2009 // Are professional sports the next terrorist targets? The terrorist attack on Sri Lanka’s cricket team in Lahore (Pakistan) “highlights the vulnerability of sporting events to terrorist disruption,” warned...
Canon Insurance Releases New Earthquake Facility
Mar 20 2009 // Canon Insurance Service has added a new in-house earthquake insurance program to its specialty coverages. The expanded coverage can be written anywhere in California, with Canon retaining full authority to quote and issue...
Kattermann Joins Brightclaim to Head Up Catastrophe Division
Mar 19 2009 // Atlanta, GA – March 19, 2009 – George Kattermann has joined BrightClaim as Vice President. His primary focus will be overall responsibility and management of BrightClaim’s Catastrophe Services....
Midwest’s New Madrid Earthquake Zone: Is It Dying Out?
Mar 19 2009 // A Midwest fault zone that unleashed a series of violent earthquakes in the early 19th century shows no signs of building up the stresses needed for the quakes many seismologists expect to someday rock the region again, two...
Swiss Re <em>sigma</em> Study Tallies Catastrophic 2008
Mar 18 2009 // Swiss Re has just released its latest sigma study, which details the toll of disasters that made 2008 “one of the worst years for catastrophe losses” according to the report. More than 240,500 people lost their...
Florida Receives $900K Stimulus Funds for Wildfire Prevention
Mar 17 2009 // Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson announced that his department has been awarded $900,000 under the federal stimulus plan to conduct wildfire prevention efforts. The funding, which...
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,...
