Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oregon Proposes Sharing Wildfire Costs
Oct 22 2008 // The only sure things about wildfires is that they will cost more to put out than they used to and that they remain as unpredictable as ever. Hotter, drier summers, rising labor and equipment costs, buildup of forest fuels...
Travelers Takes Q3 Hit from Hurricanes
Oct 22 2008 // Travelers Cos. Inc.’s net income dropped to $214 million for the third quarter, down from $1.2 billion for the same period last year, as the company absorbed losses from Hurricanes Ike, Gustav and Dolly. The...
California Opens Local Assistance Center for Wildfire Victims
Oct 22 2008 // California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the establishment of a Local Assistance Center to help victims of the recent Southern California wildfires. The center, located at Dexter Park, in Sylmar, Calif., will...
California Recovers Nearly $13 Million Following 2007 Wildfires
Oct 21 2008 // Nearly one year after the October 2007 wildfires, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced that the state’s Department of Insurance has recovered more than $12.7 million from insurance companies by...
Willis Report: California May See Less Shaking in Earthquake
Oct 21 2008 // Willis Group Holdings, a global insurance broker, has released a report summarizing recent changes in the scientific view of seismic hazard in the United States. The report has been added to the curriculum of the Associate...
$395 Million Approved for Flood, Tornado Recovery in Iowa
Oct 20 2008 // Iowa communities are getting help recovering from a series of natural disasters this year with nearly $395 million in state and federal funding. The money will go to at least 3,200 projects. The biggest chunk of it, about...
Storms’ Toll Takes on Many Forms
Oct 20 2008 // The industry group says at least $553.1 million in insured losses were left by remnants of Hurricane Ike, which swept through the state on Sept. 14. The economic crisis with the failures of Lehman Brothers, then AIG, and...
Carvill Offers Options on Individual Named Storms
Oct 20 2008 // Carvill Capital Markets recently listed named storm contracts on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, providing coverage for live hurricanes and for an entire hurricane season. Patrick Gonnelli, president of Carvill Capital...
Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Sean Dilweg
Oct 20 2008 // From tornadoes, hail and flooding to the impact of the AIG bailout and the federal versus state regulation debate, Sean Dilweg has a lot on his plate as Wisconsin’s insurance commissioner. Appointed by Wisconsin...
Shrinking Citizens Signals Progress in Florida Property Market
Oct 20 2008 // Florida remains focused on recovery of its property insurance market. But new rules for reinsurers, a national catastrophe plan and the use of occupational rating in insurance are also on the radar of Florida Insurance...
Hurricanes, Credit Crunch Hit Louisiana, Texas Agriculture
Oct 20 2008 // Like farmers and ranchers across the United States, agriculture producers in Texas and Louisiana have been impacted by rising fuel and fertilizer costs, and they fear the credit squeeze gripping the nation will make it...
Carvill Offers Options on Individual Named Storms
Oct 20 2008 // Carvill Capital Markets recently listed named storm contracts on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, providing coverage for live hurricanes and for an entire hurricane season. Patrick Gonnelli, president of Carvill Capital...
Cross-Border Trucking, Competitiveness Concerns in Arizona
Oct 20 2008 // Being the sixth-largest state in the nation, and one of the fastest-growing, makes Arizona an attractive place to live and do business. And that means the state is desirable from an insurance perspective, too, according to...
A.M. Best, Insurers Concerned over Florida’s Catastrophe Fund Capabilities
Oct 16 2008 // The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund Advisory Council recently presented its 2008 October bonding estimates, rattling the nerves of insurers in the process. While David Sampson, president and chief executive officer of...
Texas Regulators: Ike Repairs on Coast Must Follow Building Code Rules
Oct 16 2008 // The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) issued a reminder that homes along the Gulf Coast damaged by Hurricane Ike must be repaired in accordance with the Texas Windstorm Building Code (TWBC) if the homeowner plans to...
Hurricane Omar Heads for Leeward Islands
Oct 15 2008 // Omar has intensified to hurricane strength in the last 24 hours and continues to move gradually towards the northern Leeward Islands. It is a relatively small storm with hurricane force winds extending up to just 15 miles...
Wildfires Rage North of Los Angeles
Oct 15 2008 // With savage winds subsiding overnight, firefighters on Tuesday contained 70 percent of one of the three major wildfires that have charred more than 25 square miles, destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of people...
Georgia Drought Persists Despite Rains from Hurricanes
Oct 14 2008 // The banks of Georgia’s Lake Lanier look about the same as last year: Closed boat ramps, parched soil and lonely islands peeking above the surface that should be covered by a dozen feet of water. Epic drought forced...
FEMA Extends Hurricane Ike Housing Deadline in Louisiana
Oct 14 2008 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended its deadline for providing temporary housing for evacuees of Hurricane Ike in Louisiana. Gov. Bobby Jindal says FEMA will now provide temporary housing until Oct....
Wildfire Threatens Homes, Wineries in Napa Valley
Oct 13 2008 // Hundreds of firefighters are battling a wildfire that is threatening homes and wineries in California’s Napa Valley. Fire officials say the blaze burned 300 acres in the hills by Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008, evening just...
