Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Bermuda Donates $500,000 to Caribbean Cat Risk Insurance Facility
Jun 6 2008 // A bulletin from the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) notes that as of the beginning of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane season, all sixteen original member governments “have signaled their continued...
39 Homeowners Near North Carolina Wildfire Told to Evacuate
Jun 6 2008 // Authorities in eastern North Carolina are telling 39 homeowners to evacuate after a wildfire jumped containment lines. The blaze in the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge has burned up to 10,000 acres, or nearly 16...
Iowa Tornado Toll Estimated at Nearly $6 Million
Jun 5 2008 // The deadly EF5 tornado that ripped through northeastern Iowa did more than $6 million in damage. That’s according to a preliminary estimate from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Iowa Homeland Security and...
More Developing Nations to Consider Catastrophe Bond Issuance
Jun 5 2008 // Governments in emerging markets are increasingly looking at the potential to tap capital markets to help fund the cost of recovery when costly natural catastrophes strike, experts say. Some nations have already issued debt...
South Carolina Safety Department Conducts Hurricane Evacuation Drill
Jun 5 2008 // South Carolina public safety officials planned a hurricane evacuation simulation as the state prepares for this year’s hurricane season. Public Safety spokesman Sid Gaulden said law enforcement personnel and traffic...
FEMA Draft Plan Revisits Use of Trailers for Disaster Victims
Jun 4 2008 // The government may house disaster victims in trailers this hurricane season as a last resort, despite promises never to use them again because of high levels of formaldehyde found in trailers used after the Katrina...
Colorado Researchers Predict 8 Atlantic Hurricanes, 4 Major
Jun 4 2008 // Weather researcher William Gray’s team is calling for eight hurricanes in the Atlantic this year, four of them major. The forecast calls for a very active season, with 15 named storms. The revised outlook from the...
Meteorologists Confirm Tornado Touched Down in Northwest Ohio
Jun 4 2008 // Two of the three tornadoes that traveled through northwest Ohio early on May 31 destroyed homes and left a path of debris, meteorologists said. The National Weather Service said one tornado with winds up to 130 mph touched...
RMS Launches New U.S. Hurricane Loss Index
Jun 3 2008 // Catastrophe risk modeling firm Risk Management Solutions (RMS) has launched a new index for assessing insured industry losses from U.S. hurricanes. Named the Paradex U.S. Hurricane, it combines actual wind speeds at...
After 3-Year Lull, Mississippi, Alabama Gird for New Hurricane Season
Jun 2 2008 // After Hurricane Katrina struck the upper Gulf Coast in 2005, even grizzled storm veterans became edgy when the opening of hurricane season rolled around. Blue tarps covering Katrina-damaged homes are far fewer now, but as...
Tornado Warning Sirens Send Illinois Lawmakers Running for Cover
Jun 2 2008 // Tornado warning sirens chased lawmakers to the statehouse basement, a semitrailer was blown from a roadway and homes and an airport building were damaged as severe storms battered parts of Illinois and Indiana on late on...
More Catastrophe Fund Surcharges Likely for Florida Policyholders
Jun 2 2008 // Florida residents could soon be faced with increased surcharges on their home, auto and other insurance policies because the state’s catastrophe fund needs more money to pay claims from past hurricanes. The Florida...
Coastal Growth from Texas to N.C. Lends Urgency to Hurricane Forecasts
Jun 2 2008 // The rapid pace of development along hurricane-prone coasts is adding a new level of urgency for forecasters to more accurately pinpoint potential storm impact zones, the director of the National Hurricane Center...
Storm Ready
Jun 2 2008 // Forecasters predict that the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season will be an active one for hurricane and tropical storm formation. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s most recent forecast calls for 12 to...
Here We Go Again
Jun 2 2008 // The odd-numbered year scenario could come as close to predicting hurricanes as hurricane forecasting experts have recently. Gulf Coast residents: It’s time to cross your fingers, pull out the old rabbit’s foot,...
Credit Woes May Cause Turbulence in Catastrophe Markets
Jun 2 2008 // Florida, Louisiana and Texas may be most at risk The credit crunch in the U.S. financial markets that boiled over due to the subprime mortgage meltdown may affect the ability of insurers and reinsurers that cover coastal...
Colorado Residents Cleaning Up After Tornadoes, Hail
Jun 2 2008 // Colorado residents affected by powerful storms that struck the northern part of the state about 80 miles north of Denver on May 22, 2008, are beginning to sort through the wreckage and pick up the pieces. According to the...
Scientists Predict $200B in Damage From Southern California Earthquake
Jun 2 2008 // The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the California Geological Survey (CGS) are predicting a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Southern California — similar to the recent earthquake in China — would kill 1,800 people,...
Storm Ready
Jun 2 2008 // Forecasters predict that the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season will be an active one for hurricane and tropical storm formation. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s most recent forecast sees 12 to 16...
‘Garbage In, Gospel Out’
Jun 2 2008 // Catastrophe Modeling Pioneer Clark Analyzes an Industry She Helped Create Karen Clark, former CEO of AIR Worldwide, now heads her own firm Karen Clark & Co. (www.karenclarkandco.comwww.karenclarkandco.com). She made...
