Latest Catastrophe Headlines

All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.

From the Big Apple to the Corn State

Oct 8 2007 // From the executive office of the Greater New York Mutual Insurance Companies on Madison Avenue in the heart of New York City, Warren Heck, chairman and chief executive officer, can see Illinois. “It’s...

House-passed flood insurance bill provides optional windstorm coverage

Oct 8 2007 // The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a measure updating the nation’s flood insurance program that will give homeowners the option of purchasing windstorm coverage as part of their flood policy. The...

News Currents

Oct 8 2007 // Proponents push plans for natural catastrophe insurance solutions Federal backstop proposals aired at NAIC public hearing in Alabama The need for solutions to address insurance costs and availability in natural...

NATURAL CATASTROPHES

Oct 8 2007 // 2006 MARKET SHARE For insurers in Texas BROOKE CORP. LAWSUITS Firm says it has not misled agents

Editor’s Note: Wind, water and legislative storm

Oct 8 2007 // More than two years have gone by, but no one can forget the devastating effects Hurricane Katrina had on the Gulf Coast. Yet legislators and industry leaders continue to debate how to prevent future problems associated...

News Currents

Oct 8 2007 // House-passed flood insurance bill provides optional windstorm coverage The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a measure updating the nation’s flood insurance program that will give homeowners the option of...

N.Y. Proposes ‘Rainy Day’ Catastrophe Insurance Fund With Eventual Tax Break

Oct 5 2007 // Insurance companies providing homeowners, business and other property insurance in New York State would be required to create a catastrophe reserve fund to help pay claims caused by hurricanes and other natural disasters...

Tornado Cuts a 20-mile Path of Damage in Central Iowa

Oct 4 2007 // Officials were inspecting damage Monday, Oct. 1st from a tornado that cut a 20-mile long path across four central Iowa counties. The tornado dropped out of storms that developed late Sunday afternoon, bringing high wind,...

For Small Fla. Insurer, Sunshine State Brings Storm Clouds

Oct 3 2007 // From “Happy Days” to “The Perfect Storm” is how one Florida insurance executive describes her state’s turbulent and defining years between 2003 and 2007 – and she isn’t talking...

Alaska Fire Authorities Launch Interior Wildfire Protection Plan

Oct 2 2007 // Alaska forestry officials are planning a series of prescribed burns to torch debris piles that have built up over the past three years. It’s part of a wildfire protection effort being implemented by the Alaska...

Magnitude 7.4 Quake Strikes South of New Zealand

Oct 1 2007 // A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 occurred south of New Zealand on Sunday and there may be a chance of tsunamis, Japanese monitors said. There was no immediate report of injuries, damage or...

Tropical Storm Melissa Strengthens in Atlantic; Lorenzo’s Rains Kill 5

Oct 1 2007 // Floodwaters from Hurricane Lorenzo were receding Sept. 29 in eastern Mexico after rains triggered mudslides and floods that killed at least five people and drove tens of thousands from their homes. Meanwhile, Tropical...

Hurricane Lorenzo Strikes Mexico

Sep 28 2007 // Lorenzo, a category 1 hurricane, has come ashore along the east-central coast of Mexico. The storm is “moving toward the west near 8 mph [13 km/hr]” according to the latest bulletin from the National Hurricane...

State Updates Map of Ohio Earthquakes for First Time since 2002

Sep 28 2007 // For the first time in five years, the state has revised its map showing where earthquakes have shaken Ohio. The Department of Natural Resources says more than 30 quakes have been recorded in and around the state since the...

House-Passed Flood Insurance Bill Includes Windstorm, Business Interruption Options

Sep 28 2007 // The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a measure updating the nation’s flood insurance program that will give homeowners the option of purchasing windstorm coverage as part of their flood policy. The...

Actuaries Oppose Wind Addition to National Flood Insurance

Sep 28 2007 // The National Flood Insurance Program is over $17 billion in debt according to the American Academy of Actuaries, adding further anxiety to a proposal to add wind peril coverage to the national plan. While the U.S. House of...

Alabama Hearing Highlights Catastrophe Plan Options

Sep 26 2007 // Whether the nation needs a federal or other governmental program to deal with insurance costs and availability for natural catastrophes in U.S. coastal states was the central question at a public hearing in Mobile, Ala.,...

La., Texas Towns Recovering Slowly 2 Years after Hurricane Rita

Sep 25 2007 // Cameron, La., and Weirgate, Texas, have something in common: both are recovering slowly two years after Hurricane Rita blew through them in September 2005. According to Associated Press reports, nearly everyone in Cameron...

Oregon Researchers Simulate Tsunami

Sep 25 2007 // A giant tsunami struck Seaside, Ore. last week — at least, a model version of the town, built by researchers at Oregon State University to demonstrate the potentially devastating effects of a real...

Fla. Insurance Commissioner Supports National Catastrophe Plan

Sep 25 2007 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty touted the need for a comprehensive national plan, and a national catastrophe fund at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Southeast Zone meeting in...