Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Magnitude 5.3 Earthquake Jolts Hawaii’s Big Island
Aug 15 2007 // An earthquake on Monday jolted the Big Island of Hawaii, which is already under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning. The magnitude 5.3 temblor struck at 7:38 p.m. local time, about 25 miles south of Hilo,...
Hurricane Modeling Pioneer Clark Forms Consulting Company
Aug 14 2007 // Catastrophe modeling pioneer and founder of the firm AIR, Karen Clark, has formed a new firm—Karen Clark & Co.—to help companies better use catastrophe models in important risk management decisions. The Boston...
Category 4 Hurricane Flossie Keeps to Its Path Toward Hawaii
Aug 14 2007 // Hurricane Flossie roared toward Hawaii on Monday with its sustained wind increased to 140 mph, though forecasters said the Category 4 storm would weaken before passing by the islands. The hurricane was expected to pass...
Aggressive Wildfire Puts Firefighters on Defense in Idaho
Aug 14 2007 // Two cabins and a large outbuilding burned as wind-whipped flames flared 200 feet high Sunday on the Zena/Loon wildfire in north-central Idaho. No injuries were reported, but firefighters struggled to protect buildings in...
Fla. Cities can Apply for Hurricane Wilma Assistance
Aug 13 2007 // Additional federal money is being made available for home repairs in Florida communities affected by Hurricane Wilma almost two years ago, state officials said. The federal government is releasing a new $100 million...
Government Forecasters Join in Lowering Atlantic Hurricane Estimate… Slightly
Aug 10 2007 // Government forecasters have minimally reduced their prediction for the Atlantic hurricane season, but say that up to nine hurricanes and up to 16 tropical storms are expected to form, still a busier-than-average...
Lawmakers: Former Hurricane Center Head Should Get Old Job
Aug 9 2007 // If the ousted director of the National Hurricane Center is not allowed to return to his job, he should at least be assigned to his previous weather-related position, two lawmakers said Monday. U.S. Reps. Brad Miller,...
S&P Report Analyzes U.S. Insurers Hurricane Readiness
Aug 8 2007 // So far the U.S. hurricane season has been remarkable for its absence, but Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services questions whether that trend will continue. In a report, entitled “Are U.S. Insurers Ready If...
Gray Lowers Hurricance Forecast to 4 Intense Storms
Aug 8 2007 // Noted hurricane researcher William Gray from Colorado State University has lowered his 2007 forecast slightly, citing cooler water in the Pacific and more atmospheric dust from Africa in predicting 15 named storms and...
Katrina at Two Years: $40.6 Billion Paid on 1.7 Million Insurance Claims
Aug 7 2007 // Two years later, the “overwhelming majority of claims” in Gulf Coast states from Hurricane Katrina have been settled in what has been the single largest loss — $40.6 billion — in the history of the...
AIR Reports Modeling $3 Billion in Catastrophe Bonds To Date in 2007
Aug 7 2007 // AIR Worldwide Corp. reports that it has provided risk modeling and analytical services for more than $3 billion in insurance-linked securities to date this year, or nearly 70 percent of 2007 new issuances. So far in 2007...
Won’t go away from the water
Aug 6 2007 // Survey finds one-third on coast will resist evacuation According to a new survey of people in high-risk hurricane areas, one-third (31 percent) of residents said if government officials said they had to evacuate due to a...
Putting Florida’s rate filing and reinsurance controversy in context
Aug 6 2007 // Currently underway in Florida is a controversy over the amount of private reinsurance homeowners insurers should purchase in addition to the now expanded $28 billion in reinsurance available from the Florida Hurricane...
Study: Wind coverage hard to find for Gulf Coast businesses
Aug 6 2007 // As a key House committee voted to add wind coverage to the federal flood insurance program over insurers’ objections, a new study reported that many businesses along the Gulf of Mexico coast have had a difficult time...
Lloyd’s America’s Baker: Time for action on climate change is now
Aug 6 2007 // For an insurer, understanding climate change is a matter of understanding trends in risk and changes in those trends. For Wendy Baker, president of Lloyd’s Amer-ica Inc., staying on top of those trends in the United...
News Currents
Aug 6 2007 // Won’t go away from the water Survey finds one-third on coast will resist evacuation According to a new survey of people in high-risk hurricane areas, one-third (31 percent) of residents said if government officials...
News Currents
Aug 6 2007 // Study: Wind coverage hard to find for Gulf Coast businesses As a key House committee voted to add wind coverage to the federal flood insurance program over insurers’ objections, a new study reported that many...
Putting Florida’s rate filing and reinsurance controversy in context
Aug 6 2007 // Currently underway in Florida is a controversy over the amount of private reinsurance homeowners insurers should purchase in addition to the now expanded $28 billion in reinsurance available from the Florida Hurricane...
Former National Hurricane Center Director Asks for Job Back
Aug 3 2007 // The ousted director of the National Hurricane Center has asked for his job back, saying his removal was improper. Lawyers for Bill Proenza wrote in an 11-page letter that the manner and timing of his removal in July was...
House Committee Advances Bill to Extend Terrorism Reinsurance Backstop for 15 Years
Aug 2 2007 // The House Financial Services Committee voted yesterday to extend and expand the federal terrorism reinsurance law, going against the wishes of the Bush Administration. The panel voted by 49 to 20 in favor of H.R. 2761, the...
