Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
RMS Withdraws Five-Year Hurricane Model from Florida
May 18 2007 // Risk Management Solutions has withdrawn a short-term, five-year hurricane forecasting model submitted for approval to Florida officials after being told the model did not meet required standards. Mitch Sattler, RMS vice...
Tougher Fla. Building Codes Still a Work in Progress
May 17 2007 // Flying debris smashed through a window and Hurricane Andrew’s screaming winds pushed inside the home, splintering walls and tearing off the roof. Parents and children huddled under a mattress in a bathtub or closet...
On Eve of Hurricane Season, U.S. Mandates Safety Labels on Generators
May 17 2007 // Nine words could save lives this hurricane season: “Using a generator indoors can kill you in minutes.” That might seem obvious, but it’s not — each year dozens of Americans die because they don’t...
Lemac Offers Catastrophe Coverage
May 17 2007 // Los Angeles-based Lemac & Associates has added new markets for catastrophe insurance on major damage earthquake, wind, flood and terrorism risk exposures. Select “A” rated markets for catastrophe insurance...
Hundreds of Florida Wildfire Evacuees Still Waiting to Go Home
May 16 2007 // Higher winds were expected to fan the flames of the large fire burning in southeast Georgia and Florida on Monday. The wildfire that raced through the Okefenokee Swamp in southeast Georgia and into Florida was started by...
Fire Outlook: 2007 Wildfire Season Looks Wicked
May 15 2007 // Fire scientists are predicting an above-average wildfire season from May through August 2007, according to the National Interagency Fire Center Predictive Services Group based in Boise, Idaho. In its “National...
4.6-Magnitude Earthquake Causes Damage in Montana
May 15 2007 // An earthquake damaged an apartment building and knocked bricks off the facades of buildings in southwestern Montana , authorities said. The 4.6 magnitude quake, reported at 9:46 a.m. Tuesday, was centered about nine miles...
Expert: Coastal Overdevelopment Will Worsen Fla.’s Insurance Woes
May 15 2007 // Construction of new high-rise developments on vulnerable barrier islands will continue to exacerbate Florida’s property insurance crisis, according to Robert Hartwig, Ph.D., president and chief economist of the...
Iowa EMC Insurance Reports Midwest Tornado Losses at $21 Million
May 15 2007 // EMC Insurance Cos. said it expects to see losses of up to $21 million from storms last weekend, including devastating tornadoes that killed at least 11 people in Kansas. Des Moines-based EMC insures several businesses and...
Insurers Call for Additional Reforms for Florida Consumers
May 15 2007 // A new Florida law enacted during a 2007 January special session provides immediate savings for homeowners by shifting potential payments for hurricane losses from the homeowners receiving the current policy benefits to...
Wildfires Burn More than 330,000 Acres in Georgia, Florida
May 14 2007 // Officials closed a 35-mile stretch of Interstate 75 from the Georgia-Florida state line to Lake City, Fla., as well as a 40-mile stretch of Interstate 10, from U.S. 90 to U.S. 129, as a gigantic wildfire approached them...
Crist Drops Fla. Hurricane Ad Campaign after Bids Questioned
May 14 2007 // A Florida public service campaign to heighten hurricane awareness has been scrapped by Gov. Charlie Crist just three weeks before the 2007 tropical storm season after two firms that lost out on the lucrative contract cried...
AIR, China Earthquake Administration Team up to Find Faults
May 14 2007 // Boston-based AIR Worldwide Corporation announced a collaboration agreeement with the China Earthquake Administration’s (CEA) Institute of Geology to research active faults and conduct “paleoseismic...
Coastal Texas Officials Question State’s Ability to Help in Hurricane
May 11 2007 // Texas emergency officials are struggling to assure their local counterparts that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan won’t damage the state’s ability to respond to a major hurricane striking the Gulf Coast. Local...
Fla. Recertifies Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology
May 11 2007 // The Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology (FCHLPM) has recertified EQECAT Inc.’s hurricane model for use in Florida according to EQECAT. The EQECAT North Atlantic Hurricane model, a...
Spring Wildfires, Floods Wreak Havoc from Coast to Coast
May 11 2007 // Nature’s fury made life miserable from one end of the United States to the other, with people forced out of their homes by wildfires near both coasts and the Canadian border and by major flooding in the Midwest. And...
Fla. Emergency Officials Practice for Hurricane Season
May 10 2007 // Florida emergency preparedness and response officials started a four-day practice exercise Monday to go through possible scenarios they may face this hurricane season. Officials were working at the emergency operations...
Fla. CFO Offers Advice for Floridians Affected by Wildfires
May 10 2007 // With wildfires threatening homes in Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay and Walton counties, Florida Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Alex Sink advised Floridians who are being forced to evacuate to keep receipts...
Lloyd’s Report Warns of Threats from ‘Political Violence’
May 10 2007 // A new report from Lloyd’s and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has found that global businesses are becoming increasingly concerned about risks from political violence. However, too little has been done to...
Travelers Establishes Multi-Year Catastrophe Bond Program
May 9 2007 // The Travelers Companies, Inc. has set up a multi-year catastrophe bond program to provide reinsurance protection for its insurance subsidiaries for losses resulting from hurricanes and certain other catastrophes in the...
