Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Lloyd’s: Stakes ‘Huge’ But Manageable If Major Hurricane Hits New York State
Jul 19 2006 // A Northeast hurricane hitting New York state could result in insured losses of $65 billion, Lloyd’s America President Wendy Baker warned today. “The stakes are huge,” Baker said in a speech to the...
Florida Announces Initial Hurricane Damage Mitigation Program Details
Jul 18 2006 // Roof deck attachment, secondary water barriers, roof coverings, brace gable ends, reinforced roof-to-wall connections, opening protection and exterior doors, including garage doors, are included in a two-step process to be...
Tropical Storm Beryl Headed Toward Cape Lookout, N.C.
Jul 18 2006 // Tropical Storm Beryl was moving slowly to the north and was not intensifying at 11 p.m. est, according to the National Hurricane Center. Initial intensity has kept from 35 to 40 mph, however NHC predicted a chance of some...
La. Woman Arrested on Hurricane Related Fraud Charges
Jul 18 2006 // Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., announced that Martha Collins of 1715 Loretta Street, Donaldsonville, La., was arrested on fraud charges stemming from hurricane related tax refunds. According to the...
Desert Wind, Heat Making Fighting Calif. Wildfires Tough
Jul 14 2006 // California firefighters dug in for another day of blistering heat Thursday as they struggled to keep a string of desert wildfires from spreading toward the mountain resort community of Big Bear Lake. The lightning-sparked...
Hurricane Info Website Launched; Poll Shows Coastal Residents Unprepared
Jul 13 2006 // The launch of a new National Hurricane Survival Initiative and a new website that answers frequently asked questions about hurricanes and enables consumers to judge their readiness for such an event has been launched by...
Indiana Insurer Offers Midwest Tornado Disaster Preparation Guide
Jul 13 2006 // Indiana Insurance, a member of the Liberty Mutual Group, has released a six-page Disaster Planning Guide available to its 92,000 homeowner insurance customers throughout the Midwest. The Guide, which provides tips on...
Montgomery Insurance Issues Hurricane Guide, Teams on Stand By
Jul 13 2006 // Southeast residents should be prepared in case a hurricane threatens the U.S. and according to Michael Plavnicky, Montgomery Insurance president and CEO, his company is fully prepared. Montgomery has issued a six-page,...
Ohio Schools Insure Against Terrorism, Sexual Misconduct
Jul 12 2006 // School insurance policies in Ohio that used to cover the basics, workers’ compensation for staff, liability insurance for jungle gym accidents, now also cover catastrophes such as terrorist attacks or school...
Fla. Public Hurricane Model Data Available Online
Jul 12 2006 // The Florida Public Hurricane Model is now available on the Office of Insurance Regulation’s website according to Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty. Statewide data showing aggregate results of insurance company...
Miss. Trial Could Help Decide Claims from Hurricane Katrina
Jul 12 2006 // Hurricane Katrina left thousands of Gulf Coast homeowners battling their insurance companies. A Mississippi police officer and his wife are the first to take their fight to court. A federal judge on Monday began hearing a...
IIAT Publishes Texas Agency Catastrophe Planning Guide
Jul 12 2006 // After 15 years of quiet, the Texas Gulf Coast woke up last year to the possibility of a windstorm so severe that it could devastate coastal property for years, affect the economy of the entire state, and strain the ability...
Florida State University Wins $6.2M Grant to Foretell Future Hurricane Strength
Jul 11 2006 // The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded a $6.2 million, five-year grant to the Florida State University Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Studies to develop a new tool that could possibly see the...
Sen. Smith Unveils ‘Comprehensive Plan’ to Fix Florida’s Insurance Woes
Jul 11 2006 // Without a real, comprehensive and workable plan, accumulating financial stress could destroy the viability of the Florida’s insurance market and leave millions of Floridians without affordable and reliable insurance...
La. Commissioner Orders Insurers to Extend Hurricane Prescription Period
Jul 11 2006 // Just over a month after he asked insurance companies in his state to voluntarily do so, Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donleon issued Directive 199 mandating that all companies insuring property in Louisiana...
Tenet gets $340M From Insurers for Hurricane Damage
Jul 10 2006 // Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp. said insurance companies paid it $340 million to cover claims from Hurricane Katrina, which damaged five of its hospitals in the New Orleans area and one in Biloxi, Miss. Tenet said it...
Little Help from La. Lawmakers for Skyrocketing Insurance Costs
Jul 10 2006 // Louisiana homeowners hoping for relief from insurance bills that were boosted by the hurricanes received little help from lawmakers. Legislators lamented, complained and worried about rising insurance costs that could...
Storms Prove Costly for Insurance Industry, Wis. Company Says
Jul 10 2006 // While storms such as Hurricane Katrina grab the headlines, a string of smaller storms over the past few years has been taking a toll on insurance companies, industry officials said. Storm claim losses have been running...
Study Questions Effectiveness of Efforts to Deter Terrorism
Jul 7 2006 // Government attempts to deter terrorism can backfire and promote invigorated reprisals and a cycle of violence, according to a new study by University of Maryland researchers. The study is based on a review of what the...
Survey Shows Texans 50% Ready for Major Hurricane
Jul 7 2006 // Insured homeowners in Eastern and Southern Coastal Texas have, on average, taken roughly 50 percent of the steps to prepare their homes and property to recover from a major hurricane, according to a new Hurricane Readiness...
