Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. property/casualty industry posts record 1Q profits
Jul 24 2006 // News Currents The U.S. property/casualty industry’s net gain on underwriting rose $1.4 billion, or 20.8 percent, to $8.4 billion in first-quarter 2006 from $6.9 billion in first-quarter 2005. The combined...
Watching out what you wish for
Jul 24 2006 // I don’t know about you but it’s only the middle of July (as this issue goes to print) and I’m already ready for the weather to cool off. You know that old adage about waiting 15 minutes for the weather to...
A separate survey
Jul 24 2006 // A separate survey released in May by the National Hurricane Survival Initiative (www.hurricanesafety.org) also revealed a high percentage of residents in hurricane-vulnerable states aren’t prepared, don’t take...
HIGHER WINDSTORM RATES
Jul 24 2006 // Although many in the insurance industry don’t think they are going up enough, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (www.twia.org) is set to raise its rates effective Sept. 1 for new and renewal policies....
Coastal communities only halfway ready for a major storm
Jul 24 2006 // Survey finds Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia most prepared Average insured homeowners throughout Gulf and Atlantic coastal communities have taken just half the steps which would best position them to recover...
Former FEMA director promotes state, federal disaster mediation
Jul 24 2006 // Federal and state governments need to work with insurance companies to sponsor disaster mediation programs before something happens, before people who have worked all their lives for everything they have, then all of a...
‘Adequate rate for the risk’ a big concern for industry executives
Jul 24 2006 // The question of how to structure property insurance rates adequately in coastal zones while still making it affordable for people to live and work there is becoming an increasingly important one to insurers and consumers...
Two Miami Adjusters Arrested in $400,000 Hurricane Fraud Case
Jul 21 2006 // Two licensed public adjusters who fraudulently collected more than $400,000 from two insurance companies by submitting bogus contractor agreements have been arrested in Miami by detectives in the Department of Financial...
Hawkeye-Security Offers New Web-based Disaster Planning Tool
Jul 20 2006 // Businesses insured through Des Moines-Iowa-based Hawkeye-Security Insurance, a member of the Liberty Mutual Group, will be among the first in the upper Midwest to use Open for Business, a free, web-based tool that allows...
Tropical Storm Beryl Warning Continues for SE Mass.; Storm Watch Issued for Long Island
Jul 20 2006 // A tropical storm warning remains in effect as of 2 p.m. for southeastern Massachusetts from Plymouth to Woods Hole including Cape Cod and the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. The National Hurricane Center...
Three Arrested in Post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans Hospital Deaths
Jul 19 2006 // Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., announced that his Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) has made three arrests in the investigation surrounding patient deaths at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans. The...
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...
