Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Agriculture industry starved for ways to reduce terrorism risk

Sep 25 2006 // The war against terrorism may be focused mostly in the Middle East, but people should also pay attention closer to home—especially to the U.S. agriculture industry, according to Dr. Jerry R. Gillespie, director of...

A year past Katrina: What has been learned?

Sep 25 2006 // Peak hurricane season has arrived. Despite this season’s slow start, people who live along the coast are constantly aware that the next big storm could take shape at any time. This year, however, all of us are also...

Iowa’s open dialogue and stable environment a ‘draw’ for insurers

Sep 25 2006 // Iowa is perceived by other states as a model in terms of the number of companies domiciled in the state and those wanting to do business there, as well as having a very stable legislative and regulatory environment. But...

Agriculture industry starved for ways to reduce terrorism risk

Sep 25 2006 // The war against terrorism may be focused mostly in the Middle East, but people should also pay attention closer to home–especially to the U.S. agriculture industry, according to Dr. Jerry R. Gillespie, director of...

Colorado State University predicts fewer hurricanes in 2006

Sep 25 2006 // Forecasters at Colorado State University have lowered their hurricane predictions for the year, based on below-average activity in August, as well as the ocean-weather patterns they track. “We expect slightly...

Post-storm season forecast

Sep 25 2006 // With lots of luck, the second half of the 2006 hurricane season will be as uneventful for most East Coast residents and businesses — and insurers — as the first half has been. Not that the first half...

S.C. not immune to deadly earthquakes

Sep 25 2006 // It was the biggest natural disaster in South Carolina before Hurricane Hugo. On September 8, the 120th anniversary of the Charleston earthquake passed quietly. The magnitude 7.3 earthquake on Aug. 31, 1886, killed more...

A year past Katrina: What has been learned?

Sep 25 2006 // Peak hurricane season has arrived. Despite this season’s slow start, people who live along the coast are constantly aware that the next big storm could take shape at any time. This year, however, all of us are also...

Reinsurers adopt ‘wait and see’ posture at Rendezvous

Sep 25 2006 // For the first time in two years the high and mighty from the reinsurance world gathered for their annual Rendezvous in Monte Carlo without having to face the consequences of an ongoing catastrophe (Ivan in 2004 and Katrina...

Editor’s Note: Post-storm season forecast

Sep 25 2006 // If the immediate hurricane trend does continue, there may be another storm that the insurance industry will have to weather: a political storm. With lots of luck, the second half of the 2006 hurricane season will be as...

Most Americans favor mitigation policies while opposing subsidies for high risks

Sep 25 2006 // Most Americans favor public policies that could help to mitigate the damage caused by catastrophic natural disasters before they happen, but many Americans remain unprepared for a disaster in their own homes and...

Colorado State University predicts fewer hurricanes in 2006

Sep 25 2006 // Forecasters at Colorado State University have lowered their hurricane predictions for the year, based on below-average activity in August, as well as the ocean-weather patterns they track. “We expect slightly...

A year past Katrina: What has been learned?

Sep 25 2006 // Peak hurricane season has arrived. Despite this season’s slow start, people who live along the coast are constantly aware that the next big storm could take shape at any time. This year, however, all of us are also...

Agriculture industry starved for ways to reduce terrorism targets

Sep 25 2006 // The war against terrorism may be focused mostly in the Middle East, but people also should pay attention closer to home — especially to the U.S. agriculture industry, according to Dr. Jerry R. Gillespie, director of...

Texas agents urge legislators to address windstorm problems

Sep 25 2006 // The Texas Legislature’s Texas Joint Committee on Wind-storm Coverage and Budgetary Impact held a public hearing in Corpus Christi in late August, and two of the state’s agent associations–the Independent...

A year past Katrina: What has been learned?

Sep 25 2006 // Peak hurricane season has arrived. Despite this season’s slow start, people who live along the coast are constantly aware that the next big storm could take shape at any time. This year, however, all of us are also...

Creating more capacity on the Texas coastline

Sep 25 2006 // Writing property insurance in Texas can be a difficult proposition, especially in a time when the frequency and severity of catastrophic coastal storms is increasing. To address this problem, the Texas Joint Committee on...

A year past Katrina: What has been learned?

Sep 25 2006 // Peak hurricane season has arrived. Despite this season’s slow start, people who live along the coast are constantly aware that the next big storm could take shape at any time. This year, however, everyone is also...

News Currents

Sep 25 2006 // Texas agents urge legislators to address windstorm problems The Texas Legislature’s Texas Joint Committee on Wind-storm Coverage and Budgetary Impact held a public hearing in Corpus Christi in late August, and two of...

Reinsurers adopt ‘wait and see’ posture at Rendezvous

Sep 25 2006 // News Currents For the first time in two years the high and mighty from the reinsurance world gathered for their annual Rendezvous in Monte Carlo without having to face the consequences of an ongoing catastrophe (Ivan in...