Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Clinton Initiative Pledges Total $1.25 Billion; Gaza Terrorist Cover

Sep 19 2005 // Former President Bill Clinton closed a very successful initial conference in New York for his Global Initiative with commitments of $1.25 billion. The 3-day event, organized by the ex-President to coincide with the current...

Former FEMA Director Witt to Lead N.Y. Catastrophe Coalition

Sep 19 2005 // James Lee Witt, the former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, today announced the formation of a state coalition to better prepare and protect New Yorkers from the consequences of a catastrophic storm,...

NHC Tracking Tropical Storm Rita, Hurricane Philippe

Sep 19 2005 // Rita became the 17th named storm of the current season over the weekend, as maximum sustained winds neared 50 mph (85 km/hr) with higher gusts. Miami’s National Hurricane Center warned that the storm could become a...

Rita Wobbles West Toward Key West; Expected to Gain Hurricane Strength Monday Evening, Hit Keys Tuesday Morning

Sep 19 2005 // Tourists and residents are beginning to evacuate Key West, and homeowners and businessmen are boarding-up, as Tropical Storm Rita continues on a path from east of Nassau, Bahamas toward south Florida. Rita’s winds...

HURRICANE KATRINA: The Legal Saga Begins

Sep 19 2005 // Liability Claims Will Range Far-and-Wide for Years to Come The New Orleans tragedy may spawn a wave of litigation related to flood protection and levee failures. Public statements, which may serve as a foundation for...

Climate Change Poses Major Threat to U.S. Insurance Industry

Sep 19 2005 // Report Warns of Dire Consequences Unless Industry, Government Act Hurricane Katrina is a reminder that U.S. insurers, government and consumers are at great risk from escalating losses from hurricanes and other...

Surveying the Damage: After Katrina, Can the Industry Withstand Another Disaster?

Sep 19 2005 // Hurricane Katrina could be called an industry nightmare. Some insurers were still reeling from the effects of the Asian tsunamis and last year’s four hurricanes. Yet when Katrina struck in late August, she forced...

Hurricane Katrina: The Legal Saga Begins

Sep 19 2005 // The New Orleans tragedy may spawn a wave of litigation related to flood protection and levee failures. Public statements, which may serve as a foundation for massive public safety legal claims, began Sept. 1. Based on the...

FAIA Studying Windstorm ‘Vehicle’

Sep 19 2005 // The Florida Association of Insurance Agents has announced it will study “another avenue” for covering hurricane wind damage in Florida and would like to establish its own “vehicle” to insure...

S. Floridians Viewed Hurricane Katrina as an Expensive Nuisance

Sep 19 2005 // Insurance adjusters scrambled to South Florida to work on claims before they realized Hurricane Katrina was going to cross into the Gulf of Mexico and become a catastrophic hurricane devastating Mississippi and...

Fla. Lawmakers Nelson, Foley Voice Support for National CAT Fund

Sep 19 2005 // Two Florida lawmakers, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and U.S. Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), have voiced support for a national catastrophe fund insurance companies would establish to provide extra funding in the event of...

There’s a Lot to Do in Katrina’s Wake

Sep 19 2005 // The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s crushing blow to Louisiana and Mississippi makes one wonder, how long it will take for everything to get back to normal, and will it? Last week, I talked to several insurance...

Fla. Task Force to Discuss How to Solve Hurricane Insurance Crisis

Sep 19 2005 // A 12-member Task Force on Long-Term Solutions for Florida’s Hurricane Insurance Market is studying how to help Floridians obtain hurricane insurance, amid complaints that consumers don’t have a seat on the...

Katrina Prompts States to Review Their Disaster Playbooks

Sep 19 2005 // With the horrors from Hurricane Katrina still flashing on live television, Connecticut emergency officials and Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) met on Sept. 7 to decide how to evacuate 100,000 coastal residents if a Category 4...

Climate Change Poses Major Threat to U.S. Insurance Industry

Sep 19 2005 // Hurricane Katrina is a reminder that U.S. insurers, government and consumers are at great risk from escalating losses from hurricanes and other weather-related events, according to a report by a Boston-based investor and...

Fla. Lawmakers Nelson, Foley Voice Support for National CAT Fund

Sep 19 2005 // Two Florida lawmakers, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and U.S. Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), have voiced support for a national catastrophe fund insurance companies would establish to provide extra funding in the event of...

Editor’s Note: There’s a Lot to Do in Katrina’s Wake

Sep 19 2005 // The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s crushing blow to Louisiana and Mississippi makes one wonder, how long it will take for everything to get back to normal, and will it? Last week, I talked to several insurance...

Hurricane Katrina: The Legal Saga Begins

Sep 19 2005 // The New Orleans tragedy may spawn a wave of litigation related to flood protection and levee failures. Public statements, which may serve as a foundation for massive public safety legal claims, began Sept. 1. Based on the...

States Take on Hurricane Relief

Sep 19 2005 // The wheels of state governments across the continent are spinning into action to cope with the far-reaching devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Nearly all states are pitching in somehow. At least 40 states are providing...

States Reopen their Disaster Playbooks in Light of Hurricane Katrina

Sep 19 2005 // Mark K. Matthews With the horrors from Hurricane Katrina still flashing on live TV, Connecticut emergency officials and Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) met recently to decide how to evacuate 100,000 coastal residents if a Category 4...