Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

LDI Web Site a Primary Source for Hurricane Katrina Recovery Information

Sep 12 2005 // The Louisiana Department of Insurance is updating daily important information regarding recovery from Hurricane Katrina, including company contact information, on the department’s Web site at...

Hurricane Ophelia Hits 85 mph, Stationary Off S.C., N.C.

Sep 10 2005 // Hurricane Ophelia has gained strength, with hurricane-force winds of 85 mph with higher gusts and is expected to make landfall along the southeast Atlantic coast Sunday evening or Monday–but the National Hurricane...

Aspen Estimates Katrina-New Orleans Flood Losses at $150 Million

Sep 9 2005 // Bermuda-based Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited announced its initial assessment of the losses sustained from Hurricane Katrina and the “Great New Orleans Flood” would be approximately $150 million. In...

New Orleans Flood Adds $15-$25B in Hurricane Katrina Insured Losses; Total Estimated Losses Rises to $40-$60B

Sep 9 2005 // Risk Management Solutions now estimates that insured losses from Hurricane Katrina are expected to be $40-$60 billion, of which $15-$25 billion are related to the Great New Orleans Flood. Total economic losses may now...

FEMA’s Brown Being Taken Off Hurricane Katrina Operations

Sep 9 2005 // With much discussion over just how quickly and effectively the federal government responded to Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown may be the fall guy. Brown was...

PIA of Georgia Collecting Donations for Hurricane Katrina Victims

Sep 8 2005 // The Professional Insurance Agents of Georgia are collecting donations for victims of Hurricane Katrina, which will be donated to the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. According to Jerry W. Duke, executive vice...

New Report Warns of Rising Threat to Industry from Climate Change

Sep 8 2005 // Hurricane Katrina is a reminder to the U.S. insurance industry, companies, governments and the general public that all are at risk from escalating losses from hurricanes and other weather-related events due to climate...

State Farm Processing Over 200,000 Katrina Claims

Sep 8 2005 // State Farm, the largest insurer of homes and cars in the Gulf States, is servicing more than 223,000 property claims in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The number is expected...

Ophelia Eyes Florida Coast; Pair of Directions Possible

Sep 8 2005 // Despite the loss of 11 lives, residents of Florida breathed a sigh of relief late last month when Hurricane Katrina moved away from the Sunshine State with less damage than last year’s Big Four. Folks in Florida...

NHC Watching Tropical Storm Ophelia

Sep 7 2005 // Miami’s National Hurricane Center is currently tracking three tropical storms in the Atlantic, Ophelia, Maria and Nate. Only the first one poses any potential threat to the U.S. mainland. At 5 a.m. EDT, The center of...

Conn. to Test State’s Readiness in Hurricane Drill Today

Sep 7 2005 // With this year’s hurricane season far from over, Connecticut public officials plan to test the state’s response capabilities in a hurricane drill today. Gov. M. Jodi Rell said she wants to make sure that...

Fla. Insurance Commissioner Supports National CAT Fund

Sep 7 2005 // Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said with the specter of projected hurricane losses from Hurricane Katrina topping $25 billion, he is intensifying his support for creating a national catastrophe fund and a...

Safeco Launches Special Relief Effort in Response to Hurricane Katrina

Sep 7 2005 // Safeco has launched a special disaster-relief effort to deliver financial assistance, equipment and free support services to help independent insurance distributors recover from Hurricane Katrina. This relief effort —...

Typhoon Nabi Hits Kyushu

Sep 6 2005 // Typhoon Nabi roared ashore on Japan’s Southern Island of Kyushu. So far the storm has caused at least one confirmed death; 16 people are reported missing and 23 have reportedly been injured. Nabi is packing winds of...

Katrina Prompts N.H. Officials to Review State’s Disaster Preparedness

Sep 6 2005 // The scope of the destruction and despair in the South has New Hampshire legislators poised to ask plenty of questions about how prepared the state is to handle unspeakable disaster. While agreeing the state is better...

Alliance Raising Funds for Hurricane Katrina Victims

Sep 6 2005 // The American Agents Alliance is doing its part to help victims of Hurricane Katrina by collecting donations for the American Red Cross. “There are so many, many innocent victims of this tragedy, and the images we...

Chubb Establishes $1 Million Relief Fund for Hurricane Katrina Disaster

Sep 6 2005 // The Chubb Corporation has established a $1 million fund for disaster-relief efforts related to Hurricane Katrina, with $500,000 going directly to disaster-relief organizations and an additional $500,000 to be used to match...

Citizens Stops Writing New Policies; Tropical Storm Orphelia Moving N.W. Toward Fla.

Sep 6 2005 // Citizens Property Insurance Corp., has stopped writing new policies or taking changes on exhisting policies in Florida due to the approach of Tropical Storm Orphelia. The tropical storm warning for Ophelia was issued at 11...

Insurers Tally Damage After Wisc. Tornadoes

Sep 5 2005 // Insurance companies are totaling up the damage from more than two dozen tornadoes that struck south-central Wisconsin in mid-August. Statewide, the storms resulted in one death, 30 injuries, 20-25 destroyed homes, and 200...

Disasters: Have They Become a Year-Round Phenomenon in California?

Sep 5 2005 // Are disasters in California happening more frequently or are communication technological advances today making us more aware of impending and hard hitting disasters? To really comprehend, we must examine how our state has...