Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Ala. Preps for Hurricane Dennis

Jul 8 2005 // As the Alabama Independent Insurance Agents (AIIA) noted, it looks like Alabama is not going to catch any breaks this year when it comes to hurricanes. AIIA wants to help its members and their customers prepare for the...

He’s Now Tropical Storm Dennis; Heavy Rains, Tornadoes Main Concern Inland

Jul 8 2005 // Hurricane Dennis slammed into the northern coastline of the Gulf of Mexico between Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach, Fla. on Sunday afternoon shortly after 3 p.m. (EDT) packing top sustained winds of 120 mph. The storm...

La. Gov. Declares State of Emergency in Advance of Hurricane Dennis

Jul 8 2005 // Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco issued Proclamation No. 38 KBB 2005, declaring a state of emergency for the state of Louisiana as Hurricane Dennis prepares to enter the Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters say the...

Dennis Is First Hurricane of the Season; On Course Towards Jamaica

Jul 7 2005 // As expected, tropical storm Dennis became Hurricane Dennis yesterday, July 6, when wind speeds exceeded 72 mph (115 km/hr). The storm is currently a category 1 hurricane packing maximum sustained winds near 85 mph (140...

Dennis Threatens Gulf Coast

Jul 7 2005 // Weather forecasters have thus far charted Tropical Storm Dennis on a path toward the Florida panhandle, but Texas coastal residents should nevertheless remain on guard, the Insurance Council of Texas warned. Dennis is not...

N.Y. Congressional Delegation Urges Renewal of Terrorism Insurance

Jul 7 2005 // Twnety-one bipartisan members of Congress from New York have signed a letter urging quick action on renewal of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, which the Bush Administration has opposed in its current form. A day after...

Blair Reacts to London Bombings; Says Countries United to Fight Terrorism

Jul 7 2005 // British Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke about this morning’s explosions on buses and tubes in the capital. Speaking from the G8 summit in Gleneagles, he said his thoughts were with the victims and families of those...

Florida Keys Evacuate as Hurricane Dennis Eyes State

Jul 7 2005 // Evacuations began early Thursday in the Florida Keys as the year’s first hurricane, Dennis, eyed the Sunshine State as it moved through the Caribbean. Forecasters report it could hit Florida as soon as this...

Dennis Becoming Hurricane Menace

Jul 6 2005 // Tropical storm Dennis, the fourth named storm of the season, is currently in the process of consolidation. The latest bulletin from the National Hurricane Center in Miami puts the center of the storm about 310 miles (500...

Tropical Storm Cindy Heads for Northern Gulf Coast

Jul 5 2005 // The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a tropical storm warning for the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico from Intracoastal City, La., to Pascagoula, Miss., including the city of New Orleans and Lake...

Multi-Nation Report Finds Terror Insurance Lacking; Private Markets’ Coverage Not Enough

Jul 5 2005 // Days after the U.S. Treasury issued its report downplaying the need for renewal of a federal terrorism risk reinsurance program, an organization of 30 democratic countries including the U.S. has warned of shortfalls in...

Sens. Schumer, Clinton Blast Treasury Report; Call for TRIA Renewal

Jul 5 2005 // New York Senators Charles E. Schumer, D, and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D, have blasted the Treasury Department’s report, submitted to the Senate Banking Committee, which urged Congress not to renew the Terrorism...

Deductibles Motivated Homeowners to Cheat on Claims

Jul 4 2005 // Investigators Cite Increase in Fla. Insurance Fraud Insurance fraud has increased dramatically in Florida as an after-effect of the 2004 hurricane season Robert Elliott, a lead investigator with Nationwide...

News Briefs

Jul 4 2005 // ALABAMA Arlene’s Timing Perfect for Referral List When Tropical Storm Arlene blew through Alabama it made the timing ideal for the release of a homeowners insurance referral list providing area homeowners with the...

Deductibles Motivated Homeowners to Cheat on Claims

Jul 4 2005 // Insurance fraud has increased dramatically in Florida as an after-effect of the 2004 hurricane season Robert Elliott, a lead investigator with Nationwide Insurance’s Special Investigation Unit told law enforcement...

News Briefs

Jul 4 2005 // ACIC OPPOSES CREDIT BILL: The Association of California Insurance Companies is opposing legislation which would eliminate rather than regulate credit-based insurance scoring, according to ACIC President Sam Sorich. The...

News Briefs

Jul 4 2005 // ACIC OPPOSES CREDIT BILL: The Association of California Insurance Companies is opposing legislation which would eliminate rather than regulate credit-based insurance scoring, according to ACIC President Sam Sorich. The...

FAIA Speaker Warns: Make Hurricane Policy Changes Before That One-in-10,000 Hurricane Hits

Jul 1 2005 // It’s essential to prepare now in case that one-in-10,000 major hurricane hits the Southern United States, Roger Looyenga, CEO of Auto-Owners Insurance told conventioneers attending the Florida Association of...

Record-Breaking 2004 Hurricane Season to Change Cat Modeling

Jul 1 2005 // The 2004 hurricane season has led to a much greater focus on aggregate risk and this will prompt changes in catastrophe risk assessment, attendees at the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) Spring meeting heard. Randall...

Agents Unhappy with Administration’s View on Terror Insurance

Jul 1 2005 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America expressed both cautious optimism and concern over Administration comments regarding a federal backstop for terrorism insurance. The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act is...