Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tornadoes, Hurricanes and Fires… Oh My! 2016 A Rough Year for the Southeast
Jan 11 2017 // It is fair to say 2016 was the year of the catastrophe in the Southeast. Tornadoes, drought, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires impacted virtually every state in the region. For the insurance industry, these events made for...
Kansas Universities Mulling Increase in Earthquake Insurance Coverage
Jan 9 2017 // Regents system universities in Kansas are reviewing earthquake insurance policies after several quakes were reported in the state this year. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the universities’ chief financial...
West Regulation Report Card: California Most Politicized State
Jan 9 2017 // A report gives California’s insurance regulatory environment low marks for auto body repair rules, the insurance commissioner’s call for insurers to divest from coal, its prior approval law and being the...
Expert: Remote Nevada Earthquakes Big Enough to Cause $1B in Damage
Jan 9 2017 // A trio of significant earthquakes that struck a remote part of western Nevada along the Sierra Mountains’ eastern last month were big enough to cause as much as $1 billion in damage if they had been centered beneath...
Weather Service: At Least 8 Tornadoes Hit Louisiana on Jan. 2
Jan 6 2017 // The National Weather Service says at least eight tornadoes hit Louisiana on Jan. 2. Survey teams conclude twisters damaged parts of Avoyelles, Beauregard, Evangeline, Rapides and Tangipahoa parishes. The most powerful...
NWS Reports At Least 9 Tornadoes Hit 12 Mississippi Counties in 1 Day
Jan 6 2017 // The National Weather Service has counted at least nine tornadoes hitting Mississippi on Monday. Survey teams conclude storm damage was caused by twisters in Claiborne, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, Jasper, Jefferson, Lamar,...
New Hurricane Research Looks Like Good News for Atlantic Coast
Jan 5 2017 // Active Atlantic hurricane periods, like the one now, are not necessarily a harbinger of more, rapidly intensifying hurricanes along the U.S. coast, according to new research performed at the University of...
Global Natural Catastrophes Cost Insurers $50B in 2016: Munich Re
Jan 4 2017 // Insurers paid out around $50 billion for natural disaster claims last year, almost double 2015’s payout of $27 billion, reinsurer Munich Re said in its annual natural catastrophe review on Wednesday. Earthquakes in...
More Earthquakes Strike Near Pawnee, Oklahoma
Jan 3 2017 // Three earthquakes have struck in the area of northern Oklahoma that was rattled last year by the largest earthquake in state history. The U.S. Geological Survey says back-to-back earthquakes hit in the morning on Jan. 2...
Kansas Universities Mulling Increase in Earthquake Insurance Coverage
Jan 3 2017 // Regents universities in Kansas are reviewing earthquake insurance policies after several quakes were reported in the state this year. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the universities’ chief financial officers...
Expert: Remote Nevada Earthquakes Big Enough to Cause $1B in Damage
Dec 30 2016 // A trio of significant earthquakes that struck a remote part of western Nevada along the Sierra Mountains’ eastern front Wednesday were big enough to cause as much as $1 billion in damage if they had been centered...
Families Remember Deadly North Texas Tornado
Dec 29 2016 // Kenneth and Natasha Briggs and their four children had avoided the area near the Bush Turnpike and Interstate 30 in spite of, and because of, what it had done to form their family. This week, however, Natasha sat front and...
Alabama Establishes New Mitigation Discounts for IBHS Fortified Structures
Dec 29 2016 // The Alabama Department of Insurance (ALDOI) has established new wind mitigation discounts for property insurance for Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) Fortified residential and commercial structures...
Western Kansas Saw 3 Brief Tornadoes Seen On Christmas Day
Dec 28 2016 // Three tornadoes were reported in Kansas on Christmas Day, causing some damage but no injuries, the National Weather Service confirmed. The Dodge City office of the weather service said the first tornado was reported six...
Philippines Hunts for Crew of Ship Sunk by Typhoon Nock-Ten; AIR Comments
Dec 28 2016 // The Philippine coast guard pressed its search Tuesday for 18 crewmen from a cargo ship that sank at the height of Typhoon Nock-Ten, which struck the country on Christmas Day. Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said 14...
Florida Church Struggles to Fix Steeple Toppled by Hurricane Matthew
Dec 27 2016 // The pastor of a Florida church whose steeple was toppled by Hurricane Matthew says it’s painful to see the storm’s damage linger. The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that the 25-foot steeple remains where it...
Russia Focuses on Pilot or Technical Fault, Not Terrorism, as Plane Crash Cause
Dec 27 2016 // A pilot error or a technical fault — not terrorism — is likely to be the cause of the plane crash into the Black Sea, Russian officials said Monday as the nation held a day of mourning for the victims. All 84...
Earthquake in Southern Chile Causes Minor Damage; 4,000 Evacuated
Dec 27 2016 // A powerful earthquake shook southern Chile on Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of deaths and only minor known damage. The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake’s magnitude at 7.6 and said it struck at 11:22...
Israel’s ‘Facebook Law’ Targets Content ‘Liable to Incite’ Terrorism
Dec 27 2016 // Israeli courts could demand that companies such as Facebook Inc. remove content deemed as incitement, under a bill that that will head for parliamentary approval amid concerns about free speech. The law would give Israel...
West Regulation Report Card: California Most Politicized State
Dec 22 2016 // A report gives California’s insurance regulatory environment low marks for auto body repair rules, the insurance commissioner’s call for insurers to divest from coal, its prior approval law and being the...
