Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Skeptical of Widow’s Claim Twitter Aided Terrorist Group ISIS
Jun 16 2016 // A federal judge said he’ll probably dismiss a lawsuit against Twitter Inc. by the widow of a man killed at a police training center in Jordan that accused the social network of knowingly allowing the Islamic State to...
South Dakota Tornado Had Estimated Wind Speeds Up to 125 MPH
Jun 16 2016 // A tornado that damaged homes and other buildings near the southwestern South Dakota community of Hermosa had estimated wind speeds of up to 125 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The agency has rated the...
Weather Service Puts Montana Tornado at EF-3 Level
Jun 16 2016 // A preliminary storm survey determined a tornado that hit the east-central Montana town of Baker last weekend reached the EF-3 level, matching the strongest tornadoes ever recorded in the state, the National Weather Service...
New Mexico Governor Declares Emergency Amid Growing Wildfire
Jun 16 2016 // A wildfire burning in central New Mexico grew to more than three square miles late Wednesday, sending up a towering plume of smoke that swelled as afternoon temperatures soared and eventually blanketed the state’s...
Persistent Soft Market Begins to Hit Reinsurer Stock Prices: A.M. Best
Jun 15 2016 // While global reinsurers are continuing to withstand challenging market conditions, their stock prices, on average, are starting to take a hit as a result of the persistent soft market and its negative effect on top line...
Allianz Expects Blockchain Tech to Expedite Cat Bond Deals
Jun 15 2016 // German insurer Allianz expects the technology underpinning virtual currency bitcoin to encourage trading in catastrophe bonds, which transfer the risk of natural disasters such as hurricanes to investors. “Cat...
Eastern Montana Tornado Confirmed, Several Injuries Reported
Jun 14 2016 // Several people were injured and one person had to be rescued after a tornado destroyed several homes and damaged a dozen others over the weekend in Baker in eastern Montana. National Weather Service meteorologist Wright...
Why June Storms Are No Harbinger of What’s to Come
Jun 10 2016 // A week into June and two tropical storms have drenched the U.S. South. Perhaps it would be a good time to stock up on duct tape, plywood and sandbags. Unfortunately, using the first few weeks to predict the rest of the...
Bigger Is Better for Lloyd’s Syndicates with Active Cycle Mgmt: S&P
Jun 10 2016 // Benign catastrophe losses, combined with lower and less frequent casualty lines claims, helped Lloyd’s syndicates deliver another strong set of results in 2015, reporting an average combined ratio of 90 percent,...
Missouri Regulator: Risk Increases as Earthquake Insurance Market Shrinks
Jun 9 2016 // More than a half million Missourians are at risk because of the contracting earthquake insurance market, Missouri Department of Insurance Director John M. Huff said during the recent Heartland Insurance Symposium in Kansas...
Global Disasters During May to Cost Insurers at Least $7B: Aon Report
Jun 9 2016 // Global disasters led to at least $7 billion in claims during May as insurers aid the recovery process following wildfires, floods, and storms, according to Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model...
Doak Deems Oklahoma Earthquake Insurance Market ‘Noncompetive’
Jun 8 2016 // Oklahoma’s top insurance regulator has determined that there’s a definite lack of competition in the earthquake insurance market in Oklahoma and ordered insurers to change the way they file rates for the...
Tornado Hits Hamburg – Latest in Europe’s Destructive Summer Storms
Jun 8 2016 // A tornado tore through the northeast of Hamburg on Tuesday evening, blowing off the roofs of several buildings, uprooting dozens of trees and damaging cars and a power line as storms that have raged across Europe this...
Will 2016 See More Atlantic Hurricanes? Scientists Disagree
Jun 7 2016 // This summer and fall, the Atlantic Ocean might become a testing ground for competing scientific theories. After decades of warmth, there’s evidence that the ocean is cooling, a change that could mean fewer of the...
Update: Tropical Storm Colin Moving Out to Sea; Heavy Rain, Atlantic Storm Surge Threats Remain
Jun 7 2016 // Tropical Storm Colin moved out to sea early Tuesday after knocking out power to thousands, prompting Florida Governor Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency. The threat of a storm surge flooding shifted to the Atlantic...
Oklahoma Energy Companies Ask Judge to Dismiss Earthquake Lawsuit
Jun 6 2016 // Three Oklahoma energy companies want a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit demanding they reduce injection volumes at wastewater disposal wells that could be triggering earthquakes. The lawsuit was filed in February by...
Tropical Storm Colin Prompts Flood Warnings in Florida, Georgia
Jun 6 2016 // A disorganized Tropical Storm Colin in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to cross Florida overnight threatening evacuations in the state’s northern and central regions before striking the Georgia and South Carolina...
TWIA Expects $4.9B in Funds for 2016 Hurricane Season
Jun 6 2016 // While reinsurance for the 2016 hurricane season hasn’t yet been nailed down, Texas’ insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast expects to have around $4.9 billion in funds available for...
Regulators: 4 Insurers Hold 55% of the Oklahoma Earthquake Market
Jun 6 2016 // At a May 24 hearing on the competitiveness of earthquake insurance coverage in Oklahoma state insurance regulators released data showing four insurance companies hold 55 percent of the market. That’s a concern for...
South Carolina Commissioner Farmer: Lessons from Historic Floods
Jun 6 2016 // South Carolina’s coastal property insurance market is strong, but the state’s significant catastrophe risk remains an ongoing threat and not one that should be taken lightly. That is the message South Carolina...
