Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Slow Moving Typhoon Koppu Kills 4 in Philippines, Displaces Thousands
Oct 19 2015 // Typhoon Koppu left at least four people dead in the Philippines, shutting schools and government offices, while floods and landslides continue to threaten the nation’s main Luzon Island. The slow-moving and powerful...
Willis Re Unveils ‘Enhanced Approach’ for Catastrophe Risk Exposure
Oct 19 2015 // Willis Re, the reinsurance brokerage division of Willis Group Holdings plc, announced that it has released the “Willis Re View of Catastrophe Risk.” The program offers an “enhanced approach to catastrophe...
Insuring against Terrorism: America’s Post-9/11 Recovery
Oct 19 2015 // In a nation founded on a system of checks and balances – House against Senate, Supreme Court versus the Presidency – gridlock can be a fact of life, especially in peacetime. But in a time of real trouble from...
2 Northern California Wildfires Caused Nearly $2B in Damage
Oct 16 2015 // An insurance company says two massive wildfires that burned up parts of Northern California did nearly $2 billion in damage, among the costliest blazes the Golden State has ever seen. The Sacramento Bee reports that a...
Typhoon Koppu (a.k.a. Lando) to Hit Philippines with Heavy Rainfall Warnings
Oct 16 2015 // Typhoon Koppu is gaining strength and looks likely to deliver heavy rainfall over parts of Luzon in the northern Philippines this weekend and early next week, which may trigger dangerous flooding and mudslides, according...
Proposal for Higher Texas Windstorm Policy Liability Limits Denied
Oct 15 2015 // Texas Insurance Commissioner David Mattax has denied a request by the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) to increase limits of liability for residential and commercial properties it insures along the Texas...
Climate Change Means Wildfire Seasons May Continue: Professor
Oct 15 2015 // The drought-plagued western U.S. has had more than its share of fires this year – but this may not be the last year that the nation sees so many wildfires gone wild. A Yale University professor looking back over the last...
Residents Evacuate as Wildfire Burns in Northwestern Louisiana
Oct 15 2015 // Authorities say a series of wildfires have burned more than two square miles in northwestern Louisiana and threatened homes. Louisiana State Police said in a statement that the fires started Tuesday afternoon in Bienville...
Update: Central Texas Wildfire Now Over 4,000 Acres
Oct 15 2015 // A Central Texas wildfire grew to more than 4,000 acres on Oct. 15, and at least 400 homes have been evacuated according to the Bastrop County Emergency Management Agency. The Texas A&M Forest Service had said the blaze...
Amtrak Sponsors $275M Cat Bond for Northeast Storm Surge, Wind, Quake
Oct 14 2015 // Amtrak is getting $275 million of reinsurance protection from the capital markets for its wholly owned captive, covering storm surge, wind and earthquake perils, according to GC Securities. GC Securities, the capital...
Will This Earthquake Cause Damage? Tips to Think Like a Seismologist!
Oct 14 2015 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic Earthquakes have the potential to cause major destruction and disruption to society. Damage caused by earthquakes can be catastrophic and can have both a humanitarian...
Gains Made on Wyoming Wildfire That’s Destroyed Dozen-plus Structures
Oct 14 2015 // Wyoming State Forester Bill Crapser blames unseasonably dry weather with temperatures in the 70s and 80s for a destructive wildfire just outside Casper, which is practically unheard of at this time of year in the Cowboy...
Tropical Storm Koppu Forms in Pacific, Heading Toward Philippines, East Asia
Oct 14 2015 // Tropical Storm Koppu, which formed Tuesday in the Pacific Ocean, is heading west in a direction that may bring it ashore in the northern Philippines later this week. The system is forecast to continue its track west...
South Carolina Insurance Head Issues Emergency Orders for Storm Recovery
Oct 13 2015 // The South Carolina Department of Insurance (SCDOI) has issued two bulletins to insurers in an effort to aid with storm recovery efforts in the state. South Carolina Insurance Director Raymond Farmer issued an emergency...
Moody’s Index Aims to Measure Economic Impact of Terrorism
Oct 13 2015 // Can the impact of terrorism on economic growth be measured? Moody’s Investors Service has constructed a terrorism index to quantify the hit to gross domestic product, government spending, investment and borrowing...
California Bill Requiring Earthquake Reports on Water Infrastructure Signed
Oct 9 2015 // California Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed into law a plan to require regional water-management officials to report the vulnerability of their water systems to an earthquake. Senate Bill 664, authored by Sen. Bob...
Typhoon Mujigae Hits So. China; Strongest Cyclone to Hit Region: AIR Worldwide
Oct 9 2015 // Typhoon Mujigae – also called Kabayan – made landfall in China’s Guangdong Province on October 4 with reported wind speeds up to 135 miles per hour (217 kilometers per hour) in some locations. Mujigae quickly...
California Wildfire Claims Top $1B as Peak Season Begins: Report
Oct 8 2015 // A report forecasts claims from two California wildfires last month will exceed $1 billion. Wildfires in 2015 have caused more damage and financial loss in the U.S. than in any other year since 2007, according to the...
Karen Clark & Company Updates RiskInsight Modeling Platform
Oct 7 2015 // Software product and consulting service provider Karen Clark & Company (KCC) has released RI4, an update to the RiskInsight open loss modeling platform. The update includes enhanced global mapping capabilities, more...
Agent Develops Coverage to Fill Gaps in Traditional Wind Insurance
Oct 6 2015 // Between deductibles, excluded losses, and difficulty accessing business interruption coverage, a business suffering hurricane losses can take a big out-of-pocket economic hit even if it has insurance. There is a disconnect...
