Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Atlantic Hurricane Season Peaks with No Named Storms
Sep 11 2014 // The statistical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season has arrived and for the first time since 2000 there isn’t a named storm in the basin. While forecasters are watching a pair of potential candidates, neither is...
Tropical Storm Odile in Pacific Threatens Mexico
Sep 11 2014 // Tropical Storm Odile off the west coast of Mexico is forecast to become a hurricane tomorrow. Odile, with top winds of 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour, was 210 miles southwest of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, moving west at 2...
Reinsurance Alternative Capital Now 20% of Cat Market: Aon Benfield ILS Report
Sep 11 2014 // Alternative capital has captured approximately a 20 percent market share of property catastrophe reinsurance volume. That news came our of Aon Benfield Securities, which issued its annual report on the insurance-linked...
Havoc in Pacific amid Atlantic Calm Points to Tale of Two Oceans
Sep 11 2014 // For all the Atlantic Ocean’s composure this hurricane season, the eastern Pacific is turbulent after already producing its 15th storm. Tropical Storm Odile formed southwest of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, yesterday,...
Earthquakes Increase in Kansas Task Force Can’t Pinpoint Why
Sep 9 2014 // There’s not enough data to make any determinations about why there has been an increase in the number of earthquakes in Kansas, a three-member task force appointed by Gov. Sam Brownback has concluded. The state has...
Is There a House Republican Deal on Export-Import Bank, Terrorism Insurance?
Sep 9 2014 // Representative Jeb Hensarling, a Texas Republican who has been a key opponent of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, now supports a short-term extension of the bank’s mandate, opening the door to a temporary reprieve for...
U.S. Economic Losses Due to Napa Quake, August Floods Top $4 Billion: Aon
Sep 8 2014 // As far as natural perils go, August was mostly about earthquakes, along with a few tropical storms and typhoons around the world to add to the trouble, according to Aon Benfield’s Impact Forecasting in its latest...
Earthquake Shakes Iceland Volcano, Still No Ash Cloud
Sep 8 2014 // An earthquake struck the region around Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano on Sunday while fissures in the area continued to spew out lava but still none of the ash that could hamper airline traffic. The earthquake...
Oklahoma to Require Earthquake Insurance Education for Producers
Sep 8 2014 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin approved an emergency rule adopted by Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak that requires all licensed producers and adjusters with the property line of authority to complete one hour of continuing...
Over 1,300 Claims Filed After Revere Tornado
Sep 8 2014 // The Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) said that as of Aug. 27, the state’s insurers have received more than 1,300 claims from a rare tornado that ripped through the coastal city of Revere on July 28. The DOI...
Wildfire Spending In Oregon Triggers Lloyd’s Insurance Policy
Sep 5 2014 // Oregon’s tough wildfire season has pushed spending to the point the state Department of Forest is tapping its special insurance policy for the second year in a row. The Bulletin reported that state wildfire costs...
More Evacuations in Northern California Wildfire
Sep 4 2014 // Crews battling a wildfire in a far Northern California forest have expanded a mandatory evacuation order and expect another day of gusty winds and dry conditions that could push the fire over containment lines and into...
Marsh Launches Catastrophic Cyber Policy For Large Companies
Sep 4 2014 // Marsh, a global insurance broker, risk manager and a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Cos., has launched a new cyber insurance policy that provides catastrophic protection for large companies seeking to...
Hurricane Norbert Moving up Mexico’s West Coast; Strengthening Expected: NHC
Sep 4 2014 // The National Hurricane Center in Miami is tracking Hurricane Norbert, the 14th named Western Pacific storm of the season, as it moves up the West coast of Mexico towards the Baja Peninsula. The NHC’s most recent...
Tropical Storm Dolly Moves Ashore off Gulf of Mexico
Sep 4 2014 // Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Dolly threatened flash floods and mudslides in mountainous areas as it moved in from Mexico’s Gulf coast, where authorities had readied shelters and suspended school classes on...
Insured Losses From the Napa Quake Pegged at $250M or Less
Sep 3 2014 // Insured losses from the Aug. 24 earthquake that struck Napa, Calif. will not exceed $250 million, according to a risk management firm. Widespread damage was expected from the 6.0 magnitude event, but there wasn’t...
California State Funds Continue to Shake Up Cat Bond Market
Sep 3 2014 // California’s recent “Winequake” brought the public’s focus back to the state’s significant vulnerability to seismic events. Fortunately, the tremors, while costly, did not tally a high human...
Storms Trigger Tornadoes, Hail, Floods Throughout Midwest
Sep 3 2014 // A storm spotter was hospitalized in Iowa on Sept. 1 after he was struck by lightning while watching a system that left swollen rivers, power outages, trees down and campers overturned. More strong storms rumbled through...
Oklahoma’s Low Tornado Count Result of Cold Weather, Experts Say
Sep 3 2014 // Oklahoma’s extremely cold winter last year and earlier this year likely kept the number of tornadoes this past spring at the state’s lowest levels since 1988, weather experts say. Only 13 tornadoes hit the...
3 Reasons Congress Should Renew TRIA
Sep 3 2014 // U.S. insurance markets, like the rest of the nation, were caught off guard by the Sept.11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Loss of life and property led to an estimated $32.5 billion dollars in insured losses – $43 billion in...
