Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Bill to Close Earthquake Loophole Clears Committee
May 5 2014 // A California bill to close a loophole that enables building on active earthquake faults without considering the impacts passed a key committee hurdle in late April. Senate Bill 1155, authored by state Sen. Ted Lieu,...
10 Challenges Ahead for Workers’ Compensation
May 5 2014 // Today’s challenges are also tomorrow’s opportunities depending on the viewpoint. Those same opportunities could also remain tomorrow’s challenges. This special report highlights 10 current workers’...
Mississippi County Hit by Tornado Faces Challenge of Starting Over
May 4 2014 // Rescuers were still looking for people missing after Monday’s tornado when Louisville and Winston County officials started thinking about long-term recovery. The county of 19,000 people in east Mississippi faces...
Arkansas Tornado Was EF4
May 2 2014 // National Weather Service officials said that a weekend tornado that killed 15 people as it ripped through Little Rock’s suburbs was just shy of being rated Arkansas’ first top-of-the-scale storm in 85 years. A...
Southern California Wildfire More than Halfway Contained
May 2 2014 // The Etiwanda Fire in Southern California fueled by strong winds and high gusts that forced more than 1,000 evacuations is now 53 percent contained, according to fire officials. The fire in San Bernardino County around...
Hundreds Rescued From Flooding in Florida Panhandle, Coastal Alabama
May 1 2014 // People were plucked off rooftops or climbed into their attics to get away from fast-rising waters when nearly 2 feet of rain fell on the Florida Panhandle and Alabama coast in the span of about 24 hours, the latest bout of...
Best Affirms State Automobile Mutual and Operating Subs Ratings
May 1 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company and its operating...
Mississippi Tornado Was Rated EF-4, Says Weather Service
Apr 30 2014 // The National Weather Service said the tornado that hit the Louisville, Miss., area Monday night has a preliminary rating of EF-4. Mike Edmonston, senior meteorologist at National Weather Service in Jackson, Miss.,...
Severe Weather Continues; Florida, Alabama Suffer Flooding
Apr 30 2014 // The Florida Panhandle and the Alabama Gulf Coast are dealing with severe flooding from torrential rains as a storm system continues to batter the Southeast. The death toll from the dozens of tornadoes, heavy rains and...
National Weather Service Says Oklahoma/Kansas Tornado Was EF2
Apr 30 2014 // The National Weather Service in Tulsa, Oklahoma says the EF2 tornado that killed one person in Quapaw earlier this week started at 5:29 p.m. Sunday, April 27 about 3 miles southwest of Quapaw. The tornado packing maximum...
Arkansas Tornado Hits 1 Street Particularly Hard
Apr 30 2014 // Mark Wade and his family heard the dire warnings on TV and the tornado sirens, and were prepared to ride out the storm in their closet when a neighbor across the street on Vilonia’s Aspen Creek Drive yelled out:...
Policyholders File Claims, Get Payments For California Quake
Apr 29 2014 // The California Earthquake Authority reported Tuesday it has paid numerous claims for damage to homes that sustained “relatively minor damage” from the magnitude 5.1 earthquake that struck La Habra on March...
Storm Threat Continues in South; 11 Lives Already Lost in Southeast
Apr 29 2014 // Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are expected to sweep across the U.S. South, threatening more damage to a region where dozens died in the past two days. There’s a moderate risk of severe storms, high winds and...
Florida’s Citizens Readies $1.5 Billion Catastrophe Bond Deal
Apr 28 2014 // Florida’s largest property insurer is preparing to transfer $3.1 billion in risk through a combination of reinsurance catastrophe bonds, including a $1.5 billion deal that is the largest of its kind on record. The...
Hiscox Increases U.S. Terrorism Insurance Capacity to $200 Million
Apr 28 2014 // Hiscox has increased capacity to $200 million for U.S. domiciled terrorism risks. The additional capacity addresses the increased demand for standalone terrorism coverage caused by the upcoming expiration of the U.S....
Arkansas, Oklahoma Hit Hard by Weekend Tornadoes
Apr 28 2014 // Arkansas, Oklahoma and parts of the Midwest were pounded over the weekend by deadly tornado-producing storms that touched down in seven states. As many as 30 tornadoes have been reported, half of which touched down in...
Is Your Portfolio Prepared for the 2014 Hurricane Season?
Apr 28 2014 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. After one of the quietest hurricane seasons in decades, The Weather Channel predicts a below-average 2014 Atlantic Hurricane season. The early outlook released March...
Safety National Introduces Safety National Crisis Protection
Apr 25 2014 // Safety National Casualty Corp., an excess workers’ compensation and provider of large casualty offerings, has introduced Safety National Crisis Protection – a crisis management and extraction benefit provided...
Utility Caused California Wildfire, Suit Alleges
Apr 25 2014 // Victims of a wildfire that burned 24 homes last year are suing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, claiming the utility started the huge blaze and failed to properly maintain power lines and equipment. The Daily...
Mexico, Nicaragua Earthquakes Unlikely to Impact Insurance Industry: Fitch Ratings
Apr 25 2014 // Fitch Ratings said it “believes that the insurance industry and the ratings currently assigned to P&C companies in Nicaragua and Mexico will not be affected by the earthquakes that recently hit these...
