Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Flood Losses Dominate Disaster Count in 1st Half of 2013: Munich Re
Jul 9 2013 // Floods caused billions of dollars in losses and dominated the natural catastrophe statistics for the first half of 2013, according to a study released by Munich Re. “Around 47 percent of the overall losses and 45...
Tropical Storm Chantal May Form in Atlantic This Week
Jul 7 2013 // Tropical Storm Chantal strengthened as it moved west across the Atlantic toward the Lesser Antilles, including the islands of Martinique and Saint Lucia, on a track that may take it east of Florida, the U.S. National...
Alabama County Plans Site-Specific Tornado Warnings
Jul 3 2013 // Emergency officials in an Alabama county plan to sound tornado sirens in specific areas where storms are, and will no longer activate all sirens in the county with every tornado warning. Madison County’s system is...
Assurant Finalizes 2013 P/C Reinsurance Program
Jul 2 2013 // Assurant, Inc., a provider of specialized insurance and insurance-related products and services, has finalized the structure of the company’s 2013 Property Catastrophe Reinsurance Program, including $185 million of...
U.S. Fights Growing Wildfire Threat with Shrinking Budget
Jul 2 2013 // The tragedy came without warning. Wind split the Arizona wildfire in two, trapping 19 firefighters from the Granite Mountain Hotshots between twin walls of flame that would take their lives. The erosion of U.S....
Security Analysts Warn About Terrorism Risk After Fukushima Meltdown
Jul 2 2013 // Japan’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, whose 2011 meltdowns dislocated 160,000 people, may provide a new blueprint for terrorists seeking to inflict mass disruption, security analysts said at a United Nations...
Arizona Wildfire Takes Lives of 19 Elite Firefighters
Jul 1 2013 // An elite team of 19 firemen were killed on Sunday in one of deadliest U.S. firefighting disasters in decades as flames raced through dry brush and grass in central Arizona, destroying scores of homes and forcing the...
Dixon, Feinberg to Head New RAND Catastrophe Research Center
Jul 1 2013 // The RAND Corp. is launching a new research center that will analyze different approaches to compensating individuals, businesses and others following catastrophes ranging from natural disasters to terrorist attacks. The...
How Catastrophe Experts Model Hurricane-Induced Storm Surge
Jul 1 2013 // The 2004 and 2005 North Atlantic hurricane seasons were a turning point in the way the property/casualty insurance industry viewed hurricane risk. The needs of the insurance industry required catastrophe models to...
The Disaster Issue – Where Insurers Fear to Tread
Jul 1 2013 // One storm is all it takes these days. Anyone who’s been paying attention needn’t be reminded that even a post-tropical cyclone can cause major damage. That’s what Sandy was when she came on shore in New...
Weather Service Confirms Modest Oregon Tornado
Jun 28 2013 // A National Weather Service spokeswoman says a modest tornado did indeed touch down near the tiny Oregon town of Birkenfeld in the North Oregon Coast Range. The Tuesday afternoon tornado was classified as an EF-0, which...
Global Banks Will Screen for Terrorism Links Under Basel Plan
Jun 27 2013 // Global banks will have to vet all customers for terrorism links as part of a crackdown on money laundering and criminal finance. Terrorist screening “should be carried out irrespective of the risk profile attributed...
Oklahoma Insurance Claims from May Tornadoes Top 75K
Jun 27 2013 // Insurance claims filed in response to a major tornado outbreak in May have jumped to 75,758 with insurance payments reaching $687,945,276, the Oklahoma Insurance Department announced. “The victims of these...
Florida Panel Certifies Latest AIR Hurricane Model Release
Jun 25 2013 // The Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology (FCHLPM) has certified the latest version of AIR Worldwide’s hurricane model. The commission has been certifying models for use by insurers for...
P/C Insurers Turned Profit on Underwriting in Q1, Attained Record Surplus
Jun 24 2013 // First quarter results for U.S. property/casualty insurers show they made a profit on underwriting for the first time since late 2009. Private U.S. property/casualty insurers’ net income after taxes rose to $14.4...
Colorado Wildfire Doubles in Size Over Weekend
Jun 24 2013 // Tourists and business owners forced to flee a popular summer retreat in the southwestern Colorado mountains resigned themselves to a long wait as fire officials declined to speculate when they might be able to reign in an...
The Many Faces of Terrorism; an Expert’s Analysis from Aon Benfield
Jun 21 2013 // “The recent attacks in London, Paris and the Boston marathon bombing are evidence that terrorists are resorting to simpler tactics,” said Mark Lynch, the head of Political Risk Model Development at Aon...
Tornado Cleanup Tab for Missouri’s St. Charles County: $2.4M
Jun 20 2013 // The tornado that ripped through Missouri’s St. Charles County in late May, and flooding that has ravaged portions of the county, are proving costly. KMOX Radio reports that cleanup costs are at $2.4 million and the...
Tropical Storm Barry Lands on Mexico Gulf Coast; Pemex Refinery Unaffected
Jun 20 2013 // Tropical Storm Barry made landfall north of Mexico’s major Gulf Coast port of Veracruz on Thursday morning and was heading inland, unleashing rain showers and wind gusts, but installations of state oil monopoly Pemex...
Colorado Wildfire Burns More Than 500 Homes, New Blazes in West
Jun 19 2013 // The number of homes destroyed by a Colorado wildfire rose above 500 on Tuesday as rain dampened the flames and allowed damage assessment teams to enter charred neighborhoods, as other threatening blazes grew in Alaska and...
