Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oklahoma Insurance Department Employees Lauded for Tornado Response
Jun 11 2013 // Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb on June 10 recognized the efforts of Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) employees in the aftermath of the deadly tornado outbreak that impacted central Oklahoma in May. “You guys have...
Alabama Changes School Construction After Storms
Jun 11 2013 // The large amount of rebar and concrete on the construction site at Hatton High is not there by accident. Instead, it represents a change in how schools are constructed in Alabama. Three years after eight students died when...
Geneva Association’s Fitzpatrick on Systemic Risks, Nat Cats, ILS, Cyber Risks
Jun 11 2013 // When the Geneva Association’s presentation on how and why governments and re/insurers need to work more closely adjourned, we were able to talk to the organization’s Secretary General, John Fitzpatrick, a...
Officials: Oklahoma Tornado Damaged Vehicles Must Be Moved
Jun 10 2013 // Officials in Moore say vehicles that have been abandoned since being damaged by the May 20 killer tornado that struck the Oklahoma City suburb must be moved by June 12 or they will be impounded. An estimated 300 vehicles...
Clinton to Honor Kentucky Tornado-Ravaged Town’s Rebuilding Effort
Jun 10 2013 // A rebuilding effort in an eastern Kentucky town devastated last year by tornadoes is getting some national recognition. WYMT-TV reported that former President Bill Clinton’s Clinton Global Initiative will recognize...
Oklahoma Death Toll at 20 After Tornado, Floods
Jun 7 2013 // Oklahoma medical examiner’s office says eight of the 20 people killed during the tornadoes on May 31 and subsequent flooding either drowned or probably drowned. The agency said that one person died of asphyxiation...
U.S. Insurers Financially Prepared for Hurricanes in 2013: Fitch
Jun 7 2013 // There is sufficient capacity available in insurance and reinsurance markets to provide sufficient coverage and withstand potential losses from hurricane related perils this storm season, according to Fitch Ratings’...
Tropical Storm Andrea Weakens Over Florida After Fueling Tornadoes
Jun 6 2013 // Tropical Storm Andrea lost strength as it passed over northern Florida on Thursday evening and is forecast to drench much of the U.S. Southeast with heavy rain as it cuts across Georgia and swing up the Atlantic Coast, the...
Deadly Oklahoma Tornado Widest on Record, Rare EF5
Jun 6 2013 // The deadly tornado that struck near Oklahoma City late last week had a record-breaking width of 2.6 miles and was the second top-of-the-scale EF5 twister to hit the area in less than two weeks, the National Weather Service...
Governments and Re/Insurers Should Work Together to Face Rising Disaster Costs
Jun 6 2013 // A presentation from the Geneva Association (GA), the international insurance think tank for strategically important insurance and risk management issues, calls for a long awaited dialogue between the industry and all...
Tropical Storm Andrea Hits Florida; Warnings Posted for Eastern U.S.
Jun 6 2013 // Tropical Storm Andrea pelted Florida’s northern Gulf Coast on Thursday and was forecast to drench much of the U.S. Southeast as it cuts across Georgia and up the Atlantic coast, the National Hurricane Center...
U.S., Global Natural Disasters Exact Heavy Toll in May: Aon Benfield
Jun 6 2013 // Severe weather in May caused an estimated $4 billion in insured damage in the U.S. alone and billions more in economic losses around the globe, according to an Aon Benfield report. The Global Catastrophe Recap by Aon...
Storm Chasing Critical, Profitable and Dangerous
Jun 5 2013 // While most people take shelter when a tornado approaches, a growing throng heads for the prairies, be they scientists hoping to protect the public from a twister’s fury or amateurs armed with little more than a...
Tornado-Related Insurance Claims Climb in Oklahoma
Jun 5 2013 // The total number of tornado-related insurance claims filed by Oklahomans has climbed to 32,433 since May 19, state insurance regulators report. The filings represent insured losses of nearly $250 million, including 13,938...
Louisiana Citizens Tweaks Claims Handling in Advance of Hurricane Season
Jun 5 2013 // Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. announced it has made significant enhancements to increase efficiency of claims filing, adjuster deployment and claims processing, in advance of the 2013 hurricane season. The...
N.Y. Assembly Approves a Flurry of Post-Sandy Insurance Reform Bills
Jun 5 2013 // The New York State Assembly approved on Tuesday a comprehensive post-Sandy insurance reform package comprised of 14 pieces of legislation. All approved measures now move to the state Senate for further consideration. The...
Alabama Hurricane Planners Confront Residents’ Fading Memories
Jun 5 2013 // Memories have faded since Hurricane Ivan slammed Alabama in 2004, the last time the state suffered a direct hit from a hurricane. Most of the damage is gone, replaced by new structures or empty lots along the beach. So...
Rain Delays Wildfire Season in Parts Of West
Jun 4 2013 // Rain and cooler temperatures mean the wildfire season in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Montana will start later than initially predicted, officials with the National Interagency Fire Center said Saturday. But wildfire...
As Hurricane Season Opens, Florida’s Citizens Touts Depopulation Deals
Jun 4 2013 // Officials at Florida’s property insurer of last resort say that it is entering the 2013 hurricane season in improved financial condition thanks in part to various private insurer policy takeouts. Those takeouts have...
Coastal Homeowners Upset with Insurers, Regulators Over Surge in Insurance Costs
Jun 4 2013 // When Stan Virden moved into his 2,400-square-foot house overlooking a rock-lined canal in 1996, he paid less than $1,000 a year for homeowners insurance. Now, as he seeks to move to Atlanta to be near family, Virden says...
