Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
22K Insurance Claims Filed After May 19, 20 Oklahoma Tornadoes
Jun 3 2013 // The Oklahoma Insurance Department says more than 22,000 claims have been filed for property and vehicles damaged by tornadoes that struck the state on May 19 and 20. The agency says claims filed so far represent insured...
Amarillo Hailstorm Damage Estimated at $400M
Jun 3 2013 // A massive hailstorm that blanketed the Texas panhandle city of Amarillo on May 28 is proving costly. An estimated 35,000 vehicles and thousands of homes were damaged in the May 28 storm. Insured losses are expected to...
Weather Service Confirms St. Louis-Area Tornadoes
Jun 3 2013 // Portions of suburban St. Louis waged a soggy cleanup effort on June 1 after severe storms unleashed an outbreak of tornadoes across the region, damaging hundreds of homes and leaving tens of thousands without power. No...
Southern California Wildfire Containment Doubles Overnight
Jun 3 2013 // Firefighters working in darkness doubled containment of a massive wildfire north of Los Angeles to 40 percent overnight, as cool, moist air moved in Monday. The fire, which has fed on old brush that hasn’t burned in...
Oklahoma Tornadoes Take 13 Lives Including 3 Storm Chasers
Jun 3 2013 // Three storm chasers were among 13 people killed by tornadoes that rampaged through central Oklahoma on Friday, underscoring the high risk of tracking tornadoes and forcing the media to rethink how they cover deadly...
Hurricane Season and Florida’s Insurance System: Living on Borrowed Time?
Jun 3 2013 // Mother Nature has been kind to Florida’s coastline lately with a record run of seven years without a hurricane making landfall, allowing property insurers time to re-stock their depleted coffers. As a result, before...
Best Affirms Mitsui Sumitomo Ratings; Upgrades Aioi Nissay Dowa
Jun 3 2013 // A.M. Best Asia-Pacific Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “aa” of Japan’s Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company...
Top 10 U.S. Insurers in Tornado-Stricken States: SNL Financial
Jun 3 2013 // The Moore, Oklahoma tornado, which killed 24 people, was the deadliest tornado to touch down during a nearly weeklong outbreak across the U.S. Midwest and South Central regions. The states hardest hit have been Kansas,...
76 Tornadoes in May Caused $2B-$5B in Insured Losses: Eqecat
Jun 3 2013 // Tornadoes that struck the United States from May 18 to May 20 caused anywhere from $2 billion to $5 billion in insured losses, disaster modeling company Eqecat said. The firm said most of the losses were attributed to the...
