Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Does Public Understand What Storm Forecasters Are Talking About?
May 28 2013 // During a hurricane, storm surge is one of the greatest threats to life and land, yet many people don’t understand the dire warnings from forecasters to get out of its way. So this season, forecasters hope to offer...
Weather Service: Kansas Weekend Tornado Was an EF4
May 24 2013 // The National Weather Service says a tornado that traveled seven miles across rural western Kansas during the weekend was an EF4, with winds of 165 to 185 mph. The report from the agency’s Dodge City office follows a...
No New Federal Funds Needed for Oklahoma Tornado Recovery
May 24 2013 // Top U.S. lawmakers and officials said that the federal government has plenty of money on hand to pay for recovery efforts in the wake of the devastating tornado that struck Oklahoma. The government has more than $11...
Oklahoma City Mayor: Up to 13K Homes Hit by Tornado
May 24 2013 // Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett says 12,000 to 13,000 homes were affected by the tornado that tore through a city suburb. At least 24 people died when the tornado laid waste to Moore on May 20. The Oklahoma Insurance...
76 Tornadoes in May Caused $2B-$5B in Insured Losses: Eqecat
May 24 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...
Atlantic Coast Can Expect 3 to 6 Major Hurricanes This Season: NOAA
May 23 2013 // The government’s weather center is forecasting that this year’s Atlantic hurricane season that begins June 1 will be an active one, perhaps even extremely active, during its six months. Experts at the National...
Moore, Oklahoma Tornado Damage Estimated at More than $2B
May 23 2013 // The Oklahoma Insurance Department says a preliminary estimate suggests the cost of the tornado that hit the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore could be more than $2 billion. Spokeswoman Calley Herth told The Associated Press...
Commentary: Accounting for Non-Modeled Sources of Loss
May 23 2013 // The purpose of modeling is to anticipate the likelihood and severity of catastrophes so that companies can prepare for their financial impact — before they occur. The evidence suggests that, for the most part,...
Florida Municipal Insurance Trust Issues $20 Million Cat Bond
May 23 2013 // A Florida insurance trust that provides property insurance and other products to cities around the state has issued a $20 million private placement catastrophe bond to help pay claims due to hurricanes. Towers Watson...
Top 10 U.S. Insurers in Tornado-Stricken States: SNL Financial
May 23 2013 // The Moore, Oklahoma tornado, which killed 24 people, was the deadliest to touch down during a nearly weeklong outbreak across the U.S. Midwest. The states hardest hit have been Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma,...
Oklahoma Schools Destroyed by Tornado Lacked ‘Safe Rooms’
May 22 2013 // In Moore, Oklahoma, an area residents call Tornado Alley because it’s struck by more ferocious twisters than anywhere in the U.S., two schools destroyed by yesterday’s storm lacked “safe room”...
Property Market Stayed Stable in Q1; Sandy Effect on Rates Muted: Marsh
May 22 2013 // The property insurance market remained relatively stable and competitive in the first quarter of 2013, with few changes to limits purchased and deductibles, according to a benchmarking report from broker Marsh. Superstorm...
Willis ILS Report: Q1 2013 Sees $1.6 Billion in New Cat Bond Issuance
May 22 2013 // The first quarter of 2013 saw $1.6 billion of new issuance in non-life capacity marketed through five catastrophe bond transactions, including three transactions marketed in the first quarter and closed at the beginning of...
Oklahoma Tornado Damage Likely to Exceed Joplin – Commissioner
May 21 2013 // The damage from Monday’s tornado in a suburb of Oklahoma City is likely to exceed that caused by the 2011 twister in Joplin, Missouri, that killed 161 people, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak said. In an...
Update: Oklahoma Tornado Was EF5
May 21 2013 // A new assessment by the National Weather Service indicates peak winds in the tornado that hit the Newcastle/Moore Okla., area on May 20 reached the 200 mph to 210 mph range, putting it into the classification of an EF5...
Storms Generate Iowa Tornado Damage, No Injuries
May 21 2013 // A storm system carrying high wind, hail and Iowa’s first tornadoes in nearly a year moved through the state Sunday, damaging some homes and knocking out power to thousands. No one was injured. Iowa had gone 358...
‘Major Disaster’ Declared in Wake of Deadly Oklahoma Tornadoes
May 21 2013 // An estimated EF4 tornado with a wind range of up to 200 mph roared through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, Okla., on May 20, leaving behind massive devastation and at least 24 confirmed dead. Earlier media reports...
Tornadoes Prompt State of Emergency Declaration in Oklahoma
May 20 2013 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has declared a state of emergency after tornadoes, severe storms, straight-line winds and flooding wrought devastation throughout her state on May 18 and 19. Beginning on Saturday, numerous...
Karen Clark’s New Program Creates Realistic Hurricane Tracks, Loss Estimates
May 20 2013 // Just in time for the 2013 hurricane season, Karen Clark & Co. (KCC), a catastrophe risk and modeling firm, has released a scientific tool for creating hurricane tracks and wind speeds. Named WindfieldBuilder, the tool...
Golf and Country Clubs Weather the Storm
May 20 2013 // Snow in October, hurricanes in the Northeast and record-setting “derechos” in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic regions are a sampling of the unusual weather that is changing the way insurance carriers evaluate...
