Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tornado Recovery Efforts Ongoing in Oklahoma’s McClain County
Nov 22 2011 // An amputee needed a new wheelchair ramp to get into his tornado-damaged home. Some of his neighbors have moved into trailers, or remained in their damaged houses where they sleep on screened-in porches. Others have had no...
Small Oklahoma Quake Reinforces Need for Repsonse, Preparedness Training
Nov 22 2011 // A small earthquake was recorded in central Oklahoma on Nov. 21 — on a day that executives from the California Earthquake Authority met with officials from the Oklahoma Insurance Department to discuss earthquake response...
Post Tornado, Joplin, Missouri, Rebuilding Permits Setting Records
Nov 22 2011 // Joplin, Mo., is building at a record pace after the town was devastated by a tornado in May, and city officials said they expect the activity to continue into next year. The city has issued an average of $35.4 million in...
Officials Say Western New York Tornadoes Cost $760K
Nov 22 2011 // The Chautauqua County Office of Emergency Services says tornadoes that touched down in three western New York communities a week ago caused $760,300 in property damage. The tornadoes touched down in the village of Fredonia...
Georgia to Get Earthquake Monitors
Nov 22 2011 // Researchers in a nationwide study of earthquakes will soon place instruments beneath the Georgia red clay and in other eastern states as they seek to learn more about what causes them and where they might...
Catastrophe Property Market Under Pressure: NAPCO
Nov 21 2011 // The catastrophe property market seems to be moving away from soft market pricing conditions, but weak insurance demand and too much capacity is limiting insurers’ pricing power, a new report says. “The industry...
Agents say Arkansas Earthquake Insurance Sales Up
Nov 21 2011 // Insurance agents say the recent 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Oklahoma has led many Arkansans to add earthquake insurance to their homeowner policies. The Nov. 5 quake east of Oklahoma City left damage over a wide area and...
Kansas Earthquake Risk Rated Low
Nov 21 2011 // Tornadoes, Flooding Are Top Hazards When it comes to the threat of damage and chaos from disasters in Kansas, earthquakes rank nearly at the bottom of the state’s list of concerns. Earthquakes rank 21st out of 22...
Few Earthquake Insurance Policies Sold in Oklahoma
Nov 21 2011 // Moratoriums on New Coverage in Effect About $6.7 million in earthquake insurance is written annually in Oklahoma, according to state insurance regulators. Only about 1 percent of homeowners carry earthquake insurance and...
Nevada Declares Emergency Over Wildfire
Nov 18 2011 // Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval on Friday declared a state of emergency associated with the Caughlin Ranch fire, which has so far reportedly destroyed 20 structures, forced 9,500 people from their homes and was blamed for the...
$2.5M in Earthquake Aid Approved for Louisa County, Virginia
Nov 18 2011 // More than $2.5 million in grants have been approved this month for Louisa County homeowners hit by a powerful Aug. 23 earthquake and its aftershocks. Federal Emergency Management Agency coordinating officer Donald Keldsen...
Mass. AG Wants to Put Brakes on ‘Excessive’ Homeowners Insurance Rate
Nov 18 2011 // Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is urging the State Rating Board to hold a hearing to scrutinize the data insurers use to set homeowners insurance rates in her state. The Attorney General’s office says...
6 Killed, Dozens Injured in Southeast Storms
Nov 18 2011 // At least six people have been killed and dozens more injured as a storm system that spawned several possible tornadoes moved across the Southeast. Suspected tornadoes were reported Wednesday in Louisiana, Mississippi,...
Property Catastrophe Market to See Price Hikes: Lockton
Nov 17 2011 // Large catastrophe losses and the prospect of poor investment returns are paving the way for much tougher market conditions for commercial property insurance buyers, according to a new report The new report — the Lockton...
Alabama Man Pleads Guilty in Tornado Fraud Case
Nov 17 2011 // A west Alabama man has pleaded guilty to fraudulently claiming disaster benefits following the April 27 tornadoes in Alabama. Officials say 47-year-old Robert Lee Spires entered his plea before U.S. District Judge L. Scott...
Connecticut Had 58,002 Claims for Irene, With $161M Paid Out So Far
Nov 16 2011 // Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Thomas Leonardi told a legislative committee that Connecticut saw 58,002 claims for Hurricane Irene. Of those claims, 84.8 percent have been closed (88 percent for homeowners’...
Tornado Damages Buildings in Southern Indiana Town
Nov 16 2011 // A tornado struck a southern Indiana town on Nov. 14, tearing the roof off the police and fire headquarters and leaving debris piled on the courthouse square. The National Weather Service said the nighttime storm damaged...
Van Wagoner Entering Oklahoma Commercial Earthquake Market
Nov 16 2011 // Texas-based managing general agency, Van Wagoner Companies, plans to begin selling “monoline” commercial earthquake insurance as a surplus line in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Insurance Department announced. Van...
Kansas Earthquake Risk Rated Low
Nov 15 2011 // When it comes to the threat of damage and chaos from disasters in Kansas, earthquakes rank nearly at the bottom of the state’s list of concerns. Earthquakes rank 21st out of 22 potential hazards listed in the...
Agents Say Arkansas Earthquake Insurance Sales Up
Nov 15 2011 // Insurance agents say the recent 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Oklahoma has led many Arkansans to add earthquake insurance to their homeowner policies. The Nov. 5 quake east of Oklahoma City left damage over a wide area and...
