Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insurer Groups Say Windstorm Issue Must be Addressed in Texas
Jun 2 2011 // The Texas Legislature, which adjourned its regular session on May 30, passed a number of bills of interest to the property and casualty insurance industry, including tort reform legislation and a measure requiring that...
Above Average Number of Tornadoes in Oklahoma This Year
Jun 2 2011 // A meteorologist with the federal government’s Storm Prediction Center said on May 31 that Oklahoma has seen a greater than average number of tornadoes so far in 2011. Preliminary data from the agency show 63 reports...
9 Days After Tornado, Rebuilding Begins in Joplin, Missouri
Jun 2 2011 // Electrical crews hoisted power poles, small businesses opened in tents and residents snatched up construction supplies as rebuilding got underway nine days after a tornado tore through the southwest Missouri town of...
A.M. Best Downgrades Ratings of State Auto Insurance Companies
Jun 2 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to A (Excellent) from A+ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “a+” from “aa-” of Columbus, Ohio-based State Auto Insurance...
S&P Affirms Platinum Underwriters and Operating Subs Ratings
Jun 2 2011 // Standard & Poor’s has affirmed its ‘A’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Platinum Underwriters Reinsurance Inc. and Platinum Underwriters Bermuda Ltd. (collectively referred to as...
Hawaii Gov. Authorizes Raid of Hurricane Relief Fund
Jun 1 2011 // Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie has signed legislation appropriating $42 million from the state’s Hurricane Reserve Trust Fund to the General Fund to help balance the state budget for fiscal year 2011, which ends June...
Northern Calif. Tornadoes Destroy Almond Crops
May 31 2011 // Officials say tornadoes that touched down in a rural area of Northern California destroyed hundreds of acres of almond orchards. The twisters hit Butte and Glenn counties on May 25. Colleen Cecil with the Butte County Farm...
President Obama Consoles Tornado-Ravaged Missouri City
May 31 2011 // Exactly a week after the Missouri city of Joplin was nearly leveled by the deadliest tornado to strike the U.S in decades, President Barack Obama visited to offer hope to survivors and promises of help. On May 29, Obama...
Demise of Windstorm Agency Overhaul Prompts Special Session in Texas
May 31 2011 // Texas lawmakers were unable to come to terms on an overhaul of the state-backed insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast, so they’ll be returning to Austin in July to try again. Their failure to...
Storm Scientists Assess Year’s Series of Deadly Tornadoes
May 31 2011 // Storm science has greatly improved tornado warnings in recent years. But if that’s led anyone into a sense of security, that feeling has taken a beating in recent weeks. Super Outbreak 2011, on April 25-28, killed...
Florida Wildfire Danger High Heading Into Memorial Day Weekend
May 27 2011 // The danger of wildfire is very high throughout Florida due to lack of rain, low humidity and windy conditions. Jim Karels, director of the Florida Division of Forestry at the Department of Agriculture and Consumer...
Joplin Tornado Death Toll Rises; Engineers Assess Hospital Damage
May 27 2011 // Rescue and recovery work in Joplin, Missouri was shadowed by uncertainty as crews still hoping to find survivors combed areas that had already been searched several times and engineers entered the battered Joplin hospital...
States Hit Hardest by Recent Tornadoes Among Least Insured
May 27 2011 // Many of the states hammered by what’s already the deadliest year for tornadoes in more than half a century have among the nation’s highest rates of homes without hazard insurance despite being among the most...
14 Killed as Tornadoes Carve Path Through Midwest
May 26 2011 // A violent storm system rumbled through the central U.S. on Wednesday, spawning tornadoes that turned homes into splintered wreckage, killing at least 14 people over two days and hampering rescue efforts in a city slammed...
Kansas City Chiefs Gathering Aid for Missouri Tornado Victims
May 26 2011 // Hundreds of cars lined up all day on May 24 in the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot as the Kansas City Chiefs filled two semitrailer trucks with bottled water for tornado victims in Kansas and Missouri. Chiefs spokesman Brad...
Insurers Eye Rate Increases as Hurricane Season Approaches
May 26 2011 // Property and casualty insurers craving respite from a long-running drop in prices are eyeing the start of the U.S. hurricane season next week in the hope that summer windstorms will finally turn the market. The June 1 to...
Virginians Getting Hurricane-Prep Tax Break
May 26 2011 // Virginians who want to stock up on batteries, bottled water and other supplies for the hurricane season get a tax break this week. The seven-day tax break — which began yesterday — will spare buyers from state and...
Repeat Tornadoes Unusual But Not Unknown; Threat Continues
May 26 2011 // Weather experts said it’s unusual for deadly tornadoes to develop a few weeks apart in the U.S. But what made the two storm systems that barreled through a Missouri city and the South within the last month so rare is...
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Declares Emergency Following Tornado Outbreak
May 26 2011 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak has issued an emergency order that will enable licensed out-of-state claims adjustors to immediately assist Oklahomans who suffered damage and losses from the May 24 tornado...
Midwest States Reeling from Multiple Devastating Storms
May 25 2011 // As Joplin, Mo., attempts to clean up after what’s been deemed the single most destructive tornado in U.S. history, other Midwest states continue to assess damage to recent tornado-producing storms. The National...
