Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Searchers, Dogs Scour Missouri Tornado Wreckage
May 25 2011 // First they found his dark blue teddy bear. Then frantic relatives searching for toddler Skyular Logsdon spotted his red T-shirt and pants, torn, rain-soaked and wrapped around a telephone pole. The little boy hasn’t...
2011 on Pace to Be Deadliest U.S. Tornado Year
May 25 2011 // The tornado that raked Joplin, Missouri, on Sunday was the deadliest single twister in the United States since 1953, putting 2011 on pace for a possible record year for tornado fatalities, U.S. weather experts said...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Legislation Advances
May 25 2011 // The Texas Senate unanimously approved its version of a bill to revamp the state’s windstorm fund that insures coastal properties against hurricane damage. The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association reform measure,...
Florida Undertakes Hurricane Readiness Exercises
May 25 2011 // Florida began its sometimes annual hurricane exercise Monday after skipping the practice storm last year because officials were busy with a real emergency — the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The hurricane taking aim at...
Catastrophes Issue Wake Up Call on Supply Chain Risks
May 24 2011 // The Japanese earthquake and tsunami that occurred in March 2011 served as a wake up call of sorts for businesses vulnerable to supply chain exposures. Subsequent intense weather events in the United States during April and...
Insurers Moving Quickly in Response to Violent Midwest Weather
May 24 2011 // Auto, home and business insurers have launched a broad response to the recent tornadoes that caused severe loss of life and extensive property damage in Joplin, Mo., Reading, Kan., and Minneapolis, Minn., insurance...
Tornado Touched Down in Montana
May 24 2011 // The National Weather Service says a tornado touched down south of Terry, Montana snapping a tree and damaging two small barns. No one was injured in the twister, reported shortly before 8:30 p.m. Friday about eight miles...
Joplin, Missouri Tornado Insured Loss Estimate: $3 Billion
May 24 2011 // The tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri could cost the insurance industry between $1 billion and $3 billion, according to catastrophe modeling firm Eqecat. The tornado is the deadliest to hit the U.S. since 1947 and...
Missouri Tornado: 116 Dead; Thousands of Homes, Businesses Destroyed
May 24 2011 // A monster tornado killed at least 116 people in Joplin, Missouri, when it tore through the heart of the small Midwestern city, ripping the roof off a hospital and destroying thousands of homes and businesses. Weather...
P/C Insurers Facing Record Losses from Weather
May 24 2011 // Devastating tornadoes, floods, earthquakes overseas and a busier-than-usual hurricane season have U.S. insurance companies bracing for record losses in 2011. Insurers could suffer as much as $10 billion from...
Tornado Kills Man, Destroys 20 Homes in Kansas
May 23 2011 // A tornado swept through a small eastern Kansas town, killing one person and destroying at least 20 homes, as severe thunderstorms pelted the region with hail that some residents said was the size of baseballs, authorities...
Late April Tornadoes Likely to Affect P/C Insurers’ Earnings, Not Capital
May 23 2011 // The deadly outbreak of tornadoes in late April, which generated insured losses estimated at as much as $6 billion, is unlikely to have an immediate impact on property/casualty insurers’ Best’s ratings. The...
Florida Wants More Private Firms Involved in Emergency Planning
May 23 2011 // Florida’s new emergency management chief said he wants the private sector to be more involved in the state’s disaster preparedness efforts so that local economies can recover quickly after...
Tornadoes Hit Missouri Town; At Least 89 Killed
May 23 2011 // At least 89 people have died in Joplin, Missouri, and the toll is expected to climb as one of the deadliest tornadoes in state history roared through the small Midwestern city Sunday, local officials said Monday. Rescue...
Europe on Alert for Icelandic Volcano Ash Cloud
May 23 2011 // An eruption by Iceland’s most active volcano put Europe on high alert on Monday as a billowing ash cloud drifted towards Scotland and threatened to shut down airports across the northern edge of the...
Tornado Damages Philly Business
May 20 2011 // A weak tornado spawned by strong thunderstorms descended on a northeast Philadelphia block Wednesday, tearing part of the roof off a beer distributor and a bar and restaurant and demolishing a car repair shop. The fire...
How La Nina Might Affect Storm Season
May 20 2011 // One major factor in whether the Atlantic Ocean will experience an active 2011 hurricane season is fluctuating thousands of miles away in the Pacific. The La Nina weather phenomenon, which is linked to above average...
Disaster Plan Should Include Social Media, Says Hurricane Center
May 20 2011 // Nobody is going to push the “like” button for a hurricane, but the National Hurricane Center hopes to get some Facebook fans for its storm advisories. The hurricane center joined the online social network in...
