Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Earthquakes Should Prompt U.S. to Prepare Now, Says Safety Group
Mar 1 2010 // The tragedies of the recent earthquakes in Chile and Haiti serve as a reminder that parts of the United States are highly vulnerable to the devastating effects of this unpredictable natural disaster. While most Americans...
Louisiana Dedicates Nearly $20M for Hurricane Protection System
Mar 1 2010 // Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said a partnership agreement between the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and the South Lafourche Levee District will dedicate $19.8 million in state surplus funds to make...
Florida Cabinet Delays Hurricane Fund Assessments
Feb 25 2010 // The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund needs $710 million to continue to pay claims still coming in from 2005’s Hurricane Wilma but it is going to have to wait to assess policyholders to get those funds. The Florida...
Texas Catastrophic Weather Losses Totaled $2.5B in 2009
Feb 25 2010 // Texas in 2009 experienced weather catastrophes amounting to more insured losses than any other state. Last year, Texas experienced 10 weather catastrophes that caused nearly $2.5 billion in losses. The next nearest state...
Louisiana: Tax, Premium Advantages Available for Retrofitting Structures
Feb 24 2010 // Louisiana residents can apply for a state tax deduction for retrofitting their homes, as well as an insurance premium discount for building or retrofitting your home to comply with the Louisiana State Uniform Construction...
Hawaii Senate Committee OKs Using Hurricane Relief Fund to End Furloughs
Feb 23 2010 // Hawaii’s Senate Ways and Means Committee has advanced a bill that would use money from the state’s Hurricane Relief Fund to end school furlough days. Senate Bill 2124notes that reductions and restrictions to...
Caribbean Cat Facility Teams with UN Commission for Nat Cat Strategies
Feb 23 2010 // The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC) announced that they will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)...
Missouri Governor: State Must Be Ready for Big Quake
Feb 22 2010 // Most experts believe it’s just a matter of time before another big earthquake strikes along the New Madrid fault line, and Gov. Jay Nixon says Missouri and neighboring states need to be ready. Nixon on Feb. 19...
Idaho Home Insurance Costs Lowest in Nation
Feb 21 2010 // Idaho homeowner insurance is the least costly in the nation, averaging $422 per year, according to a nationwide survey. This compares to an average $822 countrywide. The Gem State also had among the lowest average rates...
Hawaii Could Tap Hurricane Fund to Fund School Education
Feb 21 2010 // Hawaii is closer to tapping its Hurricane Relief Fund to help balance the state budget and resolve teacher furloughs, as a legislative committee advanced a bill that would appropriate $50 million from the fund. Senate Bill...
A Recurrence of Recalls; ‘PIGS’ in a Poke; Lloyd’s Powers on; Haiti Now Faces Floods and Hurricanes
Feb 21 2010 // First Toyota, then Honda – who’s next? 2010 is not starting out as a good year for car companies. Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. was already in the process of recalling approximately 8 million vehicles, due...
Austin Plane Crash – Intentional Act or Terrorism?
Feb 19 2010 // Austin, Texas, Police Chief Art Acevedo stopped short of calling the crashing of a small plane into a commercial office building in northwest Austin on Feb. 18 a terrorist act, but U.S. Representative Mike McCaul said he...
Abacus Insurance Offers Online Earthquake Deductible Buyback
Feb 18 2010 // Abacus Insurance Brokers, Inc., a Los Angeles-based program manager that distributes specialty insurance products online through www.abacus.net, has launched an online program that enables homeowners to reduce the...
Illinois Officials Recommend Review of Earthquake Insurance
Feb 18 2010 // Insurance regulators in Illinois are encouraging residents to review earthquake insurance policies after a small quake was recorded in the state recently. The 3.8-magnitude earthquake surprised northern Illinoisans Feb....
Lloyd’s Analyzes Lurking Danger of Active Volcanoes
Feb 12 2010 // An article on the Lloyd’s web site (www.lloyds.com) points out that there are “around 1,500 active volcanoes in the world and, although deadly eruptions are rare, they can cause devastation to people and...
Rare Earthquake Rattles Northern Illinois; No Damage Reported
Feb 11 2010 // A small pre-dawn earthquake hit northern Illinois on Feb. 10, startling residents as far away as Michigan and Iowa, but no damage or injuries were immediately reported. The Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) said the...
El Nino Drowning Texas Wildfire Threat
Feb 9 2010 // Central Texas rancher Debbie Davis can hardly believe the turnaround in rainfall. While her pastures were parched and withered last summer after nearly two years without appreciable rain, the area northwest of San Antonio...
It Figures
Feb 7 2010 // $12 Billion Hurricane Ike, which struck Galveston on Sept. 13, 2008, is so far the costliest weather catastrophe in Texas history, racking up nearly $12 billion in windstorm and flood insurance claims. Windstorm claims in...
Catastrophe Declaration Clears Way for Emergency Adjusters in Oklahoma
Feb 7 2010 // In the wake of massive ice storms that virtually shut down the state of Oklahoma in late January, Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland declared a state of emergency that allows the commissioner to “license as an...
Only 20% of Oregonians Insured for Earthquake Risks
Feb 7 2010 // Although Oregon is among the states at highest risk for a major earthquake, only about 20 percent of Oregonians have earthquake insurance, according to a Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS)...
