Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Summary of Forecasts for 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season
May 29 2009 // Private weather forecaster Planalytics predicted Wednesday that the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season will produce 10 tropical storms, of which six will become hurricanes. The company said one or two of the storms were likely...
AIR Analyzes Powerful Honduran Quake; Report 6 Dead
May 29 2009 // According to catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide, a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Honduras early Thursday morning. AIR said “the earthquake hit at 3:24 a.m. local time (08:24 UTC)...
Texas Senate Moves to Pass TWIA Reforms
May 29 2009 // Hoping to avoid a special legislative session this summer, the Texas Senate passed legislation that would restore Texas’ depleted windstorm insurance fund. Gov. Rick Perry has warned he could call a special session...
Surplus Lines Brokers Report No Change in Capacity; Increase in Submissions
May 28 2009 // Catastrophic events, the economy and changes in reinsurance capacity have the greatest impact on the availability and pricing of specialty lines coverage in 2009, according to professionals in the surplus lines...
Virginia Exempts Hurricane-Preparedness Items from Sales Tax
May 28 2009 // If you’re planning on preparing for a hurricane, this is the week to do it. Virginia’s sales tax holiday on hurricane preparedness items runs from Monday through Sunday. Throughout the week, 22 items that can...
Texas Legislation Big and Small in Peril
May 27 2009 // A work slowdown by House Democrats was meant to stop a voter identification law. But other bills in the path of destruction deal with hurricane insurance, local road projects, solar energy incentives and even trans fats in...
Pretty Normal Hawaii Hurricane Season Forecast
May 27 2009 // The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Hawaii is forecasting three to five tropical cyclones forming in the central Pacific during the 2009 hurricane season, which begins June 1. An average season has four or...
Logjam in Texas House Threatens Windstorm Bill, Other Legislation
May 26 2009 // Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives have been using stalling tactics to avoid a vote on a controversial Voter ID bill widely supported by Republicans. The only problem is, other measures, including a...
Los Angeles Shakes From 4.1 Magnitude Earthquake
May 21 2009 // Los Angeles felt a 4.1 magnitude earthquake over the weekend, emphsizing the need for consumers to prepare for disaster and evaluate their individual needs for earthquake insurance. “Disaster will strike when you...
Recovery From Tornado Taking Shape in Mena, Ark.
May 21 2009 // The work to repair damage from last month’s tornado in Mena, Ark., has brought a building boom to the western Arkansas city at a time when most construction crews are feeling the effects of the recession. Three...
Forecasters Predict Average 2009 Hurricane Season
May 21 2009 // The 2009 Atlantic hurricane season will be fairly average with as many as seven hurricanes expected to form, U.S. government forecasters predicted Thursday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast nine...
Georgia Firefighters Lack Tools for Wildfires, Hazardous Materials
May 20 2009 // Georgia firefighters say they are feeling the negative effects of the current economic crisis and lack some key equipment, according to a national survey of firefighters. The survey identified the top three challenges...
Colorado Nears Anniversary of Its Costliest Tornado
May 20 2009 // The tornado that devastated the community of Windsor, Colorado, on May 22 of last year added up to an estimated $193.5 million in insured damage– making it Colorado’s most expensive tornado. The claims came...
Better Predictions of Storm Intensity Could Take Decade
May 19 2009 // People living in hurricane danger zones could have a long wait — as much as 10 years — for improved forecasts of rapid intensity changes in a hurricane, the top U.S. hurricane forecaster said recently. In the...
Winds Fan Santa Barbara Wildfire During Wildfire Awareness Week
May 18 2009 // A wildfire that began on May 5 in Santa Barbara County, Calif. — during Wildfire Awareness Week May 3-9 — continued to burn as of press time, having burned 8,733 acres and destroyed 77 residences as of May 10,...
Virginia Begins Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday May 25
May 18 2009 // The state is giving Virginia residents an incentive to prepare for hurricane season. Virginia’s Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday begins May 25 and runs through May 31. During the weeklong holiday, state and...
Study: Tahoe May be Overdue for Large Earthquake
May 18 2009 // Two new studies suggest the Lake Tahoe region in California and Nevada has gone longer than usual without a large earthquake and may be due for a magnitude-7 temblor capable of spawning a tsunami that could flood shoreline...
Midwest’s ‘Tornado Alley’ Now Under Special Radar
May 18 2009 // As part of an ambitious attempt to figure out how tornadoes form and how to predict them more accurately, engineers from the University of Massachusetts are deploying two special mobile Doppler radar systems to the Great...
Santa Barbara Wildfire 95% Contained
May 15 2009 // A 8,733-acre fire that destroyed 80 homes and forced 30,500 people from their homes in Santa Barbara, Calif., was reported 95 percent contained on May 15. The last mandatory evacuation orders associated with the Jesusita...
CSU’s Gray May Reduce Atlantic Storm Outlook
May 14 2009 // Colorado State University hurricane forecaster Bill Gray said Wednesday he may reduce his next Atlantic season forecast because sea temperatures are cooling and a weak El Nino may appear by late summer. “Things are...
