Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
A.M. Best Concerned Over Insurers’ Exposure to the Florida Hurricane Fund
Jun 1 2009 // Based on the recently revised projected claims-paying capacity of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (FHCF), rating agency A.M. Best has updated its treatment of reinsurance provided to rated entities from this...
California Wildfires: Coverage Disputes May Be Heating Up
Jun 1 2009 // On a number of well-publicized occasions, California homeowners have been ravaged by a series of wildfires with devastating results. Most recently in May in Santa Barbara, for example, the Jesusita Fire burned 80 homes and...
Texas House Sends Windstorm Reforms to Conference
Jun 1 2009 // The Texas House approved a conference committee report on Saturday to hammer out windstorm insurance reform legislation with senators. House lawmakers sent the measure — which could cause lawmakers to be called back...
Average 2009 Hurricane Season with Several Category 3 Storms Predicted
Jun 1 2009 // June 1 is the official start of hurricane season and the National Oceanic and Atmo-spheric Administration has said the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season will be fairly average. Reuters reported that NOAA is forecasting nine...
Texas Legislators Pass Windstorm Insurance Bill
Jun 1 2009 // On the first day of the official hurricane season for 2009, and on the last day of the Texas legislative session, Texas lawmakers passed a bill that would recapitalize the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association...
Study: Tahoe May be Overdue for Large Earthquake
Jun 1 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...
Coastal Insureds, Insurers Brace for Start of New Hurricane Season
Jun 1 2009 // As the 2009 hurricane season arrives, many homeowners are finding insurance is either more expensive, or harder to get. Homeowners from New York to Florida and in the Gulf Coast region are again seeing premiums rise and...
Time Running Out for Texas’ Windstorm Association Bill
May 31 2009 // Time is running out on the Texas Legislature. Several big issues — including restoring the state’s windstorm insurance fund — were in final negotiations as the last weekend of the 140-day session turned...
Unsecured Foreclosed Homes Pose Huge Risk as Hurricane Season Opens
May 29 2009 // Mike Manikchand points toward his neighbors in Lehigh Acres — a half-dozen empty, foreclosed-upon homes, sitting on weed-strewn yards — and he wonders: What will happen if a hurricane slams into southwest...
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...
