Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Weather Service: No Tornado after Rare New York City Warning
Aug 18 2008 // Government meteorologists say there were plenty of damaging winds, but no twisters in a storm that spawned a rare tornado warning in New York City. The National Weather Service says crews assessed damage Saturday around...
UPDATE: Tropical Storm Fay Remains on Course for Florida
Aug 18 2008 // As of 11:00 a.m. EDT the center of Tropical Storm Fay was about 70 Miles (115 kms) south-southeast of Key West Florida and about 65 miles (103 kms) east-northeast of Havana Cuba. Florida’s governor has declared a...
ReAdvisory Issues Analysis of Fay as she Approaches Florida Mainland
Aug 18 2008 // In a report issued Aug. 17, ReAdvisory, a modeling and risk assessment service of reinsurer Carvill America Inc., said Tropical Storm Fay became the sixth named storm of the 2008 hurricane season early on the evening of...
Tropical Storm Fay Crosses Cuba; Heading for Florida
Aug 17 2008 // Miami’s National Hurricane Center is closely tracking Tropical Storm Fay, as it passes over Cuba. Storm warnings are in effect for most of the island, as well as the Cayman Islands The NHC reported early Sunday...
AIR Updates Catastrophe Risk Modeling Systems
Aug 15 2008 // Boston-based AIR Worldwide Corporation has announced the release of updates to its CATRADER®, CLASIC/2™ and CATStation® catastrophe risk management systems. “The version 10.0 releases include a number...
Texas Windstorm Pool Takes Over Property Inspection Duties
Aug 12 2008 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association recently announced it is assuming the responsibility of getting exterior photographs and inspecting all structures submitted for coverage, whether residential or...
FM Global: Companies Exposed but Underprepared for Natural Disasters
Aug 8 2008 // Most of the largest corporations in North America are exposed to natural disasters, but many are not well-prepared for such catastrophes and are not overly concerned about the potential business impact, according to a new...
Colorado Climatologist Raises Hurricane Forecast
Aug 8 2008 // Noted hurricane researcher William Gray, a former Colorado State University climatologist, has revised his Atlantic forecast upward and now calls for a total of nine hurricanes this season — an increase of one. Gray...
RMS unveils New UK Inland Flood Model, EU Earthquake Model
Aug 8 2008 // UK Flood Model Risk Management Solutions has released a major new upgrade to its U.K. Inland Flood Model. “The upgraded model will enable all segments of the insurance industry to drill down to a finer level of...
Update: Eastern North Carolina Wildfire Nearly out; Firefighters Leave
Aug 7 2008 // A wildfire that has burned more than 62 square miles of eastern North Carolina forests and fields is nearly extinguished and firefighters are wrapping up operations, a spokesman said Aug. 5. Fire managers have sent scores...
350,000 Floridians Need to Reapply for Hurricane Insurance
Aug 7 2008 // The state-created corporation that’s become Florida’s largest property insurer says about 350,000 wind-only policyholders will have to reapply for coverage over a yearlong period that begins in February. The...
3 Dead as Tornado Hits France
Aug 6 2008 // A fierce but short-lived tornado has left at least three people dead in northern France. Inhabitants of four regions are assessing the damage after the tornado collapsed some homes and uprooted trees along its path. The...
Damage From Tropical Storm Edouard Minimal
Aug 6 2008 // Tropical Storm Edouard hit the Texas Gulf coast east of Galveston Aug. 5 with strong winds and heavy rain, but did little more than soak the travelers who came to relax on the tourist town’s beaches. The National...
New European Cat Bond Uses RMS Paradex for Risk Analysis
Aug 5 2008 // Risk Management Solutions announced that a $200 million Multi-Peril Securitization has become the first catastrophe bond issued using RMS Paradex Europe WiNdstorm index for risk analysis. RMS said it has “performed...
Edouard Brings Rain, High Winds to Southeast Texas
Aug 5 2008 // Tropical Storm Edouard made landfall in Southeast Texas this morning between High Island, just east of Galveston, and Port Arthur, near the Louisiana border. The National Hurricane Center had expected the rapidly...
Tropical Storm Edouard Heads for Texas/Louisiana Coast
Aug 4 2008 // A swiftly developing Tropical Storm Edouard is expected to make landfall very near the upper Texas coast or the coast of southwestern Louisiana by Tuesday, Aug. 5, the National Hurricane Center reported. As of Monday...
Only 4 Homes Insured in North Dakota Area Hit by Tornado
Aug 4 2008 // The number of homes found damaged or destroyed in tornado-ravaged Rolette County in North Dakota continues to rise. The state Department of Emergency Services says 12 homes have been destroyed and 18 have been damaged in...
Storm Edouard Shuts Gulf Coast Oil Port, Disrupts Shipping
Aug 4 2008 // Tropical Storm Edouard forced shut a huge U.S. offshore oil port, a refinery, some oil production and disrupted shipping as the storm raced toward the Texas-Louisiana coast Monday. Energy companies evacuated staff from...
Insurers, Agents Urge Coastal Wind Policy from Texas to Maine
Aug 4 2008 // Travelers, Nationwide Mutual and two leading national insurance producer organizations are supporting a plan they say will make private windstorm insurance more affordable and available in coastal areas. Federal...
Damage Costs from Hurricane Dolly May Reach $750M
Aug 4 2008 // Catastrophe risk specialist RMS says the insurance bill for damage from Hurricane Dolly, which hit Southwest Texas on July 23, may go as high as $750 million, while Boston-based AIR World-wide estimates damages between...
