Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Scientists Predict $200B in Damage from Southern California Earthquake
May 22 2008 // The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the California Geological Survey (CGS) have jointly published a report detailing a hypothetical scenario the impact a 7.8 magnitude earthquake — similar to the recent earthquake...
Officials Say April Earthquake a Dress Rehearsal for Future Events
May 21 2008 // Missouri emergency management officials say they’re better prepared for a major earthquake, thanks in part to last month’s 5.2 quake in southern Illinois. Susie Stonner of the State Emergency Management Agency...
Central Pacific Hurricane Center Predicts 3-4 Cyclones
May 21 2008 // The Central Pacific Hurricane Center is predicting slightly fewer than normal tropical cyclones to develop in the Central Pacific basin during the upcoming season. Forecasters at National Oceanic Atmospheric...
Financial Relief on the Way to Alabama for Tornado Damage
May 20 2008 // Residents and business owners in several northeast Alabama counties will get financial help to rebuild and repair property affected by the severe storms and tornado on May 11. Officials announced May 16 that beginning May...
A.M. Best: Credit Woes May Cause Turbulence in Catastrophe Markets
May 19 2008 // The credit crunch in the U.S. financial markets that boiled over after the subprime mortgage meltdown may affect the ability of insurers and reinsurers that cover coastal areas to raise cash for claims if a major hurricane...
Twisters Hit Record High Early in Season in Midwest
May 19 2008 // One account said that the tornado that hit Seneca, Mo., was a mile wide and traveled 60 miles on the ground before starting to dissipate. On May 4, 2008, the residents of Greensburg, Kan., remembered the anniversary of the...
Tornadoes Kill 15 in Southwestern Missouri; Governor Calls in National Guard
May 19 2008 // Category K-4 tornadoes that cut across three states on Saturday (May 10) night killed 15 people in southwestern Missouri. The hardest areas hit were in rural southwestern Missouri about eight miles north of Seneca and 10...
Alabama Students Hope Balloons Lead to Improved Tornado Warnings
May 19 2008 // Studying balloons’ payload could be first step toward programming Doppler radar to recognize tornado debris Three hot-air balloons dropped asphalt shingles, lumber, sticks, leaves and pine needles onto a north...
Damages Mount – again – In Storm-battered South Central States
May 19 2008 // Storms have caused more than $3 billion in damages this year, insurance group says As the town of Picher, Okla., began to climb out of the wreckage of the deadly tornadoes that swept across Southeastern Oklahoma, Missouri...
Nine Catastrophes to Cost P/C Insurers $3 Billion in First Quarter
May 19 2008 // U.S. property/casualty insurers are expected to pay homeowners and businesses an estimated $3.35 billion for first-quarter property losses resulting from nine catastrophes. The nine events identified as catastrophes by the...
Munich Re, Aon Securitize Japanese Earthquake Risks
May 16 2008 // Munich Re, working with Aon, has arranged a securitization for Japanese insurer Zenkyoren, the National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives, through Muteki Ltd., an exempted company in the Cayman...
Florida Hurricane Conference Presents Message of Preparedness
May 16 2008 // Preparing for hurricanes, despite two slow previous storm seasons, is key to the survival of Floridians and recovery efforts, officials said. About 2,800 people attended the 22nd Annual Governor’s Hurricane...
Firefighters Get Upper Hand on Florida Wildfire, Schools Open
May 16 2008 // Firefighters hoped to make further major gains against a wildfire that has charred thousands of acres along Florida’s Atlantic coast, as police questioned a man seen tossing a Molotov cocktail into nearby...
Weather Service Confirmed 15 Tornadoes Hit Georgia on Mother’s Day
May 16 2008 // The National Weather Service says that severe weather on May 11 spawned 15 tornadoes in central Georgia. The strongest of the so-called “Mother’s Day tornadoes” occurred in Treutlen County and was an EF3....
Arson-started Florida Wildfires Fueled by Growth
May 15 2008 // Wildfires that have gutted at least 40 homes along Florida’s Atlantic coast are believed to have been started by arsonists, but they got help from two classic Florida factors: rampant development and a year-round...
Feds Give Almost $5 Million to Rebuild N.D. Tornado Damaged School
May 15 2008 // State officials say the Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide nearly $5 million to rebuild the school in the town of Northwood after a tornado last August. The announcement came from the state’s...
AIR Estimates China Quake Insured Losses Likely to Exceed $300 Million
May 14 2008 // Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide has issued an estimate that total losses to insured and uninsured property from the M7.9 earthquake that struck near Chengdu, China will likely exceed RMB 140 billion ($20...
Rapid Coastal Growth Places Urgency on Hurricane Forecasts, Chief Says
May 14 2008 // The rapid pace of development along hurricane-prone coasts is adding a new level of urgency for forecasters to more accurately pinpoint potential storm impact zones, the director of the National Hurricane Center...
Recent Tornadoes Underscore Risks of Taking Shelter in Cars
May 14 2008 // Trapped in his car on the way to a friend’s wedding, Rick Rountree and his family never stood a chance once a tornado packing winds of 170 mph hit southwest Missouri. “It’s like taking a handful of...
Central Florida Wildfires Prompt Evacuations, Road Closures
May 13 2008 // Brush fires shut down roads in central Florida on May 11 and forced evacuations, authorities said. A portion of Interstate 95 in Brevard County was shut down because of heavy smoke from a blaze near Malabar, the Orlando...
