Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mobile Homes – Not Trailers – Arrive for Tennessee Tornado Victims
Apr 2 2008 // Tennessee is taking delivery of mobile homes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to temporarily house Macon County tornado victims. While FEMA trailers have been scrutinized recently over reports of exposing...
Actuaries Identify Hurricanes as Top Insurance Risk for 2008
Apr 2 2008 // Hurricanes pose the greatest act of nature risk to the U.S. insurance industry for 2008, according to EMB, an actuarial consulting firm. With the hurricane season on the horizon, insurers must prepare for this heightened...
Georgia Hospital Destroyed by Tornado Opens Full Service Facility
Apr 1 2008 // A small town Georgia hospital destroyed by a tornado a little more than a year ago is ready to open its doors again. Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus, Ga., will offer the full gamut of hospital services – from...
Texas Orders Bogus Windstorm Inspector to Cease and Desist
Apr 1 2008 // The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) issued an emergency cease and desist order against Gary Garza of Corpus Christi, Texas, to prevent him from submitting windstorm inspection reports under false pretenses. Garza, who...
Disaster Derivatives Set to Grow in 2008
Apr 1 2008 // With the United States bracing for big hurricanes this year, new derivatives to trade catastrophe risks offer insurers the extra protection they crave against multi-billion-dollar storms. Trading of “catastrophe...
North Carolina Wildfire Burns for 2 Days, Causes Evacuations
Mar 31 2008 // Smoke from a wildfire burning for two days in North Carolina’s Sauratown Mountain has clouded the skies over Stokes County, and the fire marshal said the blaze led to several evacuations. Fire Marshal Brad Cheek said...
Scientists Work to Keep Public Safe From Hawaii Volcano Fumes
Mar 27 2008 // Explosive eruptions and noxious gas emissions at Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii this week have prompted scientists to work around the clock to understand what will happen next and how to keep the public out of harm’s...
Florida Senate Passes Bill to Reduce Insurers’ Catastrophe Coverage Limits
Mar 27 2008 // Legislation passed by the Florida Senate this week would reduce the amount of state-funded reinsurance that insurers can purchase under the temporary increase in coverage limit (TICL) program. The Senate bill would reduce...
Ohio Tornado Drill Marks Beginning of Severe Weather Season
Mar 27 2008 // Remember, this is only a test. Tornado sirens blared at 9:50 a.m. in a statewide drill on Wednesday ordered by Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week. In his proclamation, the governor says...
Anchorage in Tsunami-Free Zone
Mar 26 2008 // Alaska is testing its tsunami warning system this week, and officials say they’re using the event to remind Anchorage residents they don’t have to worry. Kattaryna Stiles is acting director of the Anchorage...
Marsh Warns London Firms ‘Under-prepared’ for Terrorist Attack
Mar 24 2008 // Despite the past deadly attacks and the continuing threat of renewed violence, “London firms appear under-prepared for a terrorist attack,” concludes Marsh from the results of an ad hoc poll. Marsh conducted a...
Head-in-the-Sand Response Won’t Work for Florida Property Insurance
Mar 24 2008 // As the 2008 legislative session begins and hurricane season approaches, Florida’s businesses and homeowners continue to struggle with the increasing cost of property insurance. The quest for answers to the...
Study: California Hayward Fault Earthquake Could Cause $165 Billion in Losses
Mar 21 2008 // An earthquake of 6.8 magnitude or greater on California’s Hayward Fault, in the heart of the San Francisco Bay area, could impact more than 5 million people and impact more than $1.5 trillion in property and...
Help Finally Available for Louisiana’s Hurricane-Weary Fishermen
Mar 21 2008 // For the past two and a half years, Louisiana’s fishermen have relied on their natural gift for resourcefulness and made do with jury-rigged docks cobbled together from hurricane debris and spent countless hours in...
Google to Make Hurricane Flood Threat Data Available to Public
Mar 20 2008 // Americans in the hurricane danger zone may soon be able to use Google to find out if their own home is threatened by a dangerous storm surge, the director of the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday. Storm surge, the...
Tornadoes Damage 25 Homes in 2 Alabama Counties
Mar 19 2008 // Weather officials in Alabama confirmed that storm damages in Blount and Cherokee counties were caused by two tornadoes. The March 15 tornadoes packing 115 mph winds, caused no injuries or deaths, the National Weather...
68 Homes Destroyed after 15 Weekend Tornadoes Pummel South Carolina
Mar 19 2008 // It took just three seconds for John Simmons and his family to lose their home in one of at least 15 tornadoes that swept across South Carolina last weekend. On March 15, as winds downed trees and ripped the roof off the...
Final Tsunami Detection Buoys Installed Off Solomon Islands
Mar 18 2008 // The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the last two tsunami detection buoys have been placed, completing the U.S. tsunami warning network. The two sensors were deployed off the Solomon Islands and will...
California Earthquake Authority Names Pomeroy CEO
Mar 18 2008 // The Governing Board of the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) announced the hiring of Glenn A. Pomeroy as the CEA’s CEO. He will assume the position on April 1. Pomeroy has extensive experience in public service...
Officials Assess Impact of Tornado Damage to Downtown Atlanta
Mar 18 2008 // Many Atlanta streets were closed and some traffic lights were still out Monday morning because of a tornado that ripped a path of destruction through the city’s core. Commuters to downtown were encouraged to stay...
