Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fla. Considers Storm Supply Tax Break, New Claims Law Glitch
Mar 30 2007 // Flashlights, radios, tarps and other hurricane supplies would be tax free for 12 days at the beginning of hurricane season, under a measure the Florida House has under consideration. Floridians received a similar tax break...
‘Near Term’ Hurricane Models Used by Insurers Under Fire
Mar 29 2007 // Recent “near term” hurricane prediction models based on five-year forecasts are being skewered by consumer groups urging state regulators to reject them as a basis for hiking coastal property insurance...
Officials Laud New Japanese Quake Alert System
Mar 29 2007 // Authorities hailed Japan’s new earthquake alert system as a success this week after it allowed officials to issue a tsunami warning just one minute after a magnitude 6.9 quake jolted the country’s coast a day...
Fla. Commissioner Testifies for States on National Disaster Insurance
Mar 28 2007 // Speaking on behalf of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty testified before a key subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives on the role of insurance in...
Let Private Markets Handle Most Disasters, Insurers Advise Congress
Mar 28 2007 // The best way for the federal government to help property owners recover from a natural disaster is to let private insurers do what they know, except in the case of a megadisaster, when federal aid would be needed. That was...
Insurers Reject Critics Who Say Big Profits Are at Claimants’ Expense
Mar 28 2007 // The headline numbers were eye-popping: Allstate reported a record $5 billion profit for 2006. State Farm Insurance’s profit climbed 65 percent for the year. St. Paul Travelers’ earnings rose sixfold in the...
First Responders, Businesses Tell Congress U.S. Needs Disaster Plan
Mar 27 2007 // A coalition of first responders, emergency management experts, businesses and insurers told Congress that America needs a comprehensive public-private, federal-state partnership to protect against a massive hurricane or...
News Currents
Mar 26 2007 // Restoration work continues after Florida tornadoes With the final death toll standing at 20, the tornadoes that slammed central Florida on Feb. 2 have been dubbed “Ground-Hog Day Tornadoes” by The Florida State...
Swiss Re sigma study details 2006 natural, man-made disasters
Mar 26 2007 // in its just released sigma study, “Natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in 2006”, Swiss Re notes that “losses due to natural catastrophes and man-made disasters were below the long-term trend in...
Washington warming to national disaster plan idea
Mar 26 2007 // Sen. Dodd says hurricane and flood disasters are not just a local issue, but a national one A proposal for a national disaster plan to backup private hurricane and flood insurance markets appears to be gaining momentum in...
Powerful Earthquake Rocks Japan; 1 Dead, 170 Injured
Mar 26 2007 // A powerful earthquake struck Japan on Sunday, killing at least one person and injuring 170 others as it damaged buildings and triggered a small tsunami along the coast, officials said. The magnitude-6.9 quake struck at...
Swiss Re sigma study details 2006 natural, man-made disasters
Mar 26 2007 // In its just released sigma study, “Natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in 2006”, Swiss Re notes that “losses due to natural catastrophes and man-made disasters were below the long-term trend in...
News Currents
Mar 26 2007 // Washington warming to national disaster plan idea Sen. Dodd says hurricane and flood disasters are not just a local issue, but a national one A proposal for a national disaster plan to backup private hurricane and flood...
Restoration work continues after Florida tornadoes
Mar 26 2007 // With the final death toll standing at 20, the tornadoes that slammed central Florida on Feb. 2 have been dubbed “Ground-Hog Day Tornadoes” by The Florida State Emergency Response Team. The groundhogs in Sumter,...
The Commissioners: John Morrison
Mar 26 2007 // Montana fights for uninsured, seeks catastrophe fund and captives The hallmarks of John Morrison’s legacy as Montana State Auditor, the Commissioner of Insurance and Securities, is to help provide more affordable...
Scientists Disagree Over Hazard Posed by New Madrid Earthquake Fault
Mar 23 2007 // Scientists have struggled for years to figure out when the next big earthquake might strike the central United States. Now a geologist from Northwestern University believes he has evidence that the New Madrid Fault –...
TSR Updates Hurricane Forecast
Mar 21 2007 // The UK-based Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) weather forecaster has issued a revised assessment of the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, which indicates that it will be a more active season than previously expected. TSR, which...
Insurer Delivers First Check to Aid Tornado-Stricken Ala. Town
Mar 21 2007 // Representatives from a Boston-based insurance company personally presented a $2 million check to Gov. Bob Riley and Enterprise city officials as the first installment toward the coverage of two Enterprise schools damaged...
Kentucky Competes for Captives, Follows Workers’ Comp Closely
Mar 20 2007 // With “firm but flexible regulation” in place, Kentucky Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak says her state is an attractive draw for the captive insurance market and she hopes to encourage continued broad...
Fla. Catastrophe Fund Changes Prompt Citizens Refunds
Mar 19 2007 // Rate decreases and in some cases, refunds, are on the way for almost 1.2 million Florida policyholders insured by Citizens Property Insurance Corp. The reduced rates are the result of expanded access to coverage from the...
