Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
IIAT Prepares Recovery Assistance Web Page in Advance of Hurricane Rita
Sep 21 2005 // Stating “this could be the big one we’ve avoided for years,” the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas announced it has developed a special Web page to report on storm activity and recovery plans, if...
Insurance CAT Teams Mobilize in Texas as Rita Nears
Sep 21 2005 // The Insurance Council of Texas reported that insurance companies have begun to mobilize their catastrophe teams to prepare for the landfall of Hurricane Rita. Texas insurers are repositioning their mobile response teams...
N.C. Agriculture Losses $19.6M From Hurricane Ophelia
Sep 21 2005 // Hurricane Ophelia resulted in damages to North Carolina’s agricultural industry amounting to $19.6 million, based on reports tabulated from 13 counties. According to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and...
UPDATE: Hurricane Rita Reaches Category 2 Status
Sep 20 2005 // What was once a tropical storm hovering off the Florida coast has turned into Hurricane Rita, as she strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane on Tuesday, lashing the Florida Keys with heavy rain and strong wind. Winds were...
PXRE Estimates Katrina Impact at $235 to $300 Million; Sees 2005 Loss
Sep 20 2005 // The Bermuda-based PXRE Group Ltd. has updated its estimates of potential losses from Hurricane Katrina to between $235 to $300 million, “after tax, reinsurance recoveries on its outwards reinsurance program and the...
Hurricane Rita, Packs 100 mph Winds, Passes Key West; Forecasters Predict Texas Track
Sep 20 2005 // Preliminary reports suggest only moderate damage occurred as Hurricane Rita threaded the needle between the Florida Keys and the northern coast of Cuba Tuesday afternoon flooding roads and beaches with seawater. As...
Fla. AG Warns: Beware of Unscrupulous Operators Capitalizing on Hurricane Rita
Sep 20 2005 // Florida’s Attorney General Charlie Crist has warned unscrupulous businesses operators against attempting to take advantage of Florida residents and visitors as they cope with potential emergency conditions brought on...
Insurance Commissioners To Form National CAT Insurance Program
Sep 20 2005 // Insurance Commissioners of several large states will convene at a summit to develop a National Catastrophe Insurance Program. The summit is being organized by California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi,...
An Open Letter to the Insurance Industry Seeking Assistance for Independent Agents Devastated from Hurricane Katrina
Sep 20 2005 // Independent insurance agents in Southeast Louisiana and South Mississippi face a daunting task as they play their part in rebuilding their shattered communities. They will need the help of the insurance companies whose...
Fitch: Katrina Causes Unprecedented Challenges/Risks for P/C Insurers
Sep 19 2005 // Circumstances surrounding Hurricane Katrina are unprecedented in many ways, said Fitch Ratings. So much so that the rating agency may need to reassess the core risk profile of the property/casualty insurance...
Katrina Prompts States to Review Their Disaster Playbooks
Sep 19 2005 // With the horrors from Hurricane Katrina still flashing on live television, Connecticut emergency officials and Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) met on Sept. 7 to decide how to evacuate 100,000 coastal residents if a Category 4...
Clinton Initiative Pledges Total $1.25 Billion; Gaza Terrorist Cover
Sep 19 2005 // Former President Bill Clinton closed a very successful initial conference in New York for his Global Initiative with commitments of $1.25 billion. The 3-day event, organized by the ex-President to coincide with the current...
Former FEMA Director Witt to Lead N.Y. Catastrophe Coalition
Sep 19 2005 // James Lee Witt, the former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, today announced the formation of a state coalition to better prepare and protect New Yorkers from the consequences of a catastrophic storm,...
NHC Tracking Tropical Storm Rita, Hurricane Philippe
Sep 19 2005 // Rita became the 17th named storm of the current season over the weekend, as maximum sustained winds neared 50 mph (85 km/hr) with higher gusts. Miami’s National Hurricane Center warned that the storm could become a...
Rita Wobbles West Toward Key West; Expected to Gain Hurricane Strength Monday Evening, Hit Keys Tuesday Morning
Sep 19 2005 // Tourists and residents are beginning to evacuate Key West, and homeowners and businessmen are boarding-up, as Tropical Storm Rita continues on a path from east of Nassau, Bahamas toward south Florida. Rita’s winds...
HURRICANE KATRINA: The Legal Saga Begins
Sep 19 2005 // Liability Claims Will Range Far-and-Wide for Years to Come The New Orleans tragedy may spawn a wave of litigation related to flood protection and levee failures. Public statements, which may serve as a foundation for...
Climate Change Poses Major Threat to U.S. Insurance Industry
Sep 19 2005 // Report Warns of Dire Consequences Unless Industry, Government Act Hurricane Katrina is a reminder that U.S. insurers, government and consumers are at great risk from escalating losses from hurricanes and other...
Surveying the Damage: After Katrina, Can the Industry Withstand Another Disaster?
Sep 19 2005 // Hurricane Katrina could be called an industry nightmare. Some insurers were still reeling from the effects of the Asian tsunamis and last year’s four hurricanes. Yet when Katrina struck in late August, she forced...
Hurricane Katrina: The Legal Saga Begins
Sep 19 2005 // The New Orleans tragedy may spawn a wave of litigation related to flood protection and levee failures. Public statements, which may serve as a foundation for massive public safety legal claims, began Sept. 1. Based on the...
FAIA Studying Windstorm ‘Vehicle’
Sep 19 2005 // The Florida Association of Insurance Agents has announced it will study “another avenue” for covering hurricane wind damage in Florida and would like to establish its own “vehicle” to insure...
