Latest Earthquake Headlines

All the headlines from our Earthquake Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Best Downgrades, Places on Review Ansvar Insurance (New Zealand) Ratings

Sep 29 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating to ‘B++’ (Good) from ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating to ‘bbb’ from ‘a-‘of Ansvar Insurance Limited (New...

No Major Injuries or Damage After Alabama Earthquake

Sep 15 2011 // Authorities say no major damage or injuries were reported after an earthquake in the metro Birmingham area Tuesday evening. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the 3.0 quake was centered about two miles southwest of...

AIR Updates European Wind, Earthquake Cat Models

Sep 15 2011 // Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide has released updates to its Extratropical Cyclone and Earthquake Models for Europe. AIR said it had “significantly expanded” both models to include additional...

Japan Marks 6 Months Since Earthquake, Tsunami

Sep 13 2011 // Up and down Japan’s devastated northeast coast, survivors prayed and communities came together Sunday to mark six months since the massive earthquake and tsunami struck on March 11, a date that changed everything for...

East Coast Quake Shook US Nuclear Plant Twice as Hard as Design Allowed

Sep 8 2011 // Preliminary data from the U.S. Geological Survey shows last month’s record earthquake in the eastern United States may have shaken a Dominion Resources nuclear plant twice as hard it was designed to withstand, a...

‘Old’ East Coast Shows Cracks After Earthquake

Sep 5 2011 // There was a crack in the Washington Monument, and capstones were broken at the National Cathedral. In the District of Columbia suburbs, some people stayed in shelters because of structural concerns at their apartment...

California Earthquake Authority Bond Issue a ‘First Step’

Sep 5 2011 // Officials with the California Earthquake Authority said that their recent $150-million bond issue is just a first step in diversifying their risk so that they can expand earthquake coverage in the state. “It is just...

Earthquake, Hurricane Keep Maryland Insurance Agents Busy

Sep 1 2011 // First came the earthquake; then the hurricane. Now comes the bill. And with any luck, you have a decent insurance policy that will cover the cost of most, if not all, of the damages sustained in one or both natural...

Swiss Re Sigma Study Examines Government/Private Sector Coverage

Aug 31 2011 // Swiss Re’s latest sigma study – “State involvement in private insurance” – examines the increasing symbiosis between governments and the private insurance sector. The report notes that...

Pacific Coast Towns Rethink Tsunami ‘Vertical’ Evacuation Options

Aug 29 2011 // When the next devastating earthquake strikes off the Northwest coast, it is expected to send a tsunami so fast that it could leave coastal communities with perhaps 20 minutes to escape the surge of water. For small towns...

Colorado Says It Has No Funds to Aid Earthquake Victims

Aug 29 2011 // Colorado officials say they have no money to help earthquake victims in southern Colorado. Department of Local Affairs spokeswoman Linda Rice said the state is providing technical assistance, including geological analysis,...

Earthquake Showed Difficulties of Evacuating D.C.

Aug 29 2011 // The nation’s capital has prepared for emergencies with sleek communication systems, intelligence fusion centers and chemical detention centers at train stations. What showed during the 5.8-magnitude quake that shook...

Is ‘Old’ East Coast Prepared For a Powerful Earthquake?

Aug 26 2011 // There was a crack in the Washington Monument, and capstones were broken at the National Cathedral. In the District of Columbia suburbs, some people stayed in shelters because of structural concerns at their apartment...

Most Maryland Homeowner Policies Don’t Have Quake Coverage

Aug 26 2011 // Most Marylander homeowners aren’t likely to be covered for earthquake damage under their homeowner’s policies. The Insurance Information Institute [I.I.I.] said earthquakes are not covered under standard...

East Coast Earthquake: Fear, Damage Mixed with Relief, Teasing

Aug 26 2011 // For a few minutes from Georgia to Maine, the question rang out: What was that? The answer — a rare East Coast earthquake, magnitude 5.8 — was far down on the list for most not used to the earth shaking beneath them. In...

Colorado Jostled with Earthquake Aftershocks

Aug 25 2011 // Colorado has been jostled with 13 aftershocks after Monday night’s magnitude-5.3 earthquake struck just hours before a magnitude-5.8 temblor hit Virginia, earthquake monitors said Wednesday. Geophysicist Amy Vaughan...

Earthquake Insurance Premiums by State

Aug 25 2011 // An East Coast earthquake? Suffering damage from a seismic shift isn’t a risk many homeowners outside of California worry about. Most standard homeowners, renters and business insurance policies do not cover damage...

Is It Time to Consider Earthquake Insurance?

Aug 25 2011 // Earthquakes and California go together. Or at least that’s what most of the country thought until Tuesday’s East Coast earthquake centered in Virginia. Reports of the earth moving were widespread, coming from...

Earthquake Hits Rural Colorado, Too

Aug 24 2011 // Virginia’s earthquake isn’t the only notable temblor to hit the United States this week. On Monday the largest earthquake to strike Colorado in almost 40 years shook hundreds of people in the southern part of...

Earthquake Tested Safety of East Coast’s Nuclear Plants

Aug 24 2011 // The largest earthquake to hit the East Coast of the United States in 67 years raised concerns on Tuesday about the safety of the country’s nuclear power plants. The 5.8 magnitude quake’s epicenter was just a...