Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Arizona Hit by Moderate Earthquake
Dec 2 2014 // A moderate earthquake that struck near Sedona, Ariz. was widely felt in the area. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-4.7 temblor struck shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday and was centered seven miles north of Sedona...
Atlantic Hurricane Season Spared All But North Carolina
Dec 2 2014 // Sunday marked the end of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season during which North Carolina was the only state to have a storm hit the mainland. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the six-month season saw...
Hartford Unit Accused of Using Fudged Hurricane Sandy Report
Dec 2 2014 // A Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. unit was accused by a lawyer representing policyholders affected by Hurricane Sandy of denying a claim from the storm based on an altered engineering report. The lawyer submitted...
Willis Lauds UN’s Support for ‘1-in-100’ Natural Disaster Risk Initiative
Dec 1 2014 // Willis Group announced that the “1-in-100” disaster resilience initiative, of which it has been a key architect, has received support from the United Nations. The “1-in-100” is a drive by public and...
No Ratings Impact from UK’s Counter-Terrorism/Security Bill: A.M. Best
Dec 1 2014 // A bulletin from A.M. Best indicates that it “does not expect rated insurers to be impacted by the amendments to the UK’s Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill, making it illegal for insurers to reimburse ransom...
Illinois Man Promises Neighbors Spot in Underground Tornado Shelter
Dec 1 2014 // The 1,200-pound steel cylinder in James Trudeau’s driveway certainly struck his Bourbonnais, Ill., neighborhood as odd, at least at first. Even Kankakee County’s planning department wasn’t sure what to...
Texas Company Turns Trucks into Wildfire Fighters
Dec 1 2014 // Could icemakers be next? Most of the options on the brush fire trucks made at Texas-based Steele Fire Apparatus fall into the category of things you might expect. Light towers, electrical inverters, pumps for hydraulic...
Kansas Agents See Increased Demand for Earthquake Insurance
Dec 1 2014 // Kansas insurance agencies say they’ve been flooded with queries about earthquake coverage after a 4.8 magnitude temblor struck near Conway Springs on Nov. 12. “We have been getting calls all day,” said...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Launches Depopulation Portal
Dec 1 2014 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) has initiated a process whereby interested insurance companies may access information on TWIA insured properties in an effort to move policies to private insurers. The...
Experts: Eastern Colorado Wildfires Likely to Start on Private Lands
Dec 1 2014 // Fires ignited on private lands pose the most significant wildfire threats to populated areas on the eastern-facing range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, according to risk analysts who used extensive evidence regarding a...
4.0 Magnitude Earthquake Included in Swarm Near Medford, Oklahoma
Nov 26 2014 // A swarm of earthquakes has rattled the Medford area in northern Oklahoma, including a magnitude 4.0 quake. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake struck at 8:43 a.m. on Nov. 25. Its epicenter was less than one mile...
‘Silver Tsunami’ Predicted by Oregon Economist
Nov 26 2014 // A prominent Oregon economist says one of the counties hardest hit by the decline of the state’s forest industries should expect a “silver tsunami” of retirees as aging baby boomers flee California and, if...
Japan Assesses Damage from Earthquake in Olympics Site Region
Nov 26 2014 // The damage from an overnight earthquake in a mountainous area of central Japan that hosted the 1998 winter Olympics proved more extensive than initially thought. A daylight assessment Sunday found at least 50 homes...
University of Memphis Earthquake Center Receives $2M Grant
Nov 26 2014 // The U.S. Geological Survey is awarding a $2 million grant to the Center for Earthquake Research and Information at the University of Memphis. The university said the three-year grant will help the center continue to...
UK Insurers Already Banned from Paying Ransoms to Terrorist Organizations
Nov 25 2014 // The UK Government’s proposal to ban the payment of ransoms by insurers to terrorist organizations, which will be officially presented to Parliament tomorrow, is in fact already inscribed in law, not only by the UK,...
Quiet Atlantic Hurricane Season Coming to End
Nov 24 2014 // The Atlantic hurricane season will officially end November 30, and will be remembered as a relatively quiet season as was predicted, according to weather scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration...
UK Anti-Terrorism Proposal Would Clarify Insurance Law on Ransom Payments
Nov 24 2014 // The U.K. government will introduce anti-terrorism legislation this week requiring internet companies to provide user data to authorities. The bill, to be published on Nov. 26 and fast-tracked through Parliament so it...
How Carriers Are Handling Property Cat Renewals, Terrorism, Ebola: NAPCO
Nov 21 2014 // Property/catastrophe insurers have been focused on winning new business, which means new customers are seeing bigger price cuts, according to a market report from a wholesale broker specializing in catastrophe risk...
Kansas Agents See Increased Demand for Earthquake Insurance
Nov 17 2014 // Kansas insurance agencies say they’ve been flooded with queries about earthquake coverage after the 4.8 magnitude temblor on Nov. 12. “We have been getting calls all day,” Matt Woodall, who works at a...
4.8 Mag Earthquake Shakes Parts of Kansas, Oklahoma
Nov 14 2014 // An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 shook parts of Kansas and Oklahoma on Nov. 12, the largest since a series of temblors began rattling Kansas a little more than a year ago. The quake’s epicenter was...
