Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Arkansas Receives More than $700K for Tornado Recovery
Jan 30 2014 // The U.S. Labor Department has given $702,741 to help Arkansas recover from tornadoes and severe storms that hit the state last May and June. The agency said the National Emergency Grant is being given to the Arkansas...
Florida Weighs 15-Day Hurricane Supply Tax Holiday
Jan 29 2014 // Floridians would get a 15-day sales tax holiday on hurricane preparedness supplies ranging from portable generators to radios this coming June under a proposal outlined Monday by Gov. Rick Scott. Scott, making the...
Aon Releases Terrorism, Political Violence Map; Retail, Transport Most at Risk
Jan 29 2014 // Aon Risk Solutions, the global risk management business of Aon plc, has released its 2014 Terrorism and Political Violence Map to help organizations assess risk levels of terrorism and political violence across the globe....
Global Natural Disasters Cost Insurers $45B in 2013
Jan 27 2014 // In 2013, there were 296 separate natural disaster events that produced total economic losses of $192 billion – four percent below the 10-year average of $200 billion, but above the average 259 events, according to a...
Worries Mount Over Winter Wildfire Season Not Soon to End
Jan 23 2014 // A winter wildfire season offers some unique challenges for firefighters like Mike Lopez. Lopez is president of CDF Firefighters, which represents the employees of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or...
Aon Benfield Securities Completes Europe Windstorm Cat Bond Windmill I Re
Jan 23 2014 // Aon Benfield Securities, the investment banking division of global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor Aon Benfield, announced the successful completion of the first European Windstorm indemnity catastrophe bond...
Winter Storm Costs in Ohio Could Rival Hurricane Ike Totals
Jan 21 2014 // Experts say the early January’s extreme cold and wind are expected to be one of the costliest weather events in Ohio since the remnants of Hurricane Ike hit in 2008. No solid estimate is available yet, but the Dayton...
PERILS Initial Loss Estimate for Windstorm Xaver is $925 Million
Jan 17 2014 // PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization providing industry-wide catastrophe insurance data, announced that its initial loss estimate for windstorm Xaver, which affected Western and Northern Europe on 5 and 6...
Threats from Cyber Crime, Terrorism Under-Rated by Captives: Aon Report
Jan 17 2014 // Aon Global Risk Consulting, the risk management consulting arm of Aon plc has conducted further research to understand more about organizations’ attitudes to the top threats they face in today’s hyper connected...
Southern California Wildfire Prompts Evacuations
Jan 16 2014 // A wildfire burned out of control near homes in the dry foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains early Thursday, fanned by gusty Santa Ana winds that spit embers into neighborhoods in the city below. Evacuations were ordered...
Uninsured Losses from Natural Disasters Growing: Swiss Re
Jan 15 2014 // Natural catastrophes are growing more costly and uninsured losses are increasing, according to David Cole, chief risk officer of Swiss Re Ltd. “When they happen, they are more severe,” he said today at a...
Virginia Tech, USGS Install Seismic Stations in Central Va. for Earthquake Study
Jan 13 2014 // Researchers are preparing to conduct a two-month study of earthquakes in central Virginia, a region that has a history of seismic activity. Twenty seismic stations are being installed for the study by researchers from...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Releases Questionable Emails to Attorney
Jan 13 2014 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) announced it has released to a litigator what it calls “potentially offensive” emails as part of discovery in a lawsuit against the insurer brought on behalf of...
Global Natural Disasters Cost Insurers $45B in 2013: Impact Forecasting
Jan 13 2014 // In 2013, there were 296 separate natural disaster events that produced total economic losses of $192 billion – four percent below the 10-year average of $200 billion, but above the average 259 events, according to a...
Tennessee Survived 36 Tornadoes in 2013
Jan 8 2014 // Tennessee had 36 tornadoes in 2013 with no fatalities. According to National Weather Service Meteorologist Bobby Boyd, in the Nashville office, 25 of the state’s tornadoes took place in January. March and June saw...
$1.5B in Louisiana Hurricane Recovery Aid Remains Unspent
Jan 3 2014 // Louisiana has yet to spend $1.5 billion of federal disaster recovery aid provided by Congress after hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike ravaged the state in 2005 and 2008. The flexible block grant rebuilding and...
Lloyd’s Underwriters Warn of Rising Danger from Cyber Terrorism
Jan 3 2014 // An article on the Lloyd’s website notes that “industrial facilities from nuclear plants to dams are increasingly coming under attack from cyber terrorists bent on causing physical damage and disruption from...
Joplin, Missouri Publishes Book Featuring Tornado Experiences
Jan 2 2014 // Joplin has published a collection of stories that chronicle the 2011 tornado that devastated the southwest Missouri city. The book, titled “Joplin Pays It Forward,” can be downloaded for free at the...
Terrorism Insurance Extended to Four Airlines
Dec 29 2013 // U.S. government insurance that guarantees airlines are covered against terrorism and war was extended for four carriers, including Virgin America Inc., that otherwise would have lost coverage at the end of the...
Oklahoma Homes Earthquake Shaken On Christmas
Dec 27 2013 // It wasn’t Santa and his reindeer landing on roofs that shook some central Oklahoma homes early Christmas morning. A small earthquake struck near Spencer at about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geology...
