Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oklahoma Lawmaker to Re-File Earthquake Insurance Bill
Nov 8 2013 // Following a rash of earthquakes, a state lawmaker says he plans to file a bill to require insurance companies to notify Oklahomans whether their policies cover property damage caused by earthquakes. Rep. Mike Shelton of...
AIR Estimates Insured Losses from Europe Windstorm at $2-$3 Billion
Nov 7 2013 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has estimated that insured losses from Windstorm Christian (known as St. Jude in the UK) will range between €1.5 billion €2.3 billion [$2 to $3 billion], with the majority of...
RSA Tumbles as Windstorms Push Profitability below Target
Nov 6 2013 // RSA Insurance Group Plc tumbled after the U.K.’s biggest non-life insurer by market value said it will miss its profitability target in the wake of last week’s European windstorms. Wind damage in Europe and...
Noonan: Insurers Can Cover Terrorism Privately
Nov 4 2013 // A poll released last week by the Risk and Insurance Management Society — the trade association for risk managers of corporations, non-profits and local government agencies, who together are the major purchasers of...
Louisiana Citizens Insurance Settles Remaining 2005 Hurricane Claims
Nov 1 2013 // A state-run insurance company of last resort in Louisiana has settled the remaining claims in a class-action lawsuit tied to how it handled claims after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The New Orleans Advocate reports...
Oklahoma Commissioner Urges Purchase of Earthquake Insurance
Oct 30 2013 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak is encouraging Oklahomans to purchase earthquake insurance after a new report predicts continued seismic activity in the central part of the state. The U.S. Geological Survey...
Risk Managers: Loss of TRIA Would Limit, Possibly End, Terrorism Coverage
Oct 30 2013 // A majority of risk professionals believe expiration of the federal terrorism reinsurance program would result in a decrease of affordable terrorism coverage or, even, the total elimination of the coverage, according to a...
UPDATE: AIR Worldwide Reports on European Windstorm Christian
Oct 30 2013 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide continued its analysis of Windstorm “Christian,” which smashed into southern Britain Monday, October 28, knocking over trees, flooding lowlands, and disrupting land, sea,...
Texas Holds Oct. 30 Hearing on Windstorm Liability Limit Increases
Oct 29 2013 // The Texas Department of Insurance will hold a hearing on Oct. 30 to consider a petition by the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association to raise the maximum limits of liability for windstorm and hail insurance policies...
Fitch Affirms California Earthquake Authority’s ‘A’ Rating
Oct 29 2013 // Fitch Ratings has affirmed the “A” rating on California Earthquake Authority’s outstanding fixed-rate revenue bonds, which mature on July 1, 2016. Fitch has also affirmed CEA’s Issuer Default Rating...
How a Run-of-the-Mill Hurricane Mutated Into a Superstorm Named Sandy
Oct 28 2013 // It was the moment a run-of-the-mill hurricane mutated into a monster named Sandy. Paradoxically, it was the same time Sandy lost much of its wind power, dropping from a hurricane to a tropical storm. It was a Friday night...
Study Suggests Topography Can Strengthen Tornadoes
Oct 25 2013 // The Georgia town of Trenton seems to fit the model. Two people died there about a block from each other. Ringgold, Ga., does, too. Death toll there: 8. In both cases, National Weather Service maps that tracked the April...
U.K. Braces for Hurricane-Force Winds in Worst Storm Since 1990
Oct 25 2013 // Southern England is girding for 90 mile-per-hour winds as the biggest storm since 1990 is forecast to fell trees and damage buildings. Rain and high winds are predicted to lash the area on the evening of Oct. 27 through to...
Atlantic Hurricane Season Quietest in 45 Years, Experts Say
Oct 25 2013 // The 2013 Atlantic hurricane season looks set to go down as a big washout, marking the first time in 45 years that the strongest storm to form was just a minor Category 1 hurricane. There could still be a late surprise in...
Hannover Re Sees Higher Rates in Germany on Floods, Hailstorms
Oct 23 2013 // Hannover Re, the world’s third largest reinsurer, said it expects higher rates for insurance and reinsurance in Germany following this year’s flooding and hailstorms, which led to the most costly claims in 30...
University of Alabama Studies Impact of 2011 Tornado on Foreclosures
Oct 21 2013 // A University of Alabama study has found that the April 2011 tornado didn’t severely impact home foreclosures in the Tuscaloosa area. Sociologist Bronwen Lichtenstein says researchers noted a slight decrease in...
Wildfire Emergency Declared in Australia State as Homes Lost
Oct 21 2013 // Australia’s most populous state declared an emergency as wildfires tore through bush land west of Sydney, destroying hundreds of homes and threatening mountain townships. New South Wales State Premier Barry...
As Many as 9 Tornadoes Reported in Nebraska, Iowa
Oct 21 2013 // As many as nine tornadoes – at least one rated a powerful EF3 – touched down across northeast Nebraska and northwest Iowa as a storm cell moved over the region in the evening on Oct. 4, causing structural damage and...
Is TRIA for Cyber Terrorism?
Oct 21 2013 // The insurance industry will count on the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (Program) if there is a terrorist strike on the United States, but will the Program respond if the act of terrorism is a cyber event? Cyber...
Florida Hurricane Fund Financial Condition As ‘Strong As Ever’
Oct 17 2013 // Florida is ending this year’s storm season with some good news. The state-created fund that backs up private insurers in Florida remains in the best financial shape it has been since it was created 20 years ago. New...
