Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Alabama Coast Evacuated for Isaac; Georgia Warned on Flooding, Tornadoes
Aug 28 2012 // Coastal Alabama is under a mandatory evacuation order as Isaac churns through the Gulf of Mexico. Gov. Robert Bentley ordered residents of southern Baldwin and Mobile counties to begin evacuating starting 8 a.m. Monday,...
Near-Hurricane Strength Isaac Takes Aim at New Orleans
Aug 28 2012 // Tropical Storm Isaac was near hurricane force as it bore down on the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday and was expected to make landfall in the New Orleans area seven years after it was devastated by Hurricane...
Typhoon Bolaven Strikes Okinawa; Heads for South Korea: AIR Analysis
Aug 28 2012 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Typhoon Bolaven made landfall on northern Okinawa around 12:00 UTC on August 26, as a strong category 3 typhoon, as calculated by the Japan Meteorological Agency...
New Jersey Looks Back on Tropical Storm Irene One Year Later
Aug 27 2012 // New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s blunt warning a year ago to “get the hell off the beach!” kicked off what became the costliest natural disaster in the state’s history, causing more than $1 billion...
Powerful Typhoon Bolaven Nears Japan’s Okinawa Island
Aug 27 2012 // The strongest typhoon to approach Okinawa in several years was bearing down on the southern Japanese island on Sunday as residents were told to stay indoors and warned its strong gusts could overturn cars and cause waves...
N.Y. Distributed $574M in Post-Hurricane Irene, TS Lee Aid So Far
Aug 24 2012 // New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday marked the upcoming one-year anniversary of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee by issuing a comprehensive report – “NY Responds.” The report says more than...
Tropical Storm Isaac Threatens Haiti; Oil Rigs Shut; Southeast Prepares
Aug 24 2012 // Tropical Storm Isaac strengthened on Friday as it took aim at flood-prone Haiti, but it was not expected to become a hurricane until it barreled into the Gulf of Mexico early next week. On its current path, forecasters...
Typhoon Tembin Approaching Taiwan: AIR Analysis
Aug 24 2012 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Typhoon Tembin, the 14th of the 2012 Pacific season, is “heading slowly for southern Taiwan, and is expected to make landfall in the early morning of Friday,...
Joplin Tornado Spurs Change in Missouri Mutual Insurance Rules
Aug 23 2012 // State regulators say mutual insurance companies that provide property coverage to rural Missourians will be financially stronger because of a new reinsurance requirement. Missouri Department of Insurance reports that a new...
Weak Earthquake Shakes Colorado Mountains
Aug 23 2012 // A weak earthquake has hit the Colorado mountains. The National Earthquake Information Center says the quake Tuesday afternoon registered a preliminary magnitude of 3.3. It was centered north of Basalt and south of...
Tampa, Host of Republican Convention, Prepares for Possible Hurricane Isaac
Aug 23 2012 // Tropical Storm Isaac is posing a potential threat to next week’s Republican National Convention in Florida, which culminates in the nomination of Mitt Romney for president. The U.S. National Hurricane Center on...
Tropical Storm Isaac Strengthening; Floridians, Citrus Growers Begin to Worry
Aug 22 2012 // New York orange juice futures jumped more than 5 percent on Wednesday after U.S. forecasters warned Tropical Storm Isaac would strengthen into a hurricane and could hit the south coast of citrus-rich Florida by Monday. The...
Texas Windstorm Pool: Fax Problems Due to Provider Connectivity
Aug 21 2012 // Agents who place insurance with Texas’ property insurer of last resort in coastal areas apparently have been having difficulty faxing policy changes to the company. The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association says the...
Historical U.S. Hurricanes: What If They Struck Today?
Aug 21 2012 // There have been 28 storms in U.S. history since 1900 which if they were happen today would each cause $10 billion or more in insured losses. Hurricane Andrew, which struck Florida 20 years ago this week, would be three...
20 Years Later: Insurance Changes Triggered by Hurricane Andrew
Aug 21 2012 // Hurricane Andrew struck Florida on August 24, 1992, and the tumult it created for the property insurance market in the state has not ceased in the 20 years since, according to the insurance industry. An Insurance...
Tropical Storm Helene Weakens as it Passes over Mexico’s East Coast
Aug 20 2012 // Tropical Storm Helene made landfall off the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday and weakened into a tropical depression as it plowed up Mexico’s east coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The depression was about 65...
UPDATE: Hurricane Gordon Passes Azores; Expected to Weaken
Aug 20 2012 // In a bulletin issued at 5:00 a.m. AST, The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Hurricane Gordon has passed “through the Eastern Azores Islands,” and is “expected to become a post-tropical cyclone...
Otter Declares Disaster Due to Idaho Wildfires
Aug 17 2012 // The size and scope of wildfires burning in southwestern and central Idaho has prompted Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter to issue a disaster declaration. Otter made the announcement Wednesday to support firefighting...
Recovering from a Wildfire Catastrophe
Aug 17 2012 // Gary Sweeny still gets choked up when thinking of all of his family and friends who helped him recover from the Bastrop, Texas, wildfire that destroyed his home of 35 years. The retired school teacher and his wife who...
Wildfires: Sage Grouse Habitat Loss Could Impact Nevada Insureds
Aug 16 2012 // If you’re a business in Nevada, it may not be immediately clear why you should be concered with the state’s nearly dozen wildfires that are consuming almost 600,000 acres and destroying sage grouse habitat. But...
