Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Lawmaker Files Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Reform Bill
Mar 10 2011 // Texas State Rep. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, has introduced House Bill 2818, a comprehensive reform effort intended to address many of the problems confronting the Texas Windstorm Insurance Agency (TWIA). In announcing...
California Earthquake Authority Targets $5 Million to Help Agents Sell Insurance
Mar 7 2011 // New Zealand’s 6.3 magnitude Christchurch earthquake is expected to be one of the costliest global insurance events since 2008, with total insured losses ranging between $3 billion and $12 billion. And it’s not...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Litigation Costs Too High, Lawmaker Says
Mar 7 2011 // The amount the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) has paid out in litigation costs as a result of lawsuits stemming from Hurricane Ike claims is far too high, said one Texas lawmaker who’s working on...
California Earthquake Authority Targets $5 Million to Help Agents Sell Earthquake Insurance
Mar 7 2011 // New Zealand’s 6.3 magnitude Christchurch earthquake is expected to be one of the costliest global insurance events since 2008, with total insured losses ranging between $3 billion and $12 billion. And it’s not...
Best Comments on Impact of Christchurch Earthquake on New Zealand P/C Insurers
Mar 3 2011 // A.M. Best’s London office announced that it “has begun to assess the financial impact of the Feb. 22, 2011 Christchurch earthquake on New Zealand’s non-life insurance industry, and it expects capital...
Virginia Wildfires Still Going a Week Later
Mar 1 2011 // Virginia fire officials say it may be two weeks before wildfires in Rockingham County are fully contained. Fire officials tell WHSV-TV the fires that have burned hundreds of acres were 45 percent contained Sunday. Fire...
Texas Regulators Move to Take Over Windstorm Insurance Association
Feb 28 2011 // The Texas Department of Insurance has informed the director of the state’s property insurance company of last resort for wind in the state’s coastal counties that it is placing the organization under...
Missouri: Consumers not Being Protected with Earthquake Insurance
Feb 23 2011 // On the 200th anniversary of the great New Madrid earthquake, Missouri’s insurance director says most homeowners would not be adequately protected from an earthquake today. John M. Huff, director of the Missouri...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Litigation Costs Too High, Lawmaker Says
Feb 22 2011 // The amount the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) has paid out in litigation costs as a result of lawsuits stemming from Hurricane Ike claims is far too high, says one Texas lawmaker who’s working on...
State Geologists Put Calif. Earthquake Maps Online
Feb 14 2011 // Anyone with an Internet connection can now find out whether the house they want to buy is on one of California’s earthquake faults. The California Geological Survey announced that it was posting its fault zone maps...
WKF&C to Offer Earthquake Coverage
Feb 9 2011 // San Francisco-based WKF&C Agency Inc. and Insurance Company of the West have announced a strategic partnership in which WKF&C will offer earthquake insurance on a monoline basis for select commercial business. The...
Virginia Officials Plan Statewide Tornado Drill
Feb 8 2011 // Virginia emergency management officials are planning to hold a statewide tornado drill. The drill is a joint effort between the state Department of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service. It will take place...
Massachusetts Allows for Terrorism Exclusion in Commercial Insurance
Feb 7 2011 // Commercial property insurers in Massachusetts will be allowed to exclude terrorism coverage from commercial fire insurance policies under a new law signed by Gov. Deval Patrick. The law modifies the standard fire insurance...
Businesses, Charities Call for End to Florida’s ‘Hurricane Tax’
Feb 7 2011 // A coalition of Florida charitable and business groups is pressing the state to eliminate assessments charged all policyholders to subsidize the state-backed insurance provider and hurricane claims fund. In a letter to Gov....
Wildfires Destroy Homes in Western Australia
Feb 7 2011 // Wildfires tore through the suburbs of an Australian city on Sunday, destroying a number of homes, news reports and authorities said. There were no reports of injuries. Two fires fanned by hot summer winds were burning in...
Australian Natural Disasters Spark Renewed Call Action on Climate Change
Feb 4 2011 // An architect of Australia’s stalled climate change policy has linked the nation’s recent natural disasters with global warming and called for a new political push to cut carbon emissions. Ross Garnaut,...
Geographer Recreates ‘The Great Louisiana Hurricane of 1812’
Feb 3 2011 // Nearly 200 years before Hurricane Katrina, a major storm hit the coast of Louisiana just west of New Orleans. Because the War of 1812 was simultaneously raging, the hurricane’s strength, direction and other...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Assoc. to Begin Paying Commissions Monthly
Jan 28 2011 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the property insurer of last resort along the Texas Gulf Coast, reports that in the second quarter of 2011 it will begin paying agents’ commissions monthly. TWIA will...
Massachusetts Allows for Terrorism Exclusion in Commercial Insurance
Jan 28 2011 // Commercial property insurers in Massachusetts will be allowed to exclude terrorism coverage from commercial fire insurance policies under a new law signed by Gov. Deval Patrick. The law modifies the standard fire insurance...
Oklahoma Lawmaker, Manufactured Housing Assoc. Tackling Tornado Safety
Jan 27 2011 // Oklahoma State Rep. Pat Ownbey and the Manufactured Housing Association of Oklahoma Board of Directors’ are seeking to develop sample emergency plans for mobile home communities to prevent deaths in the event of a...
