Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Northern Calif. Earthquake Damage Predicted to Be Less Than $10M
Feb 5 2010 // Damage and loss from yesterday’s magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck offshore Northern California are expected to be less than $10 million, with insured losses a fraction of that, a risk modeling firm has reported....
Magnitude 5.9 Earthquake Strikes Northern California
Feb 4 2010 // A magnitude 5.9 earthquake has struck offshore Northern California at 12:20 p.m. PST, about 35 miles from Petolia and 50 miles from Eureka, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. This is the second earthquake in the area in...
Hawaii Could Tap Hurricane Fund to Fund School Education
Feb 3 2010 // Hawaii is closer to tapping its Hurricane Relief Fund to help balance the state budget and resolve teacher furloughs, as a legislative committee advanced a bill that would appropriate $50 million from the fund. Senate Bill...
Hurricane Ike Claims Total Nearly $12B in Texas
Jan 29 2010 // Hurricane Ike, which struck Galveston on Sept. 13, 2008, has proved to be the costliest weather catastrophe in Texas history by a large margin. The storm racked up nearly $12 billion in windstorm and flood insurance claims...
RMS Analyzes Haiti Earthquake, Regional Repercussions
Jan 29 2010 // Risk Management Solutions has released a report on the impact of the earthquake that struck near the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on January 12. The 7.0 magnitude quake destroyed much of the city and surrounding...
Texas Agent and Former Windstorm Association Chair Dies at 81
Jan 29 2010 // Corpus Christi independent insurance agent and former Texas Windstorm Insurance Association chairman, Lloyd L. Grove Jr., passed away Jan. 24 at the age of 81. Throughout his 50-year career Grove was actively involved in...
Prime Insurance Syndicate, Inc. Jury Verdict Rules in Favor of Insurer in Hurricane Katrina Claim
Jan 27 2010 // Reassured by jury’s unbiased decision Chicago, Illinois and Salt Lake City, Utah (January 27, 2010). Prime Insurance Syndicate, Inc. was successfully defended in a Hurricane Katrina lawsuit in the United States...
Tropical Storm Magda Threatens Northeastern Australia
Jan 22 2010 // A report from Risk Management Solutions on tropical storm Magda places it at around 500 miles (800 kms) northeast of Port Hedland, Australia, and 520 miles (830 kms) west-southwest of Darwin, according to the Joint Typhoon...
Only 20% of Oregonians Insured for Earthquake Risks
Jan 19 2010 // Although Oregon is among the states at highest risk for a major earthquake, only about 20 percent of Oregonians have earthquake insurance, according to a Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS)...
Calif. Earthquake Damage To Top $28M, ‘State of Emergency’ in Humboldt County
Jan 14 2010 // California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in the Northern California county struck by a weekend earthquake, saying damage from the magnitude-6.5 temblor was expected to top $28...
Haiti Earthquake to Cost Insurers Millions: Equecat
Jan 13 2010 // The earthquake that struck Haiti may have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, according to risk assessor Eqecat, which will likely lead to losses even for insurers of well-designed buildings. Eqecat said...
Mississippi-Based Hurricane Hunters Also Patrol Winter Skies
Jan 12 2010 // On a bitterly cold morning in Anchorage, Alaska, the Hurricane Hunters lift off to scout a weather track that may bring snow to the Northeast or flooding rains in California in the next five days. The winter mission of the...
Hurricane Forecasters Promise Earlier Warnings
Jan 7 2010 // The National Hurricane Center said this week it will begin issuing storm watches and warnings about half a day sooner in the biggest change to its warning system in decades. When a storm is approaching land, forecasters...
UPDATE: 1,000 People Left Homeless on Solomons after Tsunami
Jan 6 2010 // A disaster management official says an earthquake and a tsunami have destroyed 200 homes on one island in the Solomons leaving about one-third of the population homeless. Disaster management office director Loti Yates says...
Wet, Cool Year in Arkansas; Fewer Tornadoes Than ’08
Jan 5 2010 // First there was the ice that blanketed the northern third of Arkansas. Then the tornado that ripped through Mena. Next came rain – record-breaking amounts of it in 15 Arkansas cities and areas. Long, soaking rains...
Wildfires Destroy Homes in Western Australia
Dec 31 2009 // Wildfires roared across a swath of Western Australia on Wednesday, razing almost 40 homes and sending hundreds of people fleeing for their lives, officials and witnesses said. At least three people were injured. Two major...
5 Years After Deadly Indonesia Tsunami, Communities Better Prepared
Dec 23 2009 // Five years after a Sumatra Indonesia tsunami killed 230,000 people, officials say that more communities are taking the threat seriously, implementing warning systems and understanding that swift action is needed if a...
Scientists Update California Tsunami Maps
Dec 21 2009 // Scientists have released updated tsunami maps pinpointing California coasts vulnerable to giant waves generated by an undersea earthquake. Previous hazard maps only covered select coastal communities and focused on...
AAIS Offers New Homeowners Rating Plan for Earthquake Coverage
Dec 21 2009 // The American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS) has initiated a countrywide filing of a new earthquake rating plan under its Homeowners Program. The earthquake plan, which consists of self-contained manual...
Forecasters Expect More Active Atlantic Hurricane Season Next Year
Dec 20 2009 // Colorado State University researchers are predicting a more active Atlantic hurricane season next year, with six to eight hurricanes, at least three of them major. Philip Klotzbach and William Gray predict 11 to 16 named...
