Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
The Trouble With the ‘Acts of God’ Defense in Texas
Aug 3 2009 // The phrase “act of God” has a rich pedigree and interesting etymological history. Under Roman law, mercantile obligations arose from duties and contracts. If someone had a legal or contractual duty to do...
New Homeowners Earthquake Rating Plan Available
Aug 3 2009 // Wheaton, Ill.-based American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS) has developed a new rating plan for adding earthquake coverage to policies based on standardized forms, manual rules, and rating information provided...
2nd ‘Stanford’ Suit Targets Willis; Terrorist Bombs Kill 9 in Indonesia; Insurance Fraud on the Rise in UK; Lloyd’s ‘Fli
Aug 3 2009 // Willis has been named in a second lawsuit stemming from its relation with indicted financier Allen Stanford. A Venezuelan investor, Reinaldo Ranni, filed a class action in U.S. federal court in Miami on July 17, accusing...
Researchers Hope to Improve Hurricane Prediction
Jul 30 2009 // They’re deceptively simple looking detectors: one an antenna with built-in GPS; the other electronic sensors inside what looks like — and in fact, is — a large, upside-down metal salad bowl. The sensors...
Texas Enacts Windstorm Insurance Reforms; Will They Be Enough?
Jul 30 2009 // During the recently completed 81st Legislative Session, the Texas legislature adopted the most significant reforms to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) since 1997 with the passage of House Bill 4409 (HB...
Suit Targets The Hartford’s Handling of Hurricane Wilma Claims in Florida
Jul 29 2009 // A Miami lawyer has filed class action suit against The Hartford alleging the company failed to pay replacement cost on Hurricane Wilma claims to insureds who had purchased the coverage. The suit claims The Hartford refused...
Earthquake Monitors Placed in North Dakota
Jul 29 2009 // North Dakota, known for blizzards and floods, is getting sensors to check for earthquakes as part of a national project listening to what happens underground. The possibility of a big quake damaging the state is remote:...
Kansas Town Destroyed by Tornado Now a Model ‘Green’ Community
Jul 27 2009 // Greensburg, Kan., which was nearly wiped off the map by a tornado two years ago, is famous for having the world’s largest hand-dug well and the world’s largest pallasite meteorite. Now it’s another...
State Regulation, Earthquake Coverage of Concern to Missouri’s Huff
Jul 24 2009 // In an address to some 130 members of the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA) Missouri Insurance Director John M. Huff made a strong argument that states, rather than the federal government, should continue to...
Canada’s Insurers Respond Quickly to Wildfire Crisis
Jul 23 2009 // Insurers in British Columbia “are acting quickly to assist those whose homes and businesses have been affected by the forest fires currently raging in the province,” notes a bulletin from the Insurance Bureau...
Hawaii Could Tap Hurricane Emergency Fund to Shore-Up Budget
Jul 20 2009 // A Hawaii judge has blocked Gov. Linda Lingle from forcing thousands of public employees to take three unpaid days off per month, dealing her a setback in efforts to tame a huge state budget gap. Unions opposed to the...
Web Site Estimates Damages If Old Hurricanes Were to Return Today
Jul 20 2009 // This month marks the four-year anniversary of Hurricane Dennis, a Category 3 storm that slammed into the panhandle of Florida with sustained winds of 120 m.p.h. While Dennis inflicted more than $2.2 billion in damage in...
AIR Analyzes New Zealand Quake; Tsunami Warning
Jul 16 2009 // According to catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide, a major earthquake struck off the southwestern coast of New Zealand on Wednesday July 15 at 8:22 p.m. local time (9:22 a.m. UTC). The United States Geological...
2003 San Diego Wildfires Cost $2.5 Billion
Jul 15 2009 // By looking at factors not typically analyzed after a major wildfire, San Diego State University (SDSU) researchers found that the actual economic impact of the 2003 San Diego wildfires was $2.45 billion, over $2 billion...
Hawaii Could Tap Hurricane Emergency Fund to Shore-Up Budget
Jul 10 2009 // A Hawaii judge has blocked Gov. Linda Lingle from forcing thousands of public employees to take three unpaid days off per month, dealing her a setback in efforts to tame a huge state budget gap. Unions opposed to the...
Web Site Estimates Hurricane Damages If Old Storms Returned Today
Jul 10 2009 // Today marks the four-year anniversary of Hurricane Dennis, a Category 3 storm that slammed into the panhandle of Florida with sustained winds of 120 m.p.h. While Dennis inflicted more than $2.2 billion in damage in 2005...
Developing El Nino Could Suppress Atlantic Hurricanes
Jul 9 2009 // El Nino weather anomaly has developed and it may not be as strong as the killer which struck more than a decade ago, the U.S. Climate Prediction Center said Thursday. The CPC, an office under the National Oceanic...
Few Complaints from Texas 2008 Hurricane Claims
Jul 8 2009 // The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) reported it has received a total of 1,201 justified complaints from the nearly 900,000 claims that originated from Hurricanes Ike and Dolly in 2008. The complaints represent less...
Texas Restructures Windstorm Insurance Fund
Jun 22 2009 // Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Friday signed into law bills to restructure the state’s windstorm insurance fund, the only property insurer for homeowners and business in 14 coastal counties, and provide financial help to...
Earthquake Monitors Headed to Midwest
Jun 18 2009 // More than 40 earthquake recording stations will be placed around the state and in Iowa as part of a federal initiative overseen by Missouri University of Science and Technology. The seismic monitors join another 400...
