Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Santa Ana Winds Continue to Fuel Southern California Wildfires
Oct 24 2007 // Major fires continue to burn in Southern California, in some cases fueling new fires. There are currently 15 fires burning 414,013 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The large number of separate...
Fireman’s Fund Offering Wildfire Recovery Services to Agents
Oct 24 2007 // Novato, Calif.-based Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. announced it is offering all Southern California customers — homeowners and commercial customers — and independent agents free wildfire recovery...
AIR Worldwide Releases New Typhoon Model for China
Oct 23 2007 // AIR Worldwide Corp. (AIR) released the AIR typhoon model for China. The new probabilistic model will help insurers, reinsurers, and brokers better manage the very high typhoon risk intrinsic to one of the world’s...
Southern California’s National Banks Near Wildfires Told They Can Close
Oct 23 2007 // The federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency today issued a proclamation allowing national bank offices affected by the wildfires in southern California to close at their discretion. In issuing the proclamation,...
Insurance Industry Assessing Calif. Wildfires, Sends in Assistance
Oct 23 2007 // Insurance industry professionals are rallying the troops, bringing in claims professionals and others to assist in battling several major wildfires burning across Southern California. On Sunday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger...
Insurance Group Answers Consumer Questions Raised by Wildfires
Oct 23 2007 // After a wildfire, people usually have questions about the coverage provided by a typical homeowners or auto insurance policy. The Insurance Information Network of California offers answers to some of these basic...
Insurers Say Calif. Wildfire Claims May Reach $500 Million
Oct 23 2007 // Exclusive Video California Wildfires: Insurance Industry Assesses Impact California Wildfires: Insurers On Site at Evacuation Centers The insurance industry is estimating that the damage from the wildfires in southern...
More than 600 Southern California Homes Lost to Unchecked Wildfires
Oct 23 2007 // Hundreds of homes were reduced to ashes Monday as wildfires blown by fierce desert winds raced across a huge swath of Southern California extending from Malibu to the Mexican border, forcing a quarter of a million people...
Council says Hurricane Humberto Caused $30M in Losses in Texas
Oct 22 2007 // Officials with the Insurance Council of Texas say Hurricane Humberto, which hit the state last month, caused about $30 million in insured losses in Texas. Humberto made landfall on Sept. 13 near High Island, a coastal town...
California Wildfire Threatens Pepperdine U., Upscale Neighborhoods
Oct 22 2007 // A wildfire driven by powerful Santa Ana winds in California’s Malibu Hills on Sunday threatened a university, destroyed at least one home and forced the evacuation of hundreds more, authorities said. About 400...
Fla.: Tornado Damages Pensacola Mall, Church and Daycare Center
Oct 21 2007 // A tornado damaged a church, a daycare center and the city’s major shopping mall as violent thunderstorms made their way across the western Florida Panhandle last week. There were no reports of injuries. The Oct. 18...
Tennessee’s Wildfire Season is off to a Brisk Start
Oct 19 2007 // The Tennessee wildfire season is here, but a hot and dry summer brought an early start. East Tennessee has been hardest hit, with fires burning more than 23,000 acres. Firefighters contained a wildfire that covered about...
Mortgage Funds Available to Rebuild Tornado-damaged N.D. Homes
Oct 19 2007 // State money normally reserved for first-time North Dakota home buyers will be available to Northwood residents who want to replace their tornado-damaged homes, a housing official says. Michael Anderson, director of the...
San Bernardino Mountains Wildfire Recovery Will Take Years
Oct 18 2007 // Forestry officials say recovery will take years in the San Bernardino Mountains area scarred by last month’s 13,825-acre Butler II wildfire. People, animals and roadways will be threatened for years, and the...
Senate Panel Releases Compromise Terrorism Insurance Bill
Oct 17 2007 // Senate leaders have agreed on a bill to renew the federal terrorism reinsurance program, although without some of the added provisions and for not as long as the House of Representatives wants. The Senate Banking...
FEMA Expands Program to Help Hurricane Evacuees Move Home
Oct 17 2007 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency has expanded eligibility for a program to pay travel costs for Gulf Coast hurricane victims moving back home. The one-time grant, still capped at $4,000, is now open to applicants...
Lloyd’s, UK’s Met Office Prepare for Repeat of 1987 Windstorm
Oct 16 2007 // Risk management Solutions commemorated the 20th anniversary of the destructive 1987 windstorm that struck Southern England and Northern France with a warning (See IJ web site Oct. 15). Lloyd’s and the UK’s Met...
Indiana University Builds Data Center to Stand Up to F5 Tornado
Oct 16 2007 // Indiana University has started construction on a data center that will protect technology resources, including the Big Red supercomputer, during storms, power outages or even a tornado. The $32.7 million Indiana University...
Mo. National Guard Trains in Earthquake Preparedness
Oct 16 2007 // The Missouri National Guard spent the weekend engaged in Operation Cracked Earth, training exercises to test communication abilities in the event that there is a major earthquake in the New Madrid fault zone. The New...
Risk Modeler Says Repeat of 1987 Windstorm Could Cost $14 Billion
Oct 15 2007 // Risk Management Solutions (RMS) has released an impact study of the potential losses from a windstorm of the force and velocity of the one that hit Southern England and Northern France in 1987, if it occurred today. The...
