Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Hiscox Launches Combined War, Terrorism, Political Violence Cover
Oct 12 2007 // The world is a dangerous place, and sometimes a very confusing one. Specialist insurer Hiscox has met the challenge of trying to separate outbreaks of “war, terrorism and political violence” as they...
AIR Raises Typhoon Krosa Loss Estimates – $200 to $600 Million
Oct 12 2007 // AIR Worldwide’s preliminary estimates of insured losses caused by Typhoon Krosa originally assessed the damage in Taiwan (See IJ web site Oct. 11). However, the storm subsequently crossed the South China Sea, and has...
RAND Study Finds Taxpayers, Policyholders Benefit from Terrorism Insurance Backstop
Oct 10 2007 // Taxpayers save money and businesses are better protected with the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) in place than if the act is allowed to expire, according to a recent study by RAND Corp. The analysis found that TRIA,...
Baltimore Feels Small Earthquake
Oct 10 2007 // The U.S. Geological Survey’s National Earthquake Information Center says a minor earthquake was sensed near Baltimore, Md. NEIC Geologist Angel Gutierrez says preliminary estimates put the quake at a magnitude of...
Calif. Earthquake Bill Receives Criticism, Could Raise Rates
Oct 10 2007 // Critics of a bill recently signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger say more than 760,000 California homeowners who buy earthquake insurance through a state-run authority could see their premiums rise . But the measure’s...
House-passed flood insurance bill provides optional windstorm coverage
Oct 8 2007 // The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a measure updating the nation’s flood insurance program that will give homeowners the option of purchasing windstorm coverage as part of their flood policy. The...
Tornado Cuts a 20-mile Path of Damage in Central Iowa
Oct 4 2007 // Officials were inspecting damage Monday, Oct. 1st from a tornado that cut a 20-mile long path across four central Iowa counties. The tornado dropped out of storms that developed late Sunday afternoon, bringing high wind,...
Feds Declare Ky. a Natural Disaster Area Because of Drought
Oct 4 2007 // Kentucky farmers struggling to cope with a prolonged drought can seek emergency loans to help offset crop losses after state officials received word Tuesday of a federal disaster declaration due to the dry...
Alaska Fire Authorities Launch Interior Wildfire Protection Plan
Oct 2 2007 // Alaska forestry officials are planning a series of prescribed burns to torch debris piles that have built up over the past three years. It’s part of a wildfire protection effort being implemented by the Alaska...
Tropical Storm Melissa Strengthens in Atlantic; Lorenzo’s Rains Kill 5
Oct 1 2007 // Floodwaters from Hurricane Lorenzo were receding Sept. 29 in eastern Mexico after rains triggered mudslides and floods that killed at least five people and drove tens of thousands from their homes. Meanwhile, Tropical...
Hurricane Lorenzo Strikes Mexico
Sep 28 2007 // Lorenzo, a category 1 hurricane, has come ashore along the east-central coast of Mexico. The storm is “moving toward the west near 8 mph [13 km/hr]” according to the latest bulletin from the National Hurricane...
State Updates Map of Ohio Earthquakes for First Time since 2002
Sep 28 2007 // For the first time in five years, the state has revised its map showing where earthquakes have shaken Ohio. The Department of Natural Resources says more than 30 quakes have been recorded in and around the state since the...
House-Passed Flood Insurance Bill Includes Windstorm, Business Interruption Options
Sep 28 2007 // The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a measure updating the nation’s flood insurance program that will give homeowners the option of purchasing windstorm coverage as part of their flood policy. The...
La., Texas Towns Recovering Slowly 2 Years after Hurricane Rita
Sep 25 2007 // Cameron, La., and Weirgate, Texas, have something in common: both are recovering slowly two years after Hurricane Rita blew through them in September 2005. According to Associated Press reports, nearly everyone in Cameron...
Oregon Researchers Simulate Tsunami
Sep 25 2007 // A giant tsunami struck Seaside, Ore. last week — at least, a model version of the town, built by researchers at Oregon State University to demonstrate the potentially devastating effects of a real...
The natural disaster dilemma
Sep 24 2007 // What to do about natural disasters? We can’t really prevent them, and while many people are skeptical about dire predictions regarding climate change as the probable cause of an increase in weather-related...
Montana’s wildfire suppression funding process convoluted, analysts say
Sep 24 2007 // Montana legislative analysts agreed that more money is needed to fight fires in Montana but called the state’s current system for funding wildfire suppression “convoluted” and raised concerns about some...
Industry skeptical, while Treasury opposes natural disaster pool
Sep 24 2007 // Federal legislation that encourages states to pool their catastrophe pool risks and then transfer them to the private market has been greeted with a lukewarm insurance industry reaction at best and outright opposition from...
Montana’s wildfire suppression funding process convoluted, analysts say
Sep 24 2007 // Montana legislative analysts agreed that more money is needed to fight fires in Montana but called the state’s current system for funding wildfire suppression “convoluted” and raised concerns about some...
Editor’s Note: The natural disaster dilemma
Sep 24 2007 // What to do about natural disasters? We can’t really prevent them, and while many people are skeptical about dire predictions regarding climate change as the probable cause of an increase in weather-related...
