Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Alabama Officials Prepare for Hurricane Season
Apr 17 2007 // Alabama Governor Bob Riley and state agency leaders huddled this week to review Alabama’s plans for the upcoming hurricane season, which begins June 1. The state leaders joined officials from FEMA, the U.S....
Engineer Testifies at Trial for La. Hurricane Suit Against Allstate
Apr 12 2007 // An engineer who testified at the trial for a Louisiana couple’s lawsuit against Allstate Insurance Co. said he wrote a report on the plaintiffs’ storm-damaged home without inspecting the property after...
Industry to Congress: Private Market Is the Best Solution on Natural Disasters, But Some Say Federal Help Needed
Apr 11 2007 // The private insurance marketplace, not the federal government, is the best vehicle to address coastal insurance issues and natural disasters in the U.S., according to insurers. Even so, the federal government can play a...
Solomon Disaster Exposes Earthquake Monitoring System Weaknesses
Apr 10 2007 // Two years before a deadly earthquake-triggered tsunami pummeled the Solomon Islands, scientist Fred Taylor’s request for U.S. funds to set up a Pacific seismic monitoring network was flatly rejected. Then there is...
Jury Selection Begins in La. Hurricane Lawsuit Against Allstate
Apr 10 2007 // After Hurricane Katrina demolished Robert and Merryl Weiss’ New Orleans-area home, they were paid hundred of thousands of dollars by their insurance company. But they say it isn’t enough. Jury selection began...
PREDICTING EARTHQUAKE LOSSES
Apr 9 2007 // The California Earthquake Authority is collaborating with the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Science Foundation on a new earthquake damage risk model to update the current model developed by risk modeling company...
New Mexico Insured Tornado Losses Estimated at $16.5 Million
Apr 6 2007 // Tornado and hail that tore across New Mexico in March has an estimated insurance price tage of $16.5 million, according to the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association. The association said insurance adjusters have...
Claremont, Calif.’s $17.5 Million Deal with Homeowners in Wildfire Suit
Apr 5 2007 // Palmer Canyon, Calif., residents who blamed the city for homes burned in the 2003 Grand Prix wildfire have settled their lawsuit for $17.5 million, city officials announced. Homeowners claimed the city failed to properly...
Not All Gulf Coast Residents Put Stock in Latest Hurricane Forecast
Apr 5 2007 // A hurricane forecaster this week predicted a turbulent season this year, including a good chance one will hit the coast, but forgive South Carolina’s Huiet Paul if he was unimpressed. “Only the good Lord knows...
Insurers Support Tax-Free Savings Accounts for Natural Disasters
Apr 5 2007 // Legislation that would allow homeowners to set up tax-free savings accounts for natural disasters would go a long way toward encouraging them to prepare for catastrophes, according to a national insurer group. A proposal...
Industry Reports Progress on Terrorism Risk Modeling But Challenges Remain
Apr 5 2007 // Sophisticated catastrophe models are greatly aiding commercial insurance actuaries in establishing underwriting and pricing guidelines for terrorist attacks, according to industry experts at this week’s Casualty...
Forecasters Warn of Very Active Hurricane Season Ahead in 2007
Apr 3 2007 // Atmospheric science experts at Colorado State University have increased their forecast for the 2007 hurricane season, largely due to the rapid dissipation of El Niño conditions. The Colorado team is now calling for a very...
Tsunami Strikes Solomon Islands; 12 Reported Dead
Apr 2 2007 // Early this morning, local time) a strong undersea earthquake – estimated at 8.0 – caused a tsunami with waves up to three meters (app. 10 feet) in height. They came ashore shortly after the quake on the island...
RMS Defends ‘Near Term’ Hurricane Model, Denies Collusion
Mar 30 2007 // In the wake of a flurry of critical comments made by consumer activist groups aimed at the methodology Risk Management Solutions employed to establish “near term” hurricane models, RMS’s public policy...
Tornadoes Kill 2 people in Oklahoma, 1 in Colo.
Mar 30 2007 // An early spring storm swept across the central U.S. early on March 29, spinning off tornadoes that killed an Oklahoma couple in a home that was blown to pieces and a Colorado woman whose small town was nearly destroyed. A...
‘Near Term’ Hurricane Models Used by Insurers Under Fire
Mar 29 2007 // Recent “near term” hurricane prediction models based on five-year forecasts are being skewered by consumer groups urging state regulators to reject them as a basis for hiking coastal property insurance...
Powerful Earthquake Rocks Japan; 1 Dead, 170 Injured
Mar 26 2007 // A powerful earthquake struck Japan on Sunday, killing at least one person and injuring 170 others as it damaged buildings and triggered a small tsunami along the coast, officials said. The magnitude-6.9 quake struck at...
Restoration work continues after Florida tornadoes
Mar 26 2007 // With the final death toll standing at 20, the tornadoes that slammed central Florida on Feb. 2 have been dubbed “Ground-Hog Day Tornadoes” by The Florida State Emergency Response Team. The groundhogs in Sumter,...
Scientists Disagree Over Hazard Posed by New Madrid Earthquake Fault
Mar 23 2007 // Scientists have struggled for years to figure out when the next big earthquake might strike the central United States. Now a geologist from Northwestern University believes he has evidence that the New Madrid Fault –...
TSR Updates Hurricane Forecast
Mar 21 2007 // The UK-based Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) weather forecaster has issued a revised assessment of the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, which indicates that it will be a more active season than previously expected. TSR, which...
