Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita spawn legislation, bulletins in Miss. and La.
Sep 4 2006 // Hurricanes Katrina and Rita exposed many misconceptions and misunderstandings that consumers had, or claimed to have had, with respect to their insurance coverage for hurricane related damage. The aftermath of these two...
Northeast leads in businesses buying property terrorism coverage
Sep 4 2006 // Nearly six in 10 large and mid-sized U.S. businesses obtained insurance to cover property terrorism risks during 2005, a dramatic increase from the 2003 average of 27 percent and up from 50 percent in 2004. A report from...
Editor’s Note: Hurricane Katrina, a year later, another perspective
Sep 4 2006 // The Midwest is not affected by hurricanes or hurricane seasons because obviously our only coastal regions involve the Great Lakes, not oceans. The central region of this country does have its own natural disasters in the...
UPDATE 1: Hurricane John Strengthens; Baja California Threatened
Sep 1 2006 // After losing some strength along the West Coast of Mexico, Hurricane John has again become a “dangerous category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale,” according to the latest bulletin (8:00 a.m. PDT)...
Category 3 Hurricane John Threatens West Coast of Mexico
Aug 31 2006 // Although they infrequently touch land, the Pacific Ocean has hurricanes too, and John is a bad one. The storm is currently hugging the coast of Mexico. Its center was located near latitude 18.3 north/longitude 104.9 west...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Seeks Solutions
Aug 31 2006 // With an ever-increasing number of policyholders, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is considerably under-funded in the event a major hurricane makes landfall in Galveston or Corpus Christi, according to Jerry...
Texas Agents’ Group Testifies Before Committee on Windstorm Coverage
Aug 31 2006 // Independent Insurance Agents of Texas announced it has proposed a set of guiding principles before the Texas Legislature’s Joint Committee on Windstorm Coverage and Budget Impact during a public hearing in Corpus...
Arkansas’ Bowman Keeps Eye on Earthquake Market
Aug 30 2006 // Like insurance commissioners in other states, Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Julie Benafield Bowman, is keeping an eye on catastrophe issues and the availability of insurance related to them. Unlike commissioners in...
FM Global Places $300 Million Pacific Northwest Earthquake Cat Bond
Aug 29 2006 // Commercial and industrial property insurer FM Global announced the private placement of a second US$300 million catastrophe bond to protect against the consequences of unusual earthquake activity in the Pacific Northwest...
Milwaukee Man Says He’d Still be Hooked on Drugs if Not for Hurricane
Aug 29 2006 // If Hurricane Katrina had not devastated New Orleans, James DeAngelis says he would still be there hooked on crack, cocaine, marijuana and alcohol _ his life for the past decade. After the hurricane, the 39-year-old ended...
A Year Later: La. Issues Updated Hurricane Katrina Insurance Figures
Aug 29 2006 // The Louisiana Department of Insurance has issued an updated statewide estimate of reported claims and insured losses paid-to-date (information as of July 31, 2006) for damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. This...
Texas Insurers Say They Learned Lessons from Hurricane Katrina
Aug 29 2006 // Texas insurers were thankful that Hurricane Katrina avoided the state’s coastal property, but the storm provided the industry valuable lessons in dealing with future catastrophes. Hurricane Katrina forced companies...
In Advance of Windstorm Hearing, AIA Provides Input for Texas Legislators
Aug 29 2006 // The American Insurance Association (AIA) announced it has submitted information regarding residual insurance markets and natural catastrophes to the Texas Joint Committee on Windstorm Coverage and Budgetary Impact for its...
Texas Agent Group Urges Lawmakers to Address Windstorm Problems
Aug 29 2006 // At its Board of Directors meeting in Austin on Aug. 25 and 26, the Texas Insurance Professionals (PIA Texas) discussed the current situation facing the Texas insurance market as it relates to the Texas Windstorm Insurance...
Risk Management Solutions Analyzes Calif. Wildfire Data
Aug 28 2006 // Risk Management Solutions, Newark, Calif., has applied its RMS Wildfire Hazard Data to analyze recent fires that have burned almost twice as much area as the five-year average for the same time period. The RMS data was...
UPDATE 1: Hurricane Ernesto Menaces Haiti, Cuba; Florida in Storm’s Path
Aug 27 2006 // As of 11:00 am EDT, when the National Hurricane Center in Miami issued its latest bulletin, Tropical Storm Ernesto had become a Category 1 hurricane, the first of the current season. The hurricane’s center was...
National Hurricane Center Chief Mayfield to Retire
Aug 27 2006 // Max Mayfield, long-time director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla., will retire at the end of the year after 34 years of federal service. Mayfield said he wishes to spend more time with his wife and family,...
TS Ernesto Threatens Gulf; Could Become Season’s First Hurricane
Aug 26 2006 // Miami’s National Hurricane Center is currently tracking Tropical Storm Ernesto as it enters the Gulf of Mexico. As of 11:00 a.m. EDT the storm’s center was located near latitude 15.1 north/longitude 71.2 west...
Tornadoes Hit Northern Ind., Minn., Causing Damage and One Death
Aug 25 2006 // Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes swept off Lake Michigan Wednesday evening, downing trees and power lines and causing some injuries in Indiana and killing one resident in Minnesota. In LaPorte County, Ind., 911 Assistant...
Washington Governor Declares Wildfire Emergency
Aug 25 2006 // Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire declared a statewide wildfire emergency as several large fires burned in the state and forecasters predicted more thunderstorms and high winds. “Numerous wildfires across Washington...
