Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Treasury clarifies liability under terrorism reinsurance
Feb 5 2006 // Insurers writing monoline farm policies and incidental professional liability coverage may face additional work to clarify coverage for their insureds under the federal terrorism reinsurance program. Officials of the U.S....
High Winds Leave Heavy Damage in Hurricane-Hit Areas of New Orleans
Feb 3 2006 // A violent thunderstorm swept through neighborhoods in New Orleans hit hard by Hurricane Katrina, tearing off roofs, knocking down utility poles and collapsing at least one previously storm-damaged house early on Feb. 2,...
Experts Predict Devastating Ariz. Wildfire Season
Feb 3 2006 // Dry conditions this year and heavy moisture last year could combine to make Arizona’s imminent wildfire season the most devastating yet, experts told Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano at a roundtable discussion. While...
Allstate Earnings Drop 9% on Hurricane Damages from 3 Storms
Feb 2 2006 // Insurer Allstate Corp. says it has settled about 75 percent of the property claims and nearly all auto claims stemming from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. But the company cited Wilma, which battered south Florida in...
National Hurricane Director to Speak at Windstorm Conference
Feb 1 2006 // National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield and former NFL Player Danny Wuerffel will be among the keynote speakers sharing their experiences of last year’s hurricane season at the Seventh Annual Windstorm...
Thousands of Hurricane Evacuees In Georgia Missed FEMA Deadline
Feb 1 2006 // Thousands of hurricane evacuees around the state will have to start paying their own hotel bills next Tuesday after missing a deadline to register for additional federal funds. Evacuees in nearly 2,000 hotel rooms missed a...
Florida Condo, Carrier Reach Hurricane Repair Agreement
Feb 1 2006 // Southern Family Insurance representatives have met with 200 Century Village condominium owners in Boca Raton, Fla. and agreed to pay for extensive hurricane repairs including the replacement of five roofs. Bob Goolman,...
Buoys to Detect Tsunamis to be Placed Off East Coast
Jan 31 2006 // Federal officials say they will place the first tsunami-detecting buoys in the Atlantic Ocean this spring to give residents more time to escape the giant waves. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced...
Survey Confirms 4th Quarter Spike in Property Insurance Rates Due to Hurricanes
Jan 30 2006 // Property insurance rates increased sharply in the fourth quarter of 2005, according to the RIMS Benchmark Survey by the Risk and Inurance Management Society Inc. Reversing a two-year trend of steadily falling property...
Florida Didn’t Make Sure Hurricane Payments Were Legit
Jan 30 2006 // Florida officials didn’t confirm the legitimacy of some hurricane claims before it paid out more than $150 million as part of an agreement to share the cost with Washington, a state audit has found. As part of a deal...
Hurricane Center Upgrades Tropical Storm Cindy to Hurricane Status
Jan 27 2006 // Tropical Storm Cindy has been upgraded to hurricane status by the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Accumulated data analyzed by NHC indicates that Cindy was “a relatively short-lived tropical cyclone,” but...
Fla. Sales Tax Break on Hurricane Supplies Moves Forward
Jan 26 2006 // Floridians could buy flashlights, tarps, radios, batteries, generators and other hurricane necessities tax free the week before the storm season starts under a bill approved Wednesday by a Senate committee. The measure (SB...
Agents Group to Support Terrorism Backstop Study
Jan 25 2006 // The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America is throwing its support behind a study of the need for long-term federal terrorism insurance. The association backs a bipartisan bill introduced in the House of...
Americans More Fearful of Car Crashes, Terrorist Hits than Avian Flu
Jan 25 2006 // A new national survey of 1,000 Americans revealed that Americans are more fearful of car accidents, natural disasters and terrorist attacks than they are of the Avian Bird flu. The national survey was conducted by HCD...
Windstorm Conference Speaker Bailey Predicts Wind vs. Flood Suits Won’t Succeed
Jan 25 2006 // The controversy over litigation about wind vs. flood damage and what could happen in the market place and to the industry if Mississippi Attorney General James Hood and attorney Richard ‘Dickie’ Scruggs are...
IPC Holdings Updates 2005 Hurricane Loss estimates to $744 Million
Jan 24 2006 // Bermuda-based IPC Holdings, Ltd. has updated, which is to say increased, the estimated impact on its 2005 results from hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. “Based upon current analysis, which has been updated using...
S. Fla. Homeowners Warned ‘Be Wary’ of Hurricane Repair Contractors
Jan 24 2006 // Consumer advocates are warning South Florida homeowners to be wary of contractors who take deposits up front for hurricane repairs or shutter installations. For example, officials said a company called Palms West Shutter...
FBI Uncovers Fraud in Miss., Creates Hurricane Task Force on Corruption
Jan 24 2006 // The FBI has uncovered fraud by public officials in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and has created a task force to investigate corruption as federal money pours into the Gulf Coast region, Mississippi’s top agent told...
S&P Sees ‘Little Impact’ on Ratings from Hurricane Estimate Differences
Jan 24 2006 // A self-descriptive article from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services -“Increases In Hurricane Loss Estimates To Have Little Impact On Insurer Ratings -” clarifies some questions concerning the actual...
Miss. Expert Says Hurricane Cycle Began in 1995, Still Going Strong
Jan 24 2006 // Hurricane Katrina brought much death and destruction to Mississippi and Louisiana, and upcoming hurricane seasons could be just as dangerous, according to Partick J. Fitzpatrick, a Mississippi State University...
