Latest Natural Disasters Headlines

All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Florida Keys, Southwest Coast Prepare for Hurricane Wilma’s Arrival

Oct 22 2005 // The National Hurricane Center reported on Sunday evening that Hurricane Wilma was speeding up, moving northeast at 14 mph and expected to make landfall on Florida’s west coast early Monday morning. When Wilma makes...

Vesta Insurance Statement Confirms Reinsurance to Cover Hurricane Wilma

Oct 21 2005 // Birmingham, Ala.-based Vesta Insurance has confirmed it has complete reinsurance coverage if Hurricane Wilma results in claims in Florida. “As previously disclosed, Vesta’s losses from Hurricanes Katrina and...

Online Database Identifies Vehicles Damaged by Hurricanes

Oct 21 2005 // The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has created an online database consisting of motor vehicles or boats affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita for the public to search in an effort to protect them from fraudulent...

New Report Cites Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina

Oct 21 2005 // The devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina and the Great New Orleans Flood will lead to increased focus on controlling exposure to other potential ‘Super Catastrophes’ that can ultimately lead to mega-losses,...

S.W. Florida Anxiously Watching As Hurricane Wilma Approaches Cancun

Oct 21 2005 // Floridians living in the south tier of the state, in the Keys, on the southern west coast as far north as Tampa, and in Miami, are closely watching Hurricane Wilma slow its forward speed to 5 mph, and wind-speed drop to...

FAIA Urges Members to Take Precautions Now for Hurricane Wilma

Oct 21 2005 // When the National Hurricane issued an alert saying to expect Hurricane Wilma to make landfall on Florida’s southwest coast on Monday afternoon, the Florida Association of Insurance Agents issued an alert urging...

Mobile Response Units Readied As Citizens Prepares for Hurricane Wilma

Oct 21 2005 // With Hurricane Wilma threatening to strike Florida, Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is preparing to handle possible resulting claims. The state’s insurer of last resort is also readying its mobile response units to...

Floridians Prepare for Hurricane Wilma to Make Landfall Sunday; Could Veer Across the Peninsula to Other Coast

Oct 20 2005 // Floridians along the southwestern coast of the peninsula are closely watching as Hurricane Wilma slowly move along the southwestern Caribbean. National Hurricane Center forecasters in Miami predict after Wilma crosses...

UPDATE: Wilma “A Catastrophic Category Five Hurricane;” Lowest Pressure Ever Recorded

Oct 19 2005 // Hurricane Wilma, the 12th of the season, has become “a catastrophic category five hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale” states the latest bulletin from Miami’s National Hurricane Center. In less than 24...

Hurricane-Related Insurance Claims Paid Top $1.2B in Miss.

Oct 19 2005 // Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance George Dale reported that insurance companies have paid out approximately $1,266,828,689 billion in claims related to hurricanes in Mississippi so far. Approximately 319,959 claims...

General Casualty Assists with Hurricane Relief Help

Oct 19 2005 // For the second time in less than a year, Wisconsin-based General Casualty and its employees answered a call for financial help, donating more than $42,000 this week to the American Red Cross Response Fund in support of...

Small Earthquake Strikes Near San Diego; No Damages Reported

Oct 19 2005 // A small earthquake occurred in the ocean off San Diego early Wednesday. The magnitude 4.1 quake hit at 1:51 a.m., 54 miles west of San Diego, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and the California Institute of...

Mold a Threat After Hurricane Rita

Oct 19 2005 // Homeowners, renters and business owners affected by Hurricane Rita need to know that failure to remove mold and mildew properly can result in serious, long-term health problems, including asthma and other respiratory...

Wilma Forms into Hurricane, Rotating off Coast of Honduras

Oct 18 2005 // Wilma, the 21st named storm of the current season, strenthened to hurricane force today with sustained winds in excess of 75 mph (120 km/hr). The storm is still slowly rotating off the coast of Honduras, and hurricane...

Safeco Unveils Q3 Report; Hurricanes Play Major Role

Oct 18 2005 // Seattle-based Safeco reported solid third-quarter results, with net income of $101.1 million, or $0.80 per diluted share. This figure includes estimated after-tax net catastrophe losses of $115.8 million, or $0.91 per...

UPDATE: Wilma Gains Hurricane Status; U.S. Gulf Keeps Watch

Oct 18 2005 // Gaining a better defined center, Tropical Storm Wilma strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday on a path that could pose a threat to Florida by the weekend. At 11 a.m. EDT, Wilma had top sustained winds of near 75...

Continuing Battle against Wildfires Fuels Need for Insurance

Oct 17 2005 // As firefighters battled into last week trying to contain one of a number of brush fires in the Los Angeles area, residents throughout California are keeping a close eye on weather conditions and their insurance policies,...

PIA of Fla. Answers Hurricane Planning Questions

Oct 17 2005 // Forty key catastrophic planning questions and answers were presented by Ron Silverman, a Professional Insurance Agents of Florida instructor and owner of Silverman Insurance Agency in Deltona Beach, Fla., during...

Natural Disasters Are Just Part of Commissioners’ Concerns

Oct 17 2005 // In addition to natural disasters, health care coverage, federal oversight, uniformity and fraud were among issues of concern to the insurance commissioners of three states who comprised the Commis-sioners’ Panel at...

Dual Hurricanes Blew in Big Problems for Agribusiness in Louisiana,Texas

Oct 17 2005 // In addition to the immense destruction in heavily populated urban centers and coastal communities caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which hit the Gulf Coast region in August and September 2005, agricultural interests...