Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Approves Use of Revised RMS Hurricane Model
Sep 22 2011 // A Florida state panel has approved the use of a new hurricane catastrophe model that is increasing many insurers’ exposure. The Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology has approved the Risk...
Hurricane Center Tracking TS Ophelia; Poses No Immediate Threat
Sep 22 2011 // The National Hurricane Center in Miami is currently tracking the season’s latest named storm, Ophelia, the 15th of the current season. As of 5:00 a.m. AST it was about 1020 miles, 1640 kms, east-southeast of the...
AIR Report: Typhoon Roke Now Offshore; Passed Tokyo with Heavy Rain
Sep 22 2011 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, after crossing over more than 350 kilometers [219 miles] of the main Japanese island of Honshu, Typhoon Roke, the 15th named storm of the 2011 Northwest Pacific typhoon...
Typhoon Roke Threatens Japan: AIR Report
Sep 21 2011 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide more than a million people were evacuated in central and western Japan in advance of Typhoon Roke’s arrival. The storm formed on September 10 and is the 15th named...
Bastrop, Texas, Wildfire Nearly Contained, Thousands Left Homeless
Sep 20 2011 // A wildfire that began more than two weeks ago in Bastrop County is 95 percent contained, according to the Texas Forest Service. The area is about 25 miles east of Austin. The TFS reports that the cause of the fire was most...
Hurricane Maria Makes Landfall on Newfoundland; Now Post-Tropical
Sep 19 2011 // A report from catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide notes that “Extratropical Storm Maria made landfall as a minimal Category 1 hurricane on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula near Cape Pine on Friday afternoon...
9/11 and Terrorism Risk 10 Years Later
Sep 19 2011 // The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks forever changed how the insurance industry views terrorism risk, says Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute. For the global insurance and reinsurance...
Irene Raises Hurricane Deductible Questions in Northeast States
Sep 19 2011 // New York and New Jersey regulators said recently that hurricane deductibles should not apply on homeowners’ insurance policies for Irene damages in their states. That’s because Irene was downgraded and...
Wildfires in Texas’ Bastrop County Destroy More than 1,500 Homes
Sep 19 2011 // The number of homes destroyed by wildfires in a single Texas county had risen to 1,554 as of Sept. 11, 2011. The massive Bastrop County Complex fire was one of a rash of wildfires that broke out across drought-stricken...
Alabama Names Tornado Recovery Panel
Sep 19 2011 // Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has chosen the president and CEO of Protective Life Corp., Johnny Johns, and the publisher of The Birmingham News, Pam Siddall, to lead his Tornado Recovery Action Council. Retired aerospace...
North Carolina Senate Panel Learns Hurricane Irene’s Costs
Sep 16 2011 // The state agency overseeing North Carolina’s response to Hurricane Irene estimates the price tag on helping individuals and governments recover from Hurricane Irene so far at about $125 million. The Division of...
AIR Lowers Insured Loss Estimates for Hurricane Irene in the Bahamas
Sep 16 2011 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has revised its industry insured loss estimates for Hurricane Irene’s impact in the Bahamas to between $200 million and $400 million (previously $300 million to $700...
Calmer Winds to Slow Growth of Minnesota Wildfire
Sep 15 2011 // Calmer winds were expected to slow the growth of a huge wildfire that has engulfed woodland in northeastern Minnesota and blanketed cities hundreds of miles away with a smoky haze, the U.S. Forest Service said. The blaze...
Allstate Reports $500M in Losses from Hurricane Irene
Sep 15 2011 // Allstate Corp. lost $500 million on Hurricane Irene, the largest publicly traded home and auto insurer in the United States said Thursday, much less than it lost from tornadoes earlier this year. In total, Allstate said...
No Major Injuries or Damage After Alabama Earthquake
Sep 15 2011 // Authorities say no major damage or injuries were reported after an earthquake in the metro Birmingham area Tuesday evening. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the 3.0 quake was centered about two miles southwest of...
AIR Updates European Wind, Earthquake Cat Models
Sep 15 2011 // Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide has released updates to its Extratropical Cyclone and Earthquake Models for Europe. AIR said it had “significantly expanded” both models to include additional...
Insured Losses from Texas Wildfires Could Reach $250 Million
Sep 14 2011 // An industry group says insured losses from a week of Texas wildfires could reach $250 million. The Insurance Council of Texas offered the estimate for the more than 180 wildfires reported statewide since Labor Day...
Japan Marks 6 Months Since Earthquake, Tsunami
Sep 13 2011 // Up and down Japan’s devastated northeast coast, survivors prayed and communities came together Sunday to mark six months since the massive earthquake and tsunami struck on March 11, a date that changed everything for...
Southern California Wildfires Prompt Evacuations
Sep 12 2011 // Several structures are being threatened by one of more than 50 wildfires in the Southern California area of Kern County. The fires, which were sparked by lightning strikes, are segretated in three main areas of Kern,...
President Obama Signs Disaster Aid for Texas Wildfires
Sep 12 2011 // President Barack Obama has signed a federal disaster declaration for Texas in the wake of wildfires in the state. The move allows federal funding to be made available to individuals in Bastrop County in the central part of...
