Latest Natural Disasters Headlines

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

Maritime Terrorism Could Have Global Economic Impact

Mar 5 2010 // Singapore said on Friday it had raised alert levels in the city-state and beefed up security at its airport and new casino resorts after a warning of possible attacks on oil tankers in the Malacca Strait. [See IJ web site...

AIR Updates Analysis of Damages from Chile Earthquake

Mar 4 2010 // According to catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide, a more complete picture of damages is beginning to emerge in the hardest-hit regions of Bio Bio and Maule, four days after the devastating Mw8.8 earthquake struck...

I.I.I.’s Hartwig Contrasts Impact of Chilean, Haitian Earthquakes

Mar 3 2010 // Why was he death toll over 200,000 when an earthquake struck Haiti, while so far less than 1000 people have died from the one that struck Chile, which was approximately 500 times more powerful? One of the answers lies in...

AIR Estimates Windstorm Xynthia Insured Losses at $2 to $4.1 Billion

Mar 3 2010 // Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide has estimated that insured losses in France, Belgium, Germany, and Netherlands from winter storm Xynthia will be between €1.5 billion and €3 billion [$2 to $4.1...

Windstorm Xynthia Leaves a Trail of Destruction; RMS Analysis

Mar 2 2010 // Windstorm Xynthia, which swept across Western Europe on Saturday and Sunday, [See IJ web site – https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2010/03/01/107736.htm] left a lot of damage in its wake. The storm...

Nevada Insurance Division Offers Earthquake Coverage Guide

Mar 2 2010 // Nevada may be the third most-active state for earthquakes after California and Alaska, but most homeowners don’t purchase earthquake insurance coverage. earthquake country, but what many people In light of Nevada...

Some Scientists Defend Tsunami Warnings

Mar 2 2010 // The warning was ominous, its predictions dire: Oceanographers issued a bulletin telling Hawaii and other Pacific islands that a killer wave was heading their way with terrifying force and that “urgent action should...

‘Great Earthquake’ Strikes Chile; 700 Dead; 2 Million Affected

Mar 1 2010 // One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck the central coast of Chile early Saturday morning, February 27. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured the magnitude at 8.8 with severe “shaking...

Earthquakes Should Prompt U.S. to Prepare Now, Says Safety Group

Mar 1 2010 // The tragedies of the recent earthquakes in Chile and Haiti serve as a reminder that parts of the United States are highly vulnerable to the devastating effects of this unpredictable natural disaster. While most Americans...

Louisiana Dedicates Nearly $20M for Hurricane Protection System

Mar 1 2010 // Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said a partnership agreement between the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and the South Lafourche Levee District will dedicate $19.8 million in state surplus funds to make...

Florida Cabinet Delays Hurricane Fund Assessments

Feb 25 2010 // The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund needs $710 million to continue to pay claims still coming in from 2005’s Hurricane Wilma but it is going to have to wait to assess policyholders to get those funds. The Florida...

Hawaii Senate Committee OKs Using Hurricane Relief Fund to End Furloughs

Feb 23 2010 // Hawaii’s Senate Ways and Means Committee has advanced a bill that would use money from the state’s Hurricane Relief Fund to end school furlough days. Senate Bill 2124notes that reductions and restrictions to...

Hawaii Could Tap Hurricane Fund to Fund School Education

Feb 21 2010 // Hawaii is closer to tapping its Hurricane Relief Fund to help balance the state budget and resolve teacher furloughs, as a legislative committee advanced a bill that would appropriate $50 million from the fund. Senate Bill...

A Recurrence of Recalls; ‘PIGS’ in a Poke; Lloyd’s Powers on; Haiti Now Faces Floods and Hurricanes

Feb 21 2010 // First Toyota, then Honda – who’s next? 2010 is not starting out as a good year for car companies. Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. was already in the process of recalling approximately 8 million vehicles, due...

Austin Plane Crash – Intentional Act or Terrorism?

Feb 19 2010 // Austin, Texas, Police Chief Art Acevedo stopped short of calling the crashing of a small plane into a commercial office building in northwest Austin on Feb. 18 a terrorist act, but U.S. Representative Mike McCaul said he...

Abacus Insurance Offers Online Earthquake Deductible Buyback

Feb 18 2010 // Abacus Insurance Brokers, Inc., a Los Angeles-based program manager that distributes specialty insurance products online through www.abacus.net, has launched an online program that enables homeowners to reduce the...

Illinois Officials Recommend Review of Earthquake Insurance

Feb 18 2010 // Insurance regulators in Illinois are encouraging residents to review earthquake insurance policies after a small quake was recorded in the state recently. The 3.8-magnitude earthquake surprised northern Illinoisans Feb....

Rare Earthquake Rattles Northern Illinois; No Damage Reported

Feb 11 2010 // A small pre-dawn earthquake hit northern Illinois on Feb. 10, startling residents as far away as Michigan and Iowa, but no damage or injuries were immediately reported. The Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) said the...

El Nino Drowning Texas Wildfire Threat

Feb 9 2010 // Central Texas rancher Debbie Davis can hardly believe the turnaround in rainfall. While her pastures were parched and withered last summer after nearly two years without appreciable rain, the area northwest of San Antonio...

Only 20% of Oregonians Insured for Earthquake Risks

Feb 7 2010 // Although Oregon is among the states at highest risk for a major earthquake, only about 20 percent of Oregonians have earthquake insurance, according to a Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS)...