Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Momentous Insurance, Fireman’s Fund Urge California Wildfire Preparedness
Jun 17 2009 // Momentous Insurance Brokerage of Van Nuys, Calif., has partnered with Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. and the Burbank Fire Department to help protect Southern Californians from wildfires. In 2006, Momentous secured a...
New Homeowners Earthquake Rating Plan Available
Jun 16 2009 // Wheaton, Ill.-based American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS) has developed a new rating plan for adding earthquake coverage to policies based on standardized forms, manual rules, and rating information provided...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Bill Passes
Jun 15 2009 // Texas lawmakers on the first day of the 2009 hurricane season and the last day of the Texas legislative session passed a bill – HB 4409 – aimed at recapitalizing the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association...
2004/2005 Hurricane Seasons Provided Unprecedented Claims Data
Jun 15 2009 // Cat Modelers and Insurers Applying Lessons Learned Since Hurricane Katrina wreaked its damage in 2005, catastrophe modeling firms and the property and casualty insurance industry have learned more about the scientific and...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Extends Residential Waiver Surcharge
Jun 12 2009 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association recently notified agents that its waiver surcharge program for residential dwellings has been extended to Sept. 1, 2009. June 1 marked the third anniversary of the residential...
Forecasters: Fewer Atlantic Hurricanes Predicted
Jun 5 2009 // Hurricane forecasters at Colorado State University have lowered their prediction for the number of hurricanes they expect to hit the Atlantic Basin in 2009 to five, down from an April forecast of six hurricanes. According...
California Earthquake Authority CFO Named CFO of the Year
Jun 3 2009 // Tim Richison, chief financial officer of the California Earthquake Authority, has been named CFO of the Year by a regional business journal. Judges cited Richison’s achievements as part of the original team at CEA....
New Aon Terrorism Threat Map Shows Shift in Sphere of Conflict
Jun 3 2009 // Aon has just issued the latest version of its “Terrorism Threat Map.” The most significant change from previous maps shows a “shift in Islamist terrorist activity from the Middle East to South...
Tornado-Destroyed Kansas Town to Get $4.4M for Infrastructure
Jun 3 2009 // The southwest Kansas town of Greensburg, destroyed two years ago by a massive tornado, will receive $4.4 million in federal grants to help repair streets and build a new business park. The U.S. Department of...
P/C Insurers Apply Lessons from Hurricane Katrina
Jun 2 2009 // The property/casualty insurance industry is employing advancements in catastrophe modeling and considering the impact of the creation of a national catastrophe fund as it applies lessons learned from Hurricane...
A.M. Best Concerned Over Insurers’ Exposure to the Florida Hurricane Fund
Jun 1 2009 // Based on the recently revised projected claims-paying capacity of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (FHCF), rating agency A.M. Best has updated its treatment of reinsurance provided to rated entities from this...
California Wildfires: Coverage Disputes May Be Heating Up
Jun 1 2009 // On a number of well-publicized occasions, California homeowners have been ravaged by a series of wildfires with devastating results. Most recently in May in Santa Barbara, for example, the Jesusita Fire burned 80 homes and...
Texas House Sends Windstorm Reforms to Conference
Jun 1 2009 // The Texas House approved a conference committee report on Saturday to hammer out windstorm insurance reform legislation with senators. House lawmakers sent the measure — which could cause lawmakers to be called back...
Average 2009 Hurricane Season with Several Category 3 Storms Predicted
Jun 1 2009 // June 1 is the official start of hurricane season and the National Oceanic and Atmo-spheric Administration has said the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season will be fairly average. Reuters reported that NOAA is forecasting nine...
Texas Legislators Pass Windstorm Insurance Bill
Jun 1 2009 // On the first day of the official hurricane season for 2009, and on the last day of the Texas legislative session, Texas lawmakers passed a bill that would recapitalize the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association...
Study: Tahoe May be Overdue for Large Earthquake
Jun 1 2009 // Two new studies suggest the Lake Tahoe region in California and Nevada has gone longer than usual without a large earthquake and may be due for a magnitude-7 temblor capable of spawning a tsunami that could flood shoreline...
Coastal Insureds, Insurers Brace for Start of New Hurricane Season
Jun 1 2009 // As the 2009 hurricane season arrives, many homeowners are finding insurance is either more expensive, or harder to get. Homeowners from New York to Florida and in the Gulf Coast region are again seeing premiums rise and...
Time Running Out for Texas’ Windstorm Association Bill
May 31 2009 // Time is running out on the Texas Legislature. Several big issues — including restoring the state’s windstorm insurance fund — were in final negotiations as the last weekend of the 140-day session turned...
Unsecured Foreclosed Homes Pose Huge Risk as Hurricane Season Opens
May 29 2009 // Mike Manikchand points toward his neighbors in Lehigh Acres — a half-dozen empty, foreclosed-upon homes, sitting on weed-strewn yards — and he wonders: What will happen if a hurricane slams into southwest...
Summary of Forecasts for 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season
May 29 2009 // Private weather forecaster Planalytics predicted Wednesday that the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season will produce 10 tropical storms, of which six will become hurricanes. The company said one or two of the storms were likely...
