Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Post-Hurricane Planning Efforts Falter in Louisiana
Dec 9 2008 // Hurricane Katrina’s devastation sparked a sweeping planning survey in Louisiana that called for improved transit operations, stronger land-use policies and coordinated state work to make it all happen. The 2007...
California Sues Utility Over 2006 Ventura County Wildfire
Dec 8 2008 // California is suing Southern California Edison and two property owners to recover the $7.4 million spent to fight a 2006 wildfire that burned five homes. The attorney general filed the negligence suit late November in...
UK’s Chartered Insurance Institute to Hold Counter Terrorism Workshop
Dec 3 2008 // The UK’s Chartered Insurance Institute Group’s London Market Faculty has teamed up with the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) and the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command to hold a...
Earthquake Shakes Oklahoma City Area
Dec 3 2008 // A small earthquake rattled homes in the Oklahoma City metro area on the night of Dec. 1, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury with the quake, which struck about 8:50 p.m. The temblor...
Iowa Gets $125 Million in Federal Grants for Tornado, Flooding Recovery
Dec 2 2008 // Iowa lawmakers announced on Nov. 24 that the state will get $125 million in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for flood and tornado recovery efforts. Gov. Chet Culver said the money...
Claims Estimates for Hurricane Ike Still ‘Fluid,’ Commissioner Says
Dec 2 2008 // As of late November, estimates of insured losses from Hurricane Ike, which hit Galveston on Sept. 13, were in the $6 billion to $8 billion range, according to Texas Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin. However, Geeslin...
Storm Planners Reflect on Strategies for Busy Hurricane Season
Dec 1 2008 // In New Orleans, a dire warning to flee emptied the city before Hurricane Gustav in early September. In Houston less than two weeks later, a plea to say in place might have kept evacuation routes from clogging before...
California Wildfires May Take Longer to Settle
Nov 30 2008 // Industry analysts are predicting insured losses from the Freeway Complex, Sayre and Tea Fires that burned Southern California in mid-November will range from $600 million to $800 million. Comparatively, those losses are...
Madrid Zone Earthquake Study a Wake-Up Call for Tennessee, Other States
Nov 30 2008 // A new federal study of the New Madrid Seismic Zone predicts Tennessee would see the highest level of damage if there is a 7.7 magnitude earthquake. The study notes that the total economic impact of a series of NMSZ...
Heavy Rainfall in California Wildfire Zones Could Lead to Landslides, Flooding
Nov 26 2008 // As heavy rainfall is forecasted for Southern California, particularly in areas recently ravaged by destructive wildfires, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner advised all Californians to check their coverage and evaluate...
In Florida, Insurers Thankful No Major Hurricane Tested State Fund
Nov 25 2008 // As the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season officially comes to a close this on Nov. 30, Florida can be thankful for being spared from any major hurricane strike again this season. However, the dangers hurricanes present and the...
Hurricane Forecasters Take a Bow: 2008 Predictions Were Right
Nov 25 2008 // Colorado-based weather researchers say eight hurricanes formed in the Atlantic this year, the same number they predicted before the season but one less than their August update called for. Colorado State University...
Study Shows Tennessee Would Lose Most People, Buildings from Earthquake
Nov 24 2008 // A new federal study of the New Madrid Seismic Zone predicts Tennessee would see the highest level of damage if there is a 7.7 magnitude earthquake. The Federal Emergency Management Agency released the two-year study as...
Successive Hurricanes: Potential Windfall for Insureds?
Nov 24 2008 // The 2008 hurricane season came very close to presenting, on a large scale, the potential quandary caused by successive losses. On Sept.1, 2008, Hurricane Gustav came ashore and caused substantial damage from the Louisiana...
Texas Governor Blasts FEMA, Creates Hurricane Recovery Commission
Nov 21 2008 // Texas Gov. Rick Perry has established the Governor’s Commission for Disaster Recovery and Renewal, an advisory panel of public and private sector experts who will create a plan to assist Texas communities with...
Officials Blame Santa Barbara Wildfire on Bonfire
Nov 20 2008 // A bonfire built by college students and never fully extinguished was responsible for the massive wildfire in Santa Barbara that destroyed 210 homes, many of them multimillion-dollar properties, authorities said. An...
Majority of Southern California Wildfires Contained
Nov 19 2008 // Firefighters are still working on containing two of the fires burning in Southern California. In the past five days, more than 42,000 acres have burned, and close to 1,000 properties have been destroyed, according to CAL...
North Carolina Still Tallying Costs of Deadly Weekend Tornado
Nov 19 2008 // North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley said more than 60 homes were either damaged or destroyed by a fatal tornado in North Carolina over the weekend, but the financial costs still were unclear. Easley met with officials in Kenly...
Firefighters Make Gains on Southern California Wildfires
Nov 18 2008 // Firefighters made progress on extinguishing the fires burning in Southern California yesterday, thanks to reduced wind conditions. To date, three of the five fires have been contained, although more than 44,000 acres have...
Rate Change Granted for Texas Windstorm Insurance Association
Nov 18 2008 // Commercial and residential rates for policies written through the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) will rise in February when rate increases approved by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) go into...
