Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insurers Support Tax-Free Savings Accounts for Natural Disasters
Apr 5 2007 // Legislation that would allow homeowners to set up tax-free savings accounts for natural disasters would go a long way toward encouraging them to prepare for catastrophes, according to a national insurer group. A proposal...
Industry Reports Progress on Terrorism Risk Modeling But Challenges Remain
Apr 5 2007 // Sophisticated catastrophe models are greatly aiding commercial insurance actuaries in establishing underwriting and pricing guidelines for terrorist attacks, according to industry experts at this week’s Casualty...
Forecasters Warn of Very Active Hurricane Season Ahead in 2007
Apr 3 2007 // Atmospheric science experts at Colorado State University have increased their forecast for the 2007 hurricane season, largely due to the rapid dissipation of El Niño conditions. The Colorado team is now calling for a very...
Tsunami Strikes Solomon Islands; 12 Reported Dead
Apr 2 2007 // Early this morning, local time) a strong undersea earthquake – estimated at 8.0 – caused a tsunami with waves up to three meters (app. 10 feet) in height. They came ashore shortly after the quake on the island...
RMS Defends ‘Near Term’ Hurricane Model, Denies Collusion
Mar 30 2007 // In the wake of a flurry of critical comments made by consumer activist groups aimed at the methodology Risk Management Solutions employed to establish “near term” hurricane models, RMS’s public policy...
Tornadoes Kill 2 people in Oklahoma, 1 in Colo.
Mar 30 2007 // An early spring storm swept across the central U.S. early on March 29, spinning off tornadoes that killed an Oklahoma couple in a home that was blown to pieces and a Colorado woman whose small town was nearly destroyed. A...
‘Near Term’ Hurricane Models Used by Insurers Under Fire
Mar 29 2007 // Recent “near term” hurricane prediction models based on five-year forecasts are being skewered by consumer groups urging state regulators to reject them as a basis for hiking coastal property insurance...
Powerful Earthquake Rocks Japan; 1 Dead, 170 Injured
Mar 26 2007 // A powerful earthquake struck Japan on Sunday, killing at least one person and injuring 170 others as it damaged buildings and triggered a small tsunami along the coast, officials said. The magnitude-6.9 quake struck at...
Restoration work continues after Florida tornadoes
Mar 26 2007 // With the final death toll standing at 20, the tornadoes that slammed central Florida on Feb. 2 have been dubbed “Ground-Hog Day Tornadoes” by The Florida State Emergency Response Team. The groundhogs in Sumter,...
Scientists Disagree Over Hazard Posed by New Madrid Earthquake Fault
Mar 23 2007 // Scientists have struggled for years to figure out when the next big earthquake might strike the central United States. Now a geologist from Northwestern University believes he has evidence that the New Madrid Fault –...
TSR Updates Hurricane Forecast
Mar 21 2007 // The UK-based Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) weather forecaster has issued a revised assessment of the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, which indicates that it will be a more active season than previously expected. TSR, which...
Insurer Delivers First Check to Aid Tornado-Stricken Ala. Town
Mar 21 2007 // Representatives from a Boston-based insurance company personally presented a $2 million check to Gov. Bob Riley and Enterprise city officials as the first installment toward the coverage of two Enterprise schools damaged...
Orlando Attorney Elected President of Windstorm Insurance Group
Mar 19 2007 // Attorney Janice A. Kelly was recently elected as the 2007- 2008 president of the Windstorm Insurance Network, Inc., a non-profit organization comprised of almost 1,000 individuals and groups interested in windstorm-related...
Hurricane Chief Voices Concerns About Forecasts from Aging Satellite
Mar 19 2007 // Certain hurricane forecasts could become less accurate if a key weather satellite that is already beyond its expected life span fails, the nation’s new top forecaster said. The change would mean placing longer...
Study Reveals Potential for $100 Billion Earthquake Loss in Beijing, China
Mar 16 2007 // Risk Management Solutions (RMS) announced the preliminary results of a study analyzing the impacts of the 1679 Sanhe-Pinggu Earthquake based on the 2007 population and property exposures of the Beijing, China area. The...
EPA Allows Demolition of 1,200 Hurricane-Damaged Homes in Miss.
Mar 15 2007 // About 1,200 hurricane-damaged homes in south Mississippi can be torn down under rules that have been extended by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA’s No Action Assurance program runs until Sept. 30 for...
La.’s Citizens Agrees to Mass Settlement of Hurricane Suits
Mar 12 2007 // Louisiana’s state-run insurer has agreed to a mass settlement with more than 100 policyholders, a deal believed to be the first of its kind in the state since hurricanes Katrina and Rita spawned thousands of...
Dodd Blasts Insurance Industry Response to Hurricanes
Mar 12 2007 // U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, a Democratic presidential hopeful, said he’s angry with the insurance industry’s response to the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes and said Mar. 9 he will hold senate committee hearings on...
N.Y. City, other U.S. centers need federal terrorism insurance to compete globally, says Supt. Dinallo
Mar 12 2007 // A continuing federal role in terrorism insurance is important so that U.S. financial centers including New York City can continue to compete with international markets, many of which are already covered by similar...
Industry gears up for more federal terrorism insurance debates
Mar 12 2007 // Advocates say the coverage still vital to national security and a long-term solution is needed Insurance industry advocates urged Congress yet again to continue with a federal government role in terrorism risk insurance...
