Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wildfire Outbreak in Ark. Forces Evacuations, Destroys Homes
Jan 10 2006 // Arkansas had its first major wildfire outbreak of the season as at least 43 fires blazed statewide, with one 3,000-acre arson fire in Ashley County that destroyed eight structures and forced evacuations still burning as of...
I.I.I. Says Record Mississippi Homeowners’ Claim Payments from 2005 Hurricanes
Jan 9 2006 // The record total of homeowners insurance claims payments resulting from the 2005 hurricanes in Mississippi is reportedly enough to wipe out all homeowners premiums paid in the state during the past 17 years. The magnitude...
‘EuroTempest’ Introduced to Forecast Potential Windstorm Damage
Jan 6 2006 // A team in the U.K. has produced a new wind damage prediction tool called EuroTempest, designed to provide local damage forecasts for European windstorms. An announcement on the Lloyd’s Website (www.lloyds.com) notes...
La. DOL: Fewer Hurricane-Related Unemployment Claims Being Paid
Jan 6 2006 // The number of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita victims continuing to receive unemployment benefits has dropped by over 100,000 since benefit claims peaked in early November, the Louisiana Department of Labor reported. Some...
Wildfires Decimating Budgets of Okla.’s Rural Fire Departments
Jan 6 2006 // Wildfires that have ravaged more than 350,000 acres across Oklahoma also are taking their toll on the budgets of rural fire departments. Rural volunteer departments this year have received only about one-fourth of their...
$565M Hurricane Prep Plan Budgets for Fla. Housing, Rental Recovery
Jan 6 2006 // Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has unveiled plans to prepare Florida for hurricanes by initiating housing programs to rebuild from past storms and survive future ones. The governor proposed an $808 million legislative agenda which...
U.K. Experts Warn of Continuing, Evolving Global Terrorist Threats
Jan 5 2006 // A leading U.K. intelligence expert and a specialist in terrorist underwriting at Hiscox Plc have warned that the threat of terrorism will not diminish in the year ahead with the continued potential for attacks around the...
FEMA Says Condo Owners Can Apply for Hurricane Wilma Assistance
Jan 5 2006 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency in Orlando, Fla. has reversed its position and is encouraging condominium associations needing financial assistance to repair roofs and other property destroyed or damaged by...
AG Warns Texans About Post-Wildfire Con Artists
Jan 5 2006 // Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott warned Texans who lost homes or other property to recent major wildfires across the state to be alert for unscrupulous operators offering to rebuild or repair fire-damaged...
Minor Earthquake Hits Illinois, Tremors Reported in Indiana, Kentucky
Jan 4 2006 // A minor earthquake hit a small town in southern Illinois yesterday, raising questions again about the threat of a major earthquake for states sitting on or near the New Madrid fault line. The quake struck yesterday at 3:48...
Ala., Miss., La. Black Lawmakers Mull Hurricane Recovery Policy
Jan 4 2006 // Black lawmakers from Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama say the three states should work together – rather than against each other – on issues such as hurricane recovery. “We can all empathize with each...
Treasury Issues Guidance on 2005 Terrorism Insurance
Jan 4 2006 // The Treasury Department issued interim guidance to assist the insurance industry in meeting new requirements for the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program. On December 22, 2005, President Bush signed into law the Terrorism Risk...
Tropical Storm Zeta Roils the Atlantic
Jan 3 2006 // The “hurricane season” ends in November – right? Maybe not. Miami’s National Hurricane Center is currently tracking Tropical Storm Zeta – the latest (earliest?) tropical cyclone ever recorded...
AAIS Says Policy Forms OK for Use Under Terrorism Extension
Jan 3 2006 // Insurers including those writing farm and crime coverages that use programs developed by the American Association of Insurance Services will require no immediate changes to existing endorsements and other materials to...
Wisconsin Insurance Rates Likely Not Impacted by Hurricane Katrina
Jan 3 2006 // This year, businesses and consumers will help insurers pay for last year’s estimated $57.6 billion in storm-related losses such as Hurricane Katrina through higher property and casualty insurance policy rates, the...
Boat Buyers Warned to Avoid Hurricane-Damaged Vessels
Jan 2 2006 // Inexperienced boat buyers are being warned by marine and insurance officials on the Gulf Coast to avoid purchasing hurricane-damaged vessels at auction. Robert Hartwig, the chief economist at the Insurance Information...
Okla., Texas Still Plagued by Wildfires
Jan 2 2006 // Wildfires continued to burn in Texas and Oklahoma on New Year’s Day, fueled by record-high temperatures, high winds and significant lack of rainfall, sweeping across thousands of acres and destroying homes along the...
Hurricane contractors: Working without a safety net
Jan 2 2006 // For the clean up of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to progress, contractors engaged in this important work must be adequately protected from long-term and uncertain liabilities. As insurance brokers, we at...
Hurricane mediation program underway in Louisiana
Jan 2 2006 // Beginning January 3, 2006, Louisiana residents whose Hurricane Katrina or Rita insurance claims are in dispute will have the opportunity to mediate their claim at no cost, according to the Louisiana Department of...
Hurricane contractors: Working without a safety net
Jan 2 2006 // For the clean up of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to progress, contractors engaged in this important work must be adequately protected from long-term and uncertain liabilities. As insurance brokers, we at...
