Latest Windstorm Headlines
All the headlines from our Windstorm Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Bill Would Help Illinois Residents Hit by Storm Damage
Apr 2 2012 // Southern Illinois property owners trying to rebuild after tornadoes and storms that hit in March would get a tax break under a bill passed by the Illinois House. The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports that the...
Kentucky Warns Storm Debris May Contain Asbestos
Apr 2 2012 // Storms in recent weeks in Kentucky have produced mounds of debris, and the state Division for Air Quality is recommending that people remember the material may contain asbestos. The agency advises keeping all debris from...
Alaskan Village Declares Disaster After Wind Storm
Mar 29 2012 // The northwest Alaska village of Kivalina has declared a disaster after a wind storm swept snow into huge piles. City administrator Janet Mitchell says the snow piles are as high as houses in some places and one home was...
United Fire Says Losses from Storms May Be in $13M to $16M Range
Mar 22 2012 // United Fire Group Inc., headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, announced that it expects its first-quarter results through March to include pre-tax catastrophe losses, net of reinsurance, of approximately $13 million to $16...
Kentucky Lawmakers Working on Tax Break for Tornado Victims
Mar 21 2012 // Leaders of both parties in the Kentucky Legislature are working together to provide sales tax relief to residents of the 21 counties declared disaster areas by President Barack Obama following March 2 tornadoes. Rep. John...
Tornadoes Injured at Least 8 in San Antonio Area
Mar 21 2012 // Officials say at least two tornadoes in the San Antonio area on March 20 damaged about 30 structures and injured at least eight people. Medina County Judge Jim Barden said that four people were hospitalized after the...
Michigan Fire Chief: 207 Homes Damaged by Tornado
Mar 21 2012 // Officials now say 207 homes were damaged in last week’s tornado in Dexter, Mich., and about 20 will need to be demolished. Dexter Area Fire Chief Loren Yates provided the figures on March 19. Officials initially said...
Websites Reunite Tornado Victims with Lost Belongings
Mar 20 2012 // There were a yellow football jersey, wrinkled prom photos, canceled checks and a birth certificate. There were wedding photos and pages from a scrapbook that elementary students made for their teacher. When the deadly...
Tropical Cyclone Lua Hits Northwest Coast of Australia as Cat 4 Storm
Mar 19 2012 // Following earlier predictions, tropical cyclone Lua came ashore on Australia’s northwest coast, the “Pilbara” coast, as a strong category 4 storm; i.e. wind speeds from 130 to 156 mph – 209 to 251 km/h....
7-Day Advance Storm Forecasts Not Far Away
Mar 19 2012 // National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read said that science will improve to the point where forecasters can reliably issue forecasts showing where a hurricane will be a week ahead of time. “We’re two to five...
Tornado Response
Mar 19 2012 // Branson, Mo., city officials said they were mostly happy with the emergency response to a tornado that hit the tourist city on Feb. 29. Police Chief Kent Crutcher said emergency response was mostly positive in the hours...
Insurance Claims from Recent Tornadoes May Top $1B
Mar 19 2012 // March came in like a very large and powerful lion, spawning severe weather across the Midwest, South and southeastern United States. Insured losses from the tornadoes, hail and high winds that struck in late February and...
Indiana Tornado Mobile Home Deaths
Mar 19 2012 // A family of five in New Pekin, two men in Holton and a Scott County man all were in mobile homes when they died or were fatally injured in southern Indiana tornadoes on March 2. The Courier Journal reported that nearly...
Kentucky Orders Halt to Insurance Cancellations in Tornado-Stricken Areas
Mar 16 2012 // Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has signed an executive order prohibiting insurance companies from canceling policies or changing rates in counties hit by deadly tornadoes. Beshear’s staffers said it was the first time...
Illinois to Recalculate Storm Damage Cost for FEMA
Mar 16 2012 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency has given Illinois more time to recalculate the tornado damage to southern parts of the state to bolster its push to reverse the denial of aid, Sen. Dick Durbin said. FEMA...
Pilot Project in Kansas, Missouri, Seeks Better Storm Warnings
Mar 15 2012 // When weather radios start sounding warnings in the Wichita, Kan., area this spring, the computerized voice nicknamed Chance Storms won’t just alert listeners to severe thunderstorms or tornado warnings. He’ll...
PERILS Lowers Loss Estimates from Windstorm Joachim to $377 Million
Mar 15 2012 // PERILS, Europe’s catastrophe data provider, has updated its loss report for windstorm Joachim, which occurred from December 15 to 17, 2011 in Western Europe. The second published loss estimate for Joachim is €289...
Catastrophe Frequency, Tornadoes Test Insurers in U.S.: A.M. Best
Mar 15 2012 // According to A.M. Best Co., the frequency of catastrophe weather events represents the “new normal” for the insurance industry. “The insurance industry continues to be tested as catastrophic weather...
Illinois Officials Dispute FEMA Denial of Tornado Aid
Mar 14 2012 // Looking at the destruction in his southern Illinois town, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Gregg couldn’t understand why federal officials turned down a plea to financially help local homeowners. Nearly a hundred homes are now...
Branson Officials Mostly Pleased with Tornado Response
Mar 12 2012 // Branson, Mo., city officials said they were mostly happy with the emergency response to a tornado that hit the tourist city in February. City officials met on March 8 to assess the response and tally damage. Police Chief...
