extreme weather events News

Insurance Technology: BirdsEyeView Wins Funds for Parametric Cover; Audatex Adds Live Car Valuation Data

Parametric Insurtech startup BirdsEyeView has closed a seed funding round for an undisclosed amount led by SFC Capital, with the funds matched by the European Space Agency (ESA). BirdsEyeView uses satellite data to structure insurance coverage for severe weather events …

National Weather Service Upgrades Forecast Model

The National Weather Service has turbocharged its lagging forecast model to better predict extreme weather events such as hurricanes, blizzards and downpours, as well as day-to-day weather. By including much higher layers of the atmosphere, increased factoring of ocean waves …

Social Polarization, Inequality Raise Potential for Risk, Disruption: WEF

Rising inequality and social polarization are set to shape world developments for the next decade after contributing to Britain’s decision to leave the European Union and the ballot-box success of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said. …

New York Officials Propose Regulations for Projecting Rises in Sea Level

New York conservation officials are proposing regulations for establishing official state projections of rising sea levels. The Department of Environmental Conservation says the projections will reflect the best science available and will help coastal communities better prepare for extreme weather. …

African Risk Capacity (ARC) Payouts to Exceed $25 Million

The African Union’s African Risk Capacity’s affiliated mutual insurance company, ARC Ltd, is set to make claim payouts of more than $25 million to three of its member states belonging to its catastrophe insurance pool, which was recently established to …

ABI Launches Campaign for ‘Flood Free’ Homes

the Association of British Insurers announced that it has launched a campaign for Flood Free Homes, “supported by Friends of the Earth, Know Your Flood Risk, National Flood Forum, and the Property Care Association’s Flood Protection Group.” The ABI said …

Climate Change Report: Philippines Hardest Hit by Extreme Weather in 2013

The Philippines, Cambodia and India were the countries hardest hit by extreme weather events in 2013, according to a study unveiled on Tuesday at U.N. talks in Lima on a global deal to limit climate change. The report by Germanwatch, …

Rural Communities Struggle to Compete With Cities for Coastal Protection Funds

The town of Saxis on Chesapeake Bay in Virginia is losing three to five feet (1 to 1.5 meters) of shoreline a year and suffered damage during hurricane Sandy. But like hundreds of rural communities along the coast, it is …

S&P Report Finds Companies Are Starting To Assess Climate Risks

A report – “Dealing With Disaster: How Companies Are Starting To Assess Their Climate Event Risks” – from Standard & Poor’s London office points out that the “increasing frequency of extreme weather events such as flooding, intense storms, heat waves, …

In Connecticut, Sea Level Predictions Prompt New Awareness in Communities

In Connecticut, the global issue of climate change is being confronted locally. The Day of New London reports that in Old Saybrook, a municipal panel met for the first time last week to consider how to help the low-lying coastal …