storms News

Arctic Ice Melt Lifts Hopes for Russian Maritime Trade

When severe snowstorms prevented life-sustaining fuel supplies from reaching the frozen Alaskan town of Nome, U.S. officials turned to a Russian company for help. The relief mission through perilous, ice-choked seas was the first mid-winter fuel delivery to western Alaska, …

Ohio Property Insurance Rates Expected to Rise After Storms

Ohio’s relatively low rates for property insurance are expected to rise in 2012 due to the damaging storms of recent years. An insurance agent in Middletown in southwest Ohio says Mother Nature has had her way with the state. Gary …

IAG Updates Claims Estimates for Victoria Storms, NZ Quakes

The Insurance Australia Group has advised that its Australia Direct and CGU businesses have, “received approximately 20,000 claims following the hailstorms and related severe weather which occurred in Victoria around Christmas Day. The majority of claims relate to vehicle damage …

November Storms in Southern Alberta Caused $195 Million Insured Loss

Windstorms that hit southern Alberta in November have caused at least C$200 million [US$195] in insured damage, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. However, the estimate is preliminary, based on data from Property Claim Services Canada (PCS-Canada), a service …

Melbourne Storms Declared ‘Catastrophe;’ Full Year Insured Losses = $4.5 Billion

A series of violent storms struck Australia’s second largest city, Melbourne on Christmas Day, causing wide spread damage to buildings and infrastructure. Insurer QBE said the country’s insurers have already received more than 15,000 claims as a result of the …

Insurers Worry 2012 Will Top 2011 for Record Weather Disasters

From floods that crippled countries, to mega cyclones, huge blizzards, killer tornadoes to famine-inducing droughts, 2011 has been another record-breaker for bad weather. While it is too early to predict what 2012 will be like, insurers and weather prediction agencies …

IPCC Report Concludes Extreme Weather to Worsen with Climate Change

An increase in heat waves is almost certain, while heavier rainfall, more floods, stronger cyclones, landslides and more intense droughts are likely across the globe this century as the Earth’s climate warms, U.N. scientists said on Friday. The U.N. Intergovernmental …

Italy, Southeast France Hit by Heavy Rains, Floods: AIR Analysis

Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has issued a report on the heavy rains, which caused widespread flooding in France and Italy during the first week of November. The storms were caused by a “low pressure system that developed over the …

Survey Finds Africa, Asia Cities Most at Risk from Global Climate Change

Countries and megacities in Africa and Asia are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change over the coming years, a global survey shows, underscoring the risks from floods, rising sea levels, droughts and storms. With populations in …

Caribbean Countries form Partnership to Develop Climate Change Strategies

The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) have strengthened their partnership to be able to better assist Caribbean countries to develop climate change adaptation strategies. The two organizations play key roles in …