tornadoes News

A Year after Joplin Tornadoes, $2.16B in Insurance Claims Paid

The tornado that swept through Joplin, Mo., on May 22, 2011, has generated $2.16 billion in insurance claims payouts to Missouri policyholders, according to an Insurance Information Institute analysis of data from ISO’s Property Claims Service (PCS) and other sources. …

Aon Benfield’s April Global Cat Reports near $1 Billion in Tornado Losses

Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon plc, has released its latest edition of its Global Catastrophe Recap report, which reviews the natural disaster perils that occurred worldwide during April. Published by Impact Forecasting, the firm’s …

Indiana Emergency Officials to Storm Chasers: Stay Home

The recent outbreak of severe weather in Kansas had storm chasers out in full force. So many of them, in fact, that emergency officials everywhere are taking notice, and putting out warnings. In Indiana, Delaware County Emergency Management Agency Director …

FEMA Reports $18.6 Million in Disaster Aid to Kentucky

More than $18.6 million in federal disaster assistance has been approved for Kentucky residents who went through the tornadoes and severe storms of late February and early March. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says around 5,300 people from 21 counties …

Deadly Oklahoma Tornado Traveled about 31 Miles

A tornado that killed six people in northwestern Oklahoma traveled about 31 miles and had winds of 136 to 165 mph at its peak. The National Weather Service on April 16 assigned a preliminary EF-3 Enhanced Fujita scale rating to …

Midwest Towns Say Early Storm Warnings Saved Lives

The television was tuned to forecasters’ dire warnings of an impending storm when Greg Tomlyanobich heard a short burst from a tornado siren blare after midnight on April 15. Then silence. Then rumbling. The 52-year-old quickly grabbed his wife and …

Oklahoma Governor Declares State of Emergency in 12 Counties

Governor Mary Fallin has declared a State of Emergency for 12 Oklahoma counties due to tornadoes, severe storms, straight line winds and flooding that began on April 13. The counties included in the declaration are: Alfalfa, Caddo, Canadian, Cleveland, Ellis, …

Tornado Outbreak: Authorities Say 5 Dead in Oklahoma, 29 Injuries

Tornadoes raking communities across the Midwest and Plains left five people dead and at least 29 injured in Oklahoma, damaging a hospital, homes and other buildings as a vast severe weather front plunged eastward on April 15 across the nation’s …

Platinum estimates $24.8 Million Q1 2012 Losses from Catastrophes

Bermuda-based Platinum Underwriters Holdings, Ltd. announced that it expects major catastrophe losses will have a net negative impact of approximately $24.8 million on the Company’s results for the quarter ended March 31, 2012. The company explained that the losses were …

Severe Weather Has Home Insurers Rethinking Coverages

As weather disasters strike with more frequency, U.S. homeowners first get hit with the destruction or total loss of property. Many are then hit with the unexpected loss of homeowners insurance policies as insurance companies re-evaluate their financial liabilities. After …