Tag: 2012 natural disasters

Magnitude 5.6 Earthquake and Aftershocks in Southwest China

Guest Author
Earthquake in China

According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, at 11:19 AM local time this morning (3:19 UTC), a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck southeast China, 12 km south of Jiaokui. The earthquake was followed by more than 60 aftershocks including another M5.6 earthquake, which struck 1 km south of Jiaokui at 12:15 PM local time (4:16 UTC). Both earthquakes were relatively shallow, with depths of 9.9 km and 9.8 km, respectively. The highest reported intensity in population centers is around V (moderate) in Zhaotong, which is mainly an agricultural area. At this…

Read More

Strong Earthquake Strikes Western Costa Rica

Guest Author
Costa Rica Earthquake

According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, at 8:42 AM local time this morning (14:42 UTC), a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck a sparsely populated region of western Costa Rica approximately 150 km west of San José , the nation’s capital and largest city (approximate population 365,800 as of 2006). The earthquake, initially estimated at a magnitude of 7.9, struck at a depth of 40 kilometers. Though the size of the quake prompted the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to issue a tsunami warning for Pacific coastlines of Costa Rica, Nicaragua and…

Read More

Windstorm Andrea passes through Europe, causing major damage to all in its path

The United Kingdom has fallen victim to the first major windstorm of the year. Windstorm Andrea blew into the country late last week, causing significant damage in Scotland and northern England. AIR Worldwide, a global risk modeling firm, the storm caused damage to the nation’s energy infrastructure, causing several blackouts throughout northern and central UK. Windstorm Andrea is just one of several major storm systems that have come to the country in the past few months. While the UK was severely impacted by the event, the storms intensity paled in…

Read More

Insurers wary of disastrous year on the heels of the infamous 2011

Marc

A new year has dawned and as celebrations from the holidays die down, insurers turn a wary eye toward a potentially chaotic future. 2011 has gained infamy as one of the worst years in recent history in terms of natural disasters. While some insurance organizations claim the total cost of worldwide catastrophes hovers in the range of $100 billion, Munich Re, a global reinsurance and risk solutions firm, asserts that the real total of global disasters is at $310 billion. Risk modelers have yet to release their predictions regarding the…

Read More