AIR Worldwide report shows the changing earthquake risks seen in Japan

AIR Worldwide, a prestigious catastrophe modeling firm serving the global insurance industry, has released a new report titled “Understanding Earthquake Risk in Japan Following the Tohoku-Oki Earthquake of March 11, 2011.” The quake that struck Japan last year was a magnitude -9.0 and caused a fair amount of damage in Northern provinces. The quake itself did not cause a severe level of damage but it did trigger a massive tsunami that cut a swath of destruction in the country and spurred a nuclear crisis. AIR’s scientists have been conducting detailed…

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Haiti and Dominican Republic to enter into a time of seismic activity, according to U.S. Geological Survey

Though insurers around the world are holding out hope that 2012 will not be as disastrous as 2011, a new study from the U.S. Geological Survey suggests that that may not be the case. The agency has been investigating earthquakes in the isles of Hispaniola, home to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In 2010, Haiti was rocked by a strong 7.0-magnitude quake that cost the lives of more than 300,000 people are decimated entire communities throughout the nation. Researchers say that this may not be the last big earthquake that…

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AIR Worldwide Updates European Wind and Earthquake Catastrophe Models

MONTE CARLO, Sept. 12, 2011 – Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide (AIR) released updates to its Extratropical Cyclone and Earthquake Models for Europe. Both models were significantly expanded to include additional European countries and provide a consistent and comprehensive assessment of the extratropical cyclone and earthquake risk throughout Europe. “AIR Worldwide offers complete and robust extratropical cyclone and earthquake models for Europe,” said Dr. Jayanta Guin, senior vice president of research and modeling at AIR Worldwide. “With the expanded regions and enhancements to these models, insurers and reinsurers now…

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