storms News

Ohio Insured Losses due to 2011 Storms Top $500 Million

A handful of major storms that damaged parts of Ohio this year have caused more than a half-billion dollars in insured losses. The Akron Beacon Journal reports five storms have led to an estimated 125,000 claims and losses of $537 …

Heavy Storms Pound Central Europe

Heavy thunderstorms and strong winds have pounded Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, tearing the roofs off homes and bringing down trees. In Poland, one woman was killed when part of a metal roof fell on her, and five others …

State of Emergency Declared in 16 Minnesota Counties

Gov. Mark Dayton has declared a state of emergency in 16 counties because of extensive damage from the July 1 storms. The storm system spawned supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes as it moved from southwestern Minnesota northeast across the state and …

6 Kansas Counties Declared Disasters

Six Kansas counties have been added to a state disaster declaration generated by storms and flooding. The Hays Daily News reported that Gov. Sam Brownback signed the disaster proclamation Tuesday for the six counties, which are Rush, Barton, Hamilton, Kearney, …

5 Tenn. Counties Designated as Agriculture Disaster

Gov. Bill Haslam says U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has designated 15 counties a natural disaster for agriculture as a result of storms and flooding in April and May. Counties designated as primary natural disaster areas include Dyer, Giles, …

Storms Damage 2 Hangars at Michigan Airport

Severe thunderstorms in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula produced high winds that damaged two hangars at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, injuring at least three people, and left thousands of people without power, authorities said. Members of the Civil …

Forecasters Find 1 More Tornado from Arkansas Outbreak

If it seemed Arkansas had too many tornadoes to count this spring, that may have been true. Forecasters said Tuesday they located a tornado track near Hickory Plains in Prairie County, pushing Arkansas’ storm total for this year to 67. …

Mexico Buys $400M of Disaster Insurance

Mexico Friday announced that it has bought more than $400 million worth of insurance to protect vulnerable areas from the impact of hurricanes and other natural disasters. Mexico purchased 4.8 billion pesos ($404 million) of insurance to “protect public infrastructure …

Iowa Thunderstorms Blamed for Fire, Other Damage

Thunderstorms that moved through eastern Iowa are being blamed for a house fire and hail and wind damage to cars, homes and trees. In North Liberty, fire officials say a lightning strike likely started a house fire around 10:40 p.m. …

State Farm Storm Claims in Hundreds of Thousands

State Farm says it has paid almost $1 billion on about 300,000 catastrophe claims from devastating storms across the central and southeastern United States over the past two months. The Pantagraph in Bloomington reported that State Farm says about 284,000 …