NU Online News Service, Oct. 27, 3:05 p.m. EDT

Mother Nature has not been kind this week as a powerful storm struck the Midwest yesterday and Indonesia counts its dead from a tsunami caused by a 7.7 quake on Monday.

Yesterday, a severe weather system ripped through the Midwest, downing trees and causing power outages throughout the region.

Catastrophe modelers are currently assessing the damage from the Midwest storm and have not issued estimates.

The storm surprised forecasters with a low pressure equal to a Category 3 hurricane but without the wind intensity.

According to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center, there were 287 reported wind incidents yesterday involving blown-down trees or wires. Seven of those incidents were at reported wind speeds in excess of 74 mph. There also were 24 reported tornado sightings.

Yesterday's storm event ranged from Georgia and the Carolinas to as far north as New York and Pennsylvania and west to Ohio.

On Monday, the system was felt in Missouri and Illinois, up through Wisconsin and east into Virginia.

There were a total of 151 wind reports and one tornado sighting on Monday.

No deaths were reported.

The people of Indonesia have not been as lucky. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the 7.7 magnitude quake struck on Monday at 9:42 p.m. local time in the Kepulauan Mentawai region.

According to the New York Times the earthquake sent a 10-foot-high tsunami crashing into villages throughout the region. Close to 300 people have been killed, according to reports, and more than 400 are missing.

AIR Worldwide said that tsunami warnings were issued, but that areas destroyed by the floods did not have warning systems.

Mehrdad Mahdyiar, director, earthquake hazard at AIR Worldwide, said the impact is not fully clear because of a lack of communication.

"Housing in more rural areas of Indonesia generally consists of single-story brick masonry walls built with cement mortar and topped with a timber roof," he said. "This is non-engineered construction built following traditional practices. Structures of this kind typically experience severe damage or collapse in earthquakes in Indonesia."

A national earthquake insurance pool was established in 2003, AIR noted, and participation is mandatory for all general insurance and reinsurance companies, but earthquake insurance penetration is still very low. The pool, named MAIPARK, estimates that in 2005 just 2 percent of properties in Indonesia had earthquake coverage. However, insurance penetration is likely somewhat higher on the island of Java.

EQECAT issued a statement on the quake in Indonesia, noting that it's difficult to predict if a tsunami will develop if earthquakes are below magnitude 8 and located close to land.

EQECAT also issued a report on Typhoon Chaba, a Category 1 storm heading to the southeast coast of Japan.

Based on its storm track, the islands of Kadena and Okinawa are "likely to experience tropical storm force winds." The impact is expected to be light as the weaker side passes the islands. Expected insured loss is anticipated to be less than $100 million, EQECAT said.

Special Reports /

Midwest Clobbered By Storm; Indonesia Suffers Tsunami

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