Tornado research has surged since a massive twister destroyed much of Joplin, Mo., and killed 161 people. Engineers, meteorologists and social scientists have published almost 800 peer-reviewed studies about tornadoes over the past five years, The Joplin Globe reports. David … Source: Claims Journal

Sales of drones—small flying machines equipped with cameras—are soaring. But new research by a Johns Hopkins computer security team has raised concerns about how easily hackers could cause these robotic devices to ignore their human controllers and land or, more … Source: Claims Journal

A voracious and deadly wildfire in central California has burned 150 homes and the toll may rise, fire officials said Saturday. The tally rose from 80 homes as firefighters began going through neighborhoods to count houses and mobile homes incinerated … Source: Claims Journal

Ransomware is evolving from a relatively low-dollar extortion racket, into a more sophisticated, more expensive, and more prevalent major criminal activity. Hardly a day goes by anymore without ransomware or cyber extortion making the news. A seeming turning point in … Source: Claims Journal

The Supreme Court on Thursday placed new limits on state laws that make it a crime for motorists suspected of drunken driving to refuse alcohol tests. The justices ruled that police must obtain a search warrant before requiring drivers to … Source: Claims Journal

Agadi Named Crawford & Company President and CEO Crawford & Company, a global independent provider of claims management services to insurance companies and self-insured entities, named Harsha V. Agadi president and CEO. He has served as interim president and CEO … Source: Claims Journal

Charles Schilling, like so many others, lost everything in the 1972 Hurricane Agnes flood. He still has newspaper accounts of the devastating natural disaster that he can read and re-read in case he wants to remember everything about June 23, … Source: Claims Journal

Federal investigators on Thursday blamed Union Pacific Railroad for a fiery oil train derailment along the Oregon-Washington border, saying the company failed to properly maintain its track. Preliminary findings on the June 3 derailment in the Columbia River Gorge raise … Source: Claims Journal

How to distribute lifesaving supplies quickly and safely after a natural disaster has long been a puzzle for responders. Now, drones might be the lifesaver. That idea was put to the test last week in New Jersey as a drone … Source: Claims Journal

With summer finally here, families across the country will be taking off for long-awaited vacations and weekend getaways. Burglars are making summer plans, too. According to the US Department of Justice, the highest percentage of burglaries occurs during the summer … Source: Claims Journal