Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Forecasters Give Tropical Storm in Atlantic a Name, Say it Should Strengthen Soon
Sep 19 2025 // Tropical Storm Gabrielle formed Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean but was far from land, forecasters said. The center of Gabrielle re-formed from its morning position and was located about 990 miles (1,600 kilometers) east...
Southern California Edison, Others Settle to Recover $2B Tied to Wildfires
Sep 19 2025 // Southern California Edison has reached a settlement agreement with several intervenors to allow the utility to recover about $2 billion of $5.6 billion in losses tied to the 2017–2018 wildfire and mudslide events. Out of...
Hong Kong Braces for Twin Storms as Forecasters Predict Super Typhoon
Sep 19 2025 // Hong Kong is facing a period of heavy rain and strong winds as two storms brew in warm tropical waters, with one system forecast to intensify into a super typhoon next week. A tropical depression is currently spinning in...
Where Are the Hurricanes This Season as the Atlantic Remains Quiet
Sep 18 2025 // Not a single named storm has formed in the Atlantic Ocean in nearly three weeks, even though it’s the peak of hurricane season. “Where the heck are the Atlantic #hurricanes?” Philip Klotzbach, a...
Stein Wants $13.5B From Congress for NC Hurricane Helene Recovery
Sep 18 2025 // Stein in 2024 (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File) North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein on Monday requested $13.5 billion more from Congress in recovery aid for Hurricane Helene almost a year after the historic storm, saying additional...
Insurance Industry Reps Back Reauthorization of Federal Terrorism Backstop
Sep 17 2025 // Marsh McLennan lost 358 employees in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and in Washington today Michelle Sartain, who has worked at Marsh for more than 28 years, encouraged lawmakers to...
Tornadoes Destroyed Several Homes in Southeastern Utah
Sep 16 2025 // Tornadoes destroyed several homes in southeastern Utah over the weekend, but authorities said there were no reports of people injured. A storm produced two tornadoes in San Juan County in southeastern Utah over the span of...
California Commissioner Pushes for Wildfire Recovery Bill, Other Legislation
Sep 15 2025 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign several wildfire and health-related bills that have passed the Legislature and are now awaiting the governor’s approval. “They...
Catastrophe Bonds Worth $17.5 Billion Land in EU Crosshairs
Sep 15 2025 // Asset managers with sizable holdings of catastrophe bonds are watching to see how a recent recommendation by Europe’s markets watchdog will disrupt the status quo, with some already warning of a potential selloff. At...
Hurricane Forecasts Are Missing the Mark as the Atlantic Stays Calm — So Far
Sep 12 2025 // It’s the statistical peak of Atlantic hurricane season, and there isn’t a storm in sight — for now. September’s second week is usually when the season gets into full swing, as warm ocean waters fuel...
California’s Paradise Still Recovering From Wildfire 7 Years Ago
Sep 12 2025 // Nearly seven years after Paradise was ravaged by wildfire, the foothill town smells like pine trees again. New homes are sprouting up on once-scorched lots. Construction trucks rumble through neighborhoods. An ice cream...
How Europe Lost an Area the Size of Cyprus to Wildfires This Year
Sep 12 2025 // Patricia Lamela was driving back to the Galician town of Larouco in northwest Spain when she got the call. It was Aug. 13, just before 7 p.m., and a neighbor told her there was a fire in the forest. Lamela, the mayor of...
When Is Your Home Safe After Wildfire Smoke? LA Researchers Have Some Answers
Sep 11 2025 // At a church parking lot near Los Angeles, two hazmat-suit-clad workers vacuumed and wiped most of the contents of Elle Schneider’s house. Surrounded by stacked plastic bins of books and clothes, they opened up the...
California Plans to Boost Utility Wildfire Fund by $18 Billion
Sep 10 2025 // California lawmakers have reached an initial agreement to shore up the state’s wildfire utility fund. The agreement is expected be filed into legislative text on Wednesday after lawmakers suspended a Tuesday...
Construction Delays, Litigation Can Follow Hurricanes: A Guide for Property Owners
Sep 9 2025 // When a hurricane tears through a community, the damage left behind can feel overwhelming. For property owners, the priority is to get repairs done quickly so that life and business can return to normal. But too often,...
Older Homes for Sale in California Now Come With Wildfire Warnings
Sep 8 2025 // Most California homes were built long before the state required that they be constructed to withstand wildfires. Now, sellers of older homes in high-risk areas must disclose to potential buyers not only a dwelling’s...
S&P Warns of Reinsurer Protections as Catastrophe Risks Escalate
Sep 8 2025 // As natural catastrophes become more frequent and destructive, a key backstop intended to help cover losses has gotten harder to access. The reinsurance industry, which exists to help primary insurers cope with losses when...
Containment Grows on Wildfires That Forced Evacuations, Destroyed Buildings
Sep 5 2025 // Firefighters are slowly gaining on several wildfires burning in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada area, forcing evacuations and destroying buildings in a historic mining town. The TCU September Lightning Complex fires,...
Wildfire Burns Through Historic California Gold Mining Town, Destroying Multiple Homes
Sep 3 2025 // A quick-moving wildfire burned homes in a California Gold Rush town settled around 1850 by Chinese miners, forcing evacuations and destroying properties. The fire rapidly expanded to 6,473 acres, forcing the evacuation...
AP Reporters Reflect on Hurricane Katrina, 20 Years Later
Sep 2 2025 // Hurricane Katrina claimed hundreds of lives, destroyed homes and changed how emergency response is dealt with forever. In this episode of “The Story Behind the AP Story,” retired Associated Press journalist...
