Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wildfire Season Preview: Rest of 2025 Is High-Risk, May Follow LA Wildfires Paradigm
Jun 10 2025 // Following the “paradigm-shifting” Los Angeles wildfires in January, the 2024-2025 wildfire season will be remembered as a turning point for the insurance industry, and a warning that “wildfire is no...
Staff Vacancies Hit Texas Weather Offices as They Prepare for Hurricane Season
Jun 10 2025 // With hurricane season underway and an above-normal activity forecast, some National Weather Service offices like Houston — where as many as 44% of positions are vacant — are operating with staff shortages, prompting...
It Will Take 5 Months to Transport Hawaii Wildfire Debris to Massive Landfill
Jun 10 2025 // Fifty trucks will spend five months hauling Lahaina wildfire debris to a landfill in the center of Maui starting next Monday, Maui County said. There’s enough debris to fill five football fields five stories high....
Hurricane Season Considerations: Generator Edition
Jun 10 2025 // Last week, we answered the question; What do people need to know about hurricane season? In responding to that question, it occurred to me that there is more to the answer and I want to focus on the question of power. For...
Hedge Funds Face California Rebuke Over Role in Wildfire Claims
Jun 9 2025 // Hedge funds are facing pushback in California as their bets tied to insurance claims stemming from the Los Angeles wildfires are attacked as unethical. The transactions in focus are tied to so-called subrogation claims,...
Homeowners Suing USAA and AAA Insurers Over LA Wildfires
Jun 6 2025 // Some homeowners who lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires have filed lawsuits against three large insurers over claims payouts they say didn’t cover their losses. The lawsuits were filed in Los Angeles County...
Satellite Data Capturing Burned Acres Show Canada Wildfire Season off to Wild Start
Jun 6 2025 // While images of wildfires capture their ferocity, data can provide insight into how bad a fire season is. Such is the case with two graphics, powered by satellite data, that showcase a Canadian wildfire season off to a...
Canadian Wildfires Cause Unhealthy Air Quality in Midwest
Jun 4 2025 // Smoke from Canadian wildfires carried another day of poor air quality south of the border to the Midwest, where conditions in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan were rated “very unhealthy” on...
Texas Lawmakers Pass Legislation to Improve Wildfire Preparedness
Jun 3 2025 // Texas lawmakers approved a series of bills this year that aim to better prepare Texas for wildfires and to mitigate their damage. The legislation includes a study on wildfire risk zones, increasing funding for rural...
Alberta Wildfires Shut About 7% of Canada’s Oil Production
Jun 3 2025 // Wildfires in Canada’s energy heartland of Alberta have shut down almost 350,000 barrels of daily heavy crude production — about 7% of the country’s output — as a major blaze near the province’s...
FEMA Head Said He Was Unaware of US Hurricane Season, Sources Say
Jun 3 2025 // Staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency were left baffled on Monday after the head of the U.S. disaster agency said he had not been aware the country has a hurricane season, according to four sources familiar with...
Inmates Clear Tornado Damage to Free Oklahoma Family Stuck for Over a Week
Jun 2 2025 // A work crew of incarcerated people cleared the way for a woman and her three children to finally leave their rural Oklahoma property more than a week after a tornado caused widespread damage, state officials said. The crew...
Wildfires in Alberta Pose Growing Threat to Canada’s Oil
May 30 2025 // Wildfires are threatening about 5% of Canada’s crude output as a blaze in Alberta’s oil sands region spreads and approaches major production sites. A total of 26 out-of-control fires are burning in the province...
Cotality: Over 33 Million Properties at Risk of Hurricanes, Creating ‘Liquidity Traps’
May 29 2025 // Cotality said it has identified more than 33.1 million residential properties from Texas to Maine with a combined reconstruction cost value of $11.7 trillion at least moderate risk of sustaining damage from hurricane-force...
Missouri Special Session to Include Discussion on Aid for Tornado Victims
May 29 2025 // Missouri lawmakers are to kick off a special session Monday to consider aid for tornado victims and a package of financial incentives aimed at keeping the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals from leaving the state for new or...
Wildfire Experience Inspires New Contents Claims Insurtech
May 29 2025 // When Michael Balarezo emerged from the basement office of his Boulder, Colo., home in December 2021, smoke plumes from the nearby Marshall Fire were visible from his driveway. Balarezo, his wife and daughter swiftly stowed...
Emergency Management Director for Florida Keys Braces for Hurricane Season
May 29 2025 // No place is more vulnerable to hurricanes in the 50 U.S. states than the Florida Keys. The chain of islands celebrated by singer Jimmy Buffett in his odes to tropical escapism is surrounded by water, jutting out 120 miles...
First Heat Wave of Season to Bake West, Increasing Wildfire Risk
May 27 2025 // Extreme heat levels of are expected in the western United States later this week, raising the risk wildfires and heat-related illnesses and putting a strain on power grids. Meteorologists at AccuWeather say a strong dome...
Progress Is Slow for Chimney Rock, NC Hit Hard by Hurricane Helene
May 27 2025 // The brightly colored sign along the S-curve mountain road beckons visitors to the Gemstone Mine, the “#1 ATTRACTION IN CHIMNEY ROCK VILLAGE!” But another sign, on the shop’s mud-splattered front door,...
Wildfires Erupt Near Alberta Oil Well Sites Amid Hot Weather
May 27 2025 // Hot weather sparked a string of wildfires around Alberta over the weekend, including some near oil and gas wells operated by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. and others. Four out-of-control fires were burning in Alberta at...
