Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Los Angeles Sues Airbnb for Alleged Price Gouging Following Wildfires
Jul 18 2025 // Los Angeles sued Airbnb, accusing the home rental company of allowing price gouging affecting at least 2,000 properties during January’s wildfires in Southern California, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto said on...
Alaska Tsunami Warning Had Residents Scrambling for High Ground After M7.3 Quake
Jul 18 2025 // Communities along a 700-mile stretch of Alaska’s southern coast ordered residents to higher ground after a powerful offshore earthquake Wednesday, but officials quickly downgraded and then canceled a tsunami warning...
Allstate Expects Another $2B Catastrophe Losses in Q2
Jul 17 2025 // Prior to reporting second-quarter results later this month, Allstate said today it expects slightly lower catastrophe losses in the second quarter, and estimated the bill to be nearly $2 billion. In reporting monthly...
High Temperatures, Wildfire Smoke May Trigger Protections for Washington Workers
Jul 15 2025 // Worker safety regulators in Washington are warning businesses that temperatures and wildfire smoke are making for hazardous conditions for outdoor workers. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries issued a...
Insured Losses From US Hurricanes Could Rise by 50% With Global Warming
Jul 15 2025 // Insured losses from U.S. hurricanes could rise by nearly 50% under a 2°C (3.6°F) global warming scenario, according to MS Amlin, the Lloyd’s global re/insurer. A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of...
Unhealthy Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Blankets Upper Midwest
Jul 14 2025 // Much of the Upper Midwest on Saturday was dealing with swaths of unhealthy air because of drifting smoke from Canadian wildfires, covering the northern region of the U.S. at a time when people want to be enjoying lakes,...
Wildfire Destroyed Historic Grand Canyon Lodge After Being Allowed to Burn
Jul 14 2025 // A wildfire raging along the Grand Canyon’s North Rim that leveled a historic lodge erupted over the weekend after burning for more than a week, raising scrutiny over the National Park Service’s decision not to...
Florida Meteorologist Predicts Where the Next Hurricane Will Hit, For a Price
Jul 14 2025 // Colorado State University’s hurricane research team, perhaps the best-known and most-often quoted forecasting service, last week revised its prediction for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season downward slightly – to...
CSU Hurricane Season Forecast Adjusted to ‘Slightly’ Above Normal
Jul 11 2025 // The team of hurricane researchers at Colorado State University shaved off a storm from its original Atlantic hurricane season forecast, and now sees a “slightly” above normal season. High levels of observed...
Containment Increases on California Wildfire That Forced Evacuations
Jul 8 2025 // Firefighters are making progress on the biggest wildfire in California this year. Containment has increased on the Madre Fire to 35%. The wildfire on the central coast of California has burned 80,603 acres, prompting...
Viewpoint: State Farm’s Wildfire Claims Response Is a Test of Trust and Preparedness
Jul 8 2025 // State Farm has long positioned itself as the dependable “good neighbor” ready to help when disaster strikes. Through carefully crafted advertising, the company promotes a sense of comfort, security, and...
Wildfire Smoke Brings a Forgotten Danger to the Arctic: Black Carbon
Jul 8 2025 // In 2023, the Canada wildfires that incinerated more than 17 million hectares (42 million acres) of boreal forest were so hot they melted the paint on approaching fire trucks and smoldered underground all winter. That heat...
California Wildfire Grows to Nearly 80,000 Acres, Forcing Evacuations
Jul 7 2025 // A wildfire on the central coast of California has grown to 84,080 acres, prompting evacuation orders and closing part of a highway. The Madre Fire, the biggest the state has seen this year, started on Wednesday and is...
Verisk: Q1 Claims Volume Hits 5-Year Low but Severity Up on Wildfire Losses
Jul 7 2025 // The first three months of 2025 brought devastating wildfires to California, significant wind and hail events to Texas, and substantial increases in tornado activity to “Tornado Alley,” but claim volume...
Wildfire Experience Inspires New Contents Claims Insurtech
Jul 7 2025 // When Michael Balarezo emerged from the basement office of his Boulder, Colorado, home in December 2021, smoke plumes from the nearby Marshall Fire were visible from his driveway. Balarezo, his wife, and daughter swiftly...
Wildfire Season Preview: Rest of 2025 Is High-Risk, May Follow LA Wildfires Paradigm
Jul 7 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...
NOAA Delays Cutoff of Key Satellite Data for Hurricane Forecasting
Jul 2 2025 // The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday it is delaying by one month the planned cutoff of satellite data that helps forecasters track hurricanes. Meteorologists and scientists warned of severe...
Containment Grows on Southern California Wildfire As Evacuation Orders Lifted
Jun 30 2025 // Firefighters made quick progress battling a wildfire in Southern California, which is now 25% contained after burning 485 acres in San Bernardino County and prompting evacuations. The Lake Fire erupted Saturday afternoon...
Wall Street Backs LA Wildfire Lawsuits, Chasing Billions
Jun 30 2025 // The Los Angeles wildfires have generated potentially thousands of new clients for lawyers and prospects for billions in fees. Wall Street wants in on the action, too. The chance at a piece of strong returns has encouraged...
Hedge Fund Strategy Built on Catastrophes Taps a Hot New Trend – Parametrics
Jun 30 2025 // One of the most successful hedge fund strategies of recent years — insurance-linked securities — is latching on to an old idea whose popularity is suddenly soaring. Parametric insurance, where policyholders get quick...
