Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tornado Causes Damage, Leaves Thousands Without Power in Florida
Dec 18 2020 // A tornado damaged vehicles and buildings on Wednesday while leaving thousands without power in Florida’s Tampa Bay area, authorities said. Most of the damage was in Pinellas County, north of St. Petersburg, the Tampa...
RMS Estimates that Total Insured Losses from the 2020 Western U.S. Wildfires Will Be Between US$7bn – US$13bn
Dec 17 2020 // Latest RMS estimate includes loss from new fires that started and spread following the previous RMS loss estimate in September Newark, CA – December 15, 2020 – RMS, the world’s leading catastrophe risk solutions...
M4.4 Earthquake Confirmed at Hawaii Island Volcano Area
Dec 16 2020 // The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed an earthquake struck Hawaii’s Big Island on Monday. The magnitude 4.4 quake was centered about 12 miles southeast of Waimea, Hawaii, at a depth of about 16 miles. The earthquake...
Officials Assess Damage from Tornado Touchdown in Alabama
Dec 16 2020 // Weather officials say they’re still assessing the effects of a tornado that touched down in Alabama over the weekend. The National Weather Service said Monday that a storm survey team had found preliminary evidence...
Joint Louisiana Insurance Committees to Hear About Hurricane Claims, Pandemic
Dec 15 2020 // The insurance committees of the Louisiana Senate and House of Representatives will hear about the impact of multiple 2020 hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic on insurance rates in a joint meeting on Dec. 16. Presenters...
Judge OKs Plan for Settling Hurricane Damage Lawsuits Against Insurers in Louisiana
Dec 15 2020 // A federal judge in western Louisiana has approved a plan on how to settle thousands of lawsuits expected to be filed against insurance companies over damage from a pair of hurricanes that hit the region six weeks...
Oregon Wildfire Hazardous Waste Cleanup Complete
Dec 15 2020 // The Environmental Protection Agency said it has completed the cleanup of household hazardous waste from properties burned in Oregon wildfires. The September fires led to an initial EPA response in Jackson County, which...
RMS Says Insured Losses from 2020 Western U.S. Wildfires $7-$13B
Dec 15 2020 // RMS estimates insured losses from the record-breaking western U.S. wildfires this season will be between $7 and $13 billion. These losses reflect estimates as of Dec. 1. The ignition of the highly damaging Glass Fire and...
Deadline for Hurricane Insurance Filings Set by Louisiana Law
Dec 14 2020 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says people who need to file proof of loss documents for insurance claims involving property damage from Hurricane Laura have until February to do so. Donelon’s office...
Texas to Get Federal Disaster Assistance for Hurricane Laura Recovery
Dec 14 2020 // Federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Texas to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Laura from Aug. 23-27, 2020, according to FEMA. Federal...
With Economic Damages of $9B, Hurricanes Eta and Iota Topped Off Record Year: Aon
Dec 14 2020 // Hurricanes Eta and Iota in November topped off the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season when a record of 12 named storms made landfall in the United States. The two final hurricanes of the season had an economic cost of...
California Wildfire Survivors Urged to Call FEMA Helpline by Dec. 16
Dec 11 2020 // People with losses due to the California wildfires in Fresno, Los Angeles, Madera, Mendocino, Napa, San Bernardino, San Diego, Shasta, Siskiyou and Sonoma counties have just five days left to register for federal...
Analysts Say Cat Models Would Encourage Wildfire Mitigation Measures
Dec 11 2020 // Predictive modelers told California regulators on Thursday that the state’s antiquated rules for calculating wildfire risk when setting property insurance rates discourage innovative mitigation measures that could...
Family of Pilot Killed Fighting California Wildfire Sues Aircraft Companies
Dec 11 2020 // The family of a veteran helicopter pilot who died when his aircraft crashed as he was dropping water over a California wildfire filed suit Wednesday against the companies that designed and maintained the aircraft. Michael...
Hearing on California Export List Covered Record Number of Items
Dec 10 2020 // A dozen doesn’t sound like a lot, but it may be a record in the world of the California Export List. More items were proposed for the list than in recent memory during a California Department of Insurance hearing...
4th Minor Earthquake in 2 Weeks Felt in Kansas
Dec 9 2020 // An earthquake rattled Wichita, Kan., on Dec. 8 — the fourth earthquake in the area in the last two weeks. The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 3.0, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It struck in the morning in...
LDI: Proof of Loss Deadlines for Hurricane Claims in Louisiana Extended
Dec 9 2020 // Property insurance policyholders Louisiana policyholders who need to file hurricane damage claims have an more time than usual to do so under Louisiana law, according to the Louisiana Department of Insurance. In a media...
CFC Expands Terrorism Offering to Include Active Assailant Coverage
Dec 9 2020 // CFC, a specialist insurance provider specializing in emerging risks, has expanded its suite of terrorism and sabotage insurance products to include standalone active assailant cover. The active assailant policy covers...
Texas Windstorm Insurer to File for 5% Residential, Commercial Rate Hike
Dec 8 2020 // The board of directors of Texas’ insurer of last resort for wind and hail for properties along the Texas coast has directed its staff to file a rate increase of 5% for both residential and commercial policies with...
2020 Western U.S. Wildfire Season Gave Us Gigafire, Several Massive Blazes
Dec 8 2020 // Want more proof that 2020 will go down as a year we should all try hard to forget about? With some 9 million acres burned in wildfires across Western U.S. this year, and the introduction of a new and terrifying term...
