Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Erratic Tropical Storm Eta Makes Landfall on Florida’s West Coast
Nov 12 2020 // Tropical Storm Eta made landfall on Florida’s west coast Thursday, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to northern parts of the peninsula. Eta came ashore near Cedar Key at 4 a.m. New York time, with maximum...
Small Tornado Confirmed in Oregon, Buildings Damaged
Nov 12 2020 // The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down north of Portland in St. Helens, Ore. The weather service confirmed the tornado at about 2 p.m. Tuesday. It touched down around 12:20 p.m., KPTV...
Palomar Buys Renewal Rights to Hawaii Residential Hurricane Business from GeoVera
Nov 10 2020 // Palomar Specialty Insurance Co. has agreed to acquire the renewal rights to GeoVera’s Holding’s Hawaii residential hurricane policies. The transaction is expected to further deepen Palomar’s presence in...
Tropical Storm Eta’s Rains Threaten Floods for South Florida, Cuba, Bahamas
Nov 10 2020 // Nov 10, 2020, 4:33 AM— After coming ashore in the Florida Keys overnight, Tropical Storm Eta is now hovering just north of the Yucatan Channel and is set to re-strengthen as it meanders over the south-eastern Gulf of...
Flood Waters Keep Rising in South Florida from Tropical Storm Eta
Nov 10 2020 // Beaches and coronavirus testing sites were closed, public transportation shut down and some evacuations in place early Monday after Tropical Storm Eta made landfall in the Florida Keys, bringing heavy rains to already...
Earthquake Felt Across Southern New England
Nov 9 2020 // An earthquake struck southern New England on Sunday morning but there were no reports of serious damage. The earthquake centered a few miles off the coast of New Bedford in Buzzards Bay struck just after 9 a.m., according...
Update: Tropical Storm Eta Strikes Florida Keys, Could Still Strengthen
Nov 8 2020 // Updated on Nov 9, 2020, 9:36 AM – After coming ashore in the Florida Keys overnight, Tropical Storm Eta will wander the eastern Gulf of Mexico, dumping heavy rain on the Sunshine State and raking it with gusty...
Vertus, Zurich Expand Hurricane Deductible Buy-Back Program Into S.C., N.C., Va.
Nov 6 2020 // Vertus Insurance Partners and Zurich North America have expanded the Cat4Home deductible buy-back insurance product to customers in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. The expanded offering comes on the heels of...
Liberty Mutual Reports 46% Hike in Q3 Net Income Despite Catastrophe Losses
Nov 6 2020 // Liberty Mutual Holding Co. Inc. has reported a 46% increase in net income during the third quarter, despite elevated catastrophe losses. The company reported Q3 net income of $397 million, compared with $272 million during...
AIG’s Profit Slumps on Q3 Catastrophe Losses
Nov 6 2020 // American International Group Inc reported a slump in third-quarter profit on Thursday, hurt by losses related to storms, wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. AIG, one of the largest U.S. insurers, posted an underwriting...
California Issues Moratorium on Insurers Non-Renewing or Cancelling Following Wildfires
Nov 5 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday announced a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing or cancelling residential property insurance policies, a move he says is aimed at...
RMS: Total Onshore U.S. Insured Zeta Losses Could Rise to $5B
Nov 5 2020 // Catastrophe risk modeler RMS has estimated that insured on losses from Hurricane Zeta could rise to as high as $5 billion in the U.S. That figure is slightly higher than estimates announced by catastrophe modelers AIR...
Another Severe Storm Threatens Philippines Just Days After Super Typhoon Goni
Nov 5 2020 // The Philippines is bracing for a severe tropical storm that’s expected to hit its northern tip days after Super Typhoon Goni left. Storm Atsani will likely strengthen into a typhoon with peak intensity of 120...
Despite Challenges, New Year Will Bring Strong, Stable Industry: Hartwig
Nov 4 2020 // Despite a year of unprecedented challenges and uncertainty and a halting global economic recovery, the insurance industry remains strong, stable, sound and secure. Though below pre-COVID forecasts, major indicators point...
Category 4 Hurricane Eta Makes Landfall in Nicaragua, with Dangerous Floods Expected
Nov 4 2020 // Hurricane Eta has made landfall in northern Nicaragua as a Category 4 storm, with life-threatening flood from rainfall predicted for much of Central America, according to a report from Weather Underground. Eta’s eye...
Hurricane Zeta Insured Loss Estimates Range from $1.5B to More than $4B
Nov 3 2020 // Insured losses from Hurricane Zeta — the fifth named storm to make landfall in Louisiana and the third hurricane to hit the state in the span of two months — will likely come in somewhere between $1.5 billion and $4.4...
Zeta Leaves Its Mark on Southeast States
Nov 2 2020 // Millions of people were without power and at least six were dead Thursday after Hurricane Zeta slammed into Louisiana and made a beeline across the South, leaving shattered buildings, thousands of downed trees and fresh...
Landslide from Tropical Storm Zeta Causes 90-Mile Detour in North Carolina
Nov 2 2020 // A landslide caused by Tropical Storm Zeta has blocked a North Carolina road, severing access between mountain counties and forcing motorists to take a 90-mile detour, officials said Friday. McDowell County Emergency...
Zeta’s Impact on Louisiana Island: ‘Like a Bomb Was Dropped’
Nov 2 2020 // Mark Andollina remembers stinging rain and a howling wind that peeled the roof off part of his Cajun Tide Beach Resort on Grand Isle, the Louisiana barrier island town where residents were among the first to feel the...
Update: Insurance Price Tag from Hurricane Zeta Estimated at $4.3B in U.S.
Nov 2 2020 // Insurers are bracing for a hit of about $4.3 billion from Hurricane Zeta in the United States, catastrophe modeling company Karen Clark & Co (KCC) said on Monday. At least six people were killed in the southeast of the...
