Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Record 2 Million Acres Burned in California Wildfires
Sep 9 2020 // Wildfires have burned a record 2 million acres in California this year, and the danger for more destruction is so high the U.S. Forest Service announced Monday it was closing all eight national forests in the southern half...
Social Inflation, Low Interest Rates, Rising Catastrophes: Recipe for a Hard Market
Sep 9 2020 // Even before the coronavirus crisis hit, the re/insurance industry was in a period of significant rate hardening, which will likely continue over the next two years, or even longer, according to Munich Re. Such price...
3.8M Earthquake Rattles Residents on Alabama-Florida State Line
Sep 8 2020 // No damage was reported after a weak earthquake occurred along the Alabama-Florida line Thursday morning. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that a magnitude 3.8 quake happened just after 10 a.m. north of Mount Carmel,...
The Rising Risk of Inland Flooding
Sep 7 2020 // Not Only in FEMA Zones, Not Only During Hurricane Season Major companies across the U.S. are increasingly recognizing the risk for inland flooding and with good reason. As recent hurricanes like Harvey and Florence made...
Texas Windstorm Insurer: No Rate Change for Now
Sep 7 2020 // The board of directors of Texas’ property insurer last resort for wind and hail in the state’s coastal counties voted in August to file a 0% rate change with the Texas Department of Insurance The Texas...
FAIA Chief Grady Says Goodbye, Shares Top Moments in 22-Year Career
Sep 7 2020 // Jeff Grady For 22 years, the Florida Association of Insurance Agents has been led by Jeff Grady, president and chief executive officer, who admits that when he started all those years ago he did not expect to “fall...
Insurers, Covid-Hit Businesses May Be at Odds Over Interruption Claims for Disasters
Sep 4 2020 // As insurers brace for an expensive natural-disaster season because of storms and wildfires ravaging parts of the United States, the novel coronavirus is giving them an odd financial break. Many companies that were damaged...
California Wants Insurers to Reimburse Costs for Those Displaced by Wildfires
Sep 3 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a notice to all California property/casualty insurance companies urging them to cover additional living expenses for policyholders who remain under mandatory evacuation...
11K People Seek State Shelter in Louisiana After Hurricane Laura
Sep 3 2020 // Growing numbers of Louisiana residents are turning to the state to find a place to stay after Hurricane Laura ravaged the state’s southwestern region, wrecking homes, ripping away roofs and leaving hundreds of...
Simulations Depict Tsunami Impact on Washington Coastal Communities
Sep 3 2020 // State authorities have released new simulations that show how a powerful tsunami could overwhelm Washington state’s coastal and shoreline communities. The Department of Natural Resources says there are some locations...
California Wildfire Bills Expire as Legislature Recesses, But One Bill Expected to Return
Sep 2 2020 // Several major wildfire bills were left on the table when the California Legislature ended its session earlier this week, but one bill is expected to make a comeback in some form. Assembly Bill 2167, authored by Assemblyman...
Mississippi City Hit by April Tornado Awaiting Repayment for $1.45M Cleanup Costs
Sep 2 2020 // A southwest Mississippi city has paid $1.45 million to clean up from an April 23 tornado and now awaits reimbursement from federal and state disaster agency. The Enterprise-Journal reports McComb made its final payment to...
Colorado Forest Service Launches County-by-County Wildfire Risk Index
Sep 1 2020 // The Colorado State Forest Service has launched a wildland-urban interface risk index. The county-by-county index uses housing density combined with modeled fire behavior to determine where the greatest potential impact to...
North Carolina Homeowners, Businesses Hit by Earthquake Eligible for SBA Loans
Sep 1 2020 // The federal government will begin offering low-interest loans to homeowners and small business owners who were impacted by North Carolina’s earthquake. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the U.S. Small Business...
Key Air Monitors Offline After Laura Hits Louisiana Energy Hub
Sep 1 2020 // Hazardous emissions from a chlorine plant fire, abruptly shuttered oil and gas refineries and still-to-be assessed plant damage are seeping into the air after Hurricane Laura, regulators say, but some key state and federal...
USGS Reports 3.7 Mag Earthquake Struck Northeast Arkansas
Sep 1 2020 // An earthquake rated with a preliminary magnitude of 3.7 struck near Marked Tree in northeastern Arkansas, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake struck just after 9:30 p.m. Saturday near Marked Tree, about 120...
Firefighter Killed at Scene of California Wildfire
Sep 1 2020 // A firefighter was killed and another injured Monday battling a wildfire in the Northern California forest, authorities said. The firefighter was killed in Mendocino National Forest north of San Francisco, where a wildfire...
Why Some Organizations Are Managing Coronavirus Risk Better Than Others
Sep 1 2020 // While few, if any, organizations saw the coronavirus pandemic and all of its death and disruption coming, some were better positioned to deal with it than others. According to risk expert Jim Wetekamp, some organizations...
Florida Borrows $2.25B for Hurricane Fund While Rates Are Low
Sep 1 2020 // With hurricane season barreling down on Florida, the state is seizing on low interest rates to borrow $2.25 billion for its catastrophe insurance fund. The State Board of Administration Finance Corp. is joining state and...
Cat Risk Modelers Air Worldwide, KCC Release Laura Insured Loss Estimates
Aug 31 2020 // Estimates for insured property losses associated with Hurricane Laura by catastrophe risk modeling firms Air Worldwide and Karen Clark and Co. (KCC) are similar — both fall into the $8 billion range — but they are not...
