Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Officials Confirm Earthquake Caused Minor Damage in Nevada
Mar 23 2020 // A 4.5 magnitude earthquake that struck near Carson City, Nev., on Friday night caused minor damages across the city, authorities confirmed. Some damage to items on shelves inside stores was reported and one building shut...
FEMA Tackles COVID-19 While Also Facing Past Disasters, Spring Flood Season
Mar 23 2020 // It wasn’t until Wednesday, five days after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, that the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it was “leading the federal coordination” to the...
California Legislative Recess Leaves Wildfire Plan in Limbo
Mar 22 2020 // Californians statewide are huddled at home under a “shelter-in-place” order handed down March 20 by Gov. Gavin Newsom to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Unfortunately, nature does not take a break for...
Unconfirmed Tornado in North Texas Damages Roofs, Outbuildings
Mar 20 2020 // At least one unconfirmed tornado tore through part of rural North Texas on Wednesday night, damaging numerous roofs and outbuildings, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Storm spotters reported...
M5.7 Earthquake in Utah Confirmed
Mar 20 2020 // With much of normal life at a screeching halt to combat the coronavirus, millions of people in Utah are hunkered down in the safety of their homes. But on Wednesday morning, even that protection felt fragile as an...
Report: Climate Change Requires a ‘Rethink’ of How Catastrophic Events are Funded
Mar 19 2020 // Severe weather events and demographic challenges will continue to strain government finances, a trend that will require “a rethink of how catastrophic events are funded” and push the need for greater use of...
Florida Woman Pleads Guilty to Hurricane Disaster Assistance Fraud
Mar 19 2020 // A Florida woman has pleaded guilty to lying about damage caused by Hurricane Irma. Bernita Willette Carswell, 36, pleaded guilty in Jacksonville federal court last week to one count of disaster assistance fraud, according...
Colorado Man And His Insurer to Pay $500K Over 2017 Wildfire
Mar 19 2020 // A Colorado man and his insurance company paid $500,000 to the U.S. government over a wildfire that burned federal land in the state. Dale Owns and Grange Insurance Association made the payment to resolve liability for the...
Tennessee Regulator Places Moratorium on Policy Cancellation of Tornado Victims
Mar 18 2020 // The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) has issued a directive to all licensed Tennessee insurance carriers that cancellations/non-renewals for non-payment of insurance premiums on all lines are to be...
Difficult Choices Ahead for Historic Buildings in Tennessee Ravaged by Tornadoes
Mar 17 2020 // Property owners affected by the tornadoes earlier this month now face two options: rebuild or bulldoze. The storms damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses throughout Middle Tennessee. And historic buildings...
Tornado Death Toll Rises to 25 in Tennessee
Mar 16 2020 // The death toll from storms that unleashed powerful tornadoes in Tennessee early this month has risen to 25, authorities said Thursday as they announced that a man had died of his injuries. The death raised the number of...
PERILS to Include Australian Motor in Industry Catastrophe Exposure Update
Mar 16 2020 // PERILS, the independent Zurich-based company that provides industry-wide catastrophe insurance data, announced it will extend its line of business reporting to include Australian motor for personal and commercial...
FEMA Opens Intake Center in Nashville for Tornado Victims
Mar 12 2020 // As residents continued to dig out from a series of deadly tornadoes that hit Tennessee last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it was opening an intake center in Nashville on Tuesday. The center is...
U.S. Cybersecurity Report Calls for Major Government Role in Cyber Insurance
Mar 11 2020 // A major government report on cybersecurity that warns the nation is seriously underprepared for cyber attacks calls for the creation of a federally-funded center to develop cybersecurity insurance certifications and a...
PG&E Has Settled One Battle Involving California Wildfire Fund
Mar 11 2020 // Pacific Gas & Electric told a federal bankruptcy judge that it has settled a dispute with disaster-relief agencies that threatened to siphon money away from a $13.5 billion fund earmarked for victims of catastrophic...
Large Earthquake off Coast of Northern California Confirmed
Mar 10 2020 // A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck a spot off the coast of Northern California on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The earthquake hit at 6:59 p.m. and was centered in a spot 55.5 miles west of Ferndale, a town...
Program: 10K-Plus Homes in California Retrofitted to Reduce Earthquake Damage
Mar 9 2020 // The California Earthquake Authority’s Earthquake Brace + Bolt program has reached the milestone of aiding more than 10,000 California homeowners to seismically retrofit their homes. The EBB grant program provides...
Tornado Warning System Worked for Tennessee Twisters, But Effectiveness Unknown
Mar 9 2020 // Sirens screamed. Emergency weather alerts buzzed cellphones. News crews pleaded with people to seek cover. In the aftermath of the massive tornadoes that ripped through Tennessee early Tuesday morning, emergency officials...
Weather Service: At Least 6 Tornadoes Hit Tennessee During Severe Storms
Mar 9 2020 // At least six tornadoes hit middle Tennessee during a series of storms last week that killed 24 people and caused massive damage, the National Weather Service in Nashville confirmed Friday. The strongest tornado overnight...
Small Earthquake Confirmed in Southcentral Alaska
Mar 9 2020 // Residents of Homer, Anchorage and Eagle River reported feeling a small earthquake that hit south-central Alaska Saturday. The Alaska Earthquake Center confirmed a magnitude 3.6 earthquake hit at 7:15 a.m. in the Cook Inlet...
