Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
4 State Senators Named to Funding Oversight Board of Texas Windstorm Insurer
Mar 9 2020 // Texas state Sen. Kelly Hancock (Richland Hills), Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (McAllen), Charles Schwertner (Georgetown) and Larry Taylor, (Friendswood) have been appointed to the Windstorm Insurance Legislative...
Declarations
Mar 9 2020 // Not High Time “This bill is not about getting high. This bill is about getting well.” — Dr. Alan Shackelford, a Colorado doctor who described the success of using medical marijuana on people with seizures...
TWIA Sets Funding for Catastrophe Year 2020 at $2.4B
Mar 9 2020 // The wind and hail insurance carrier of last resort for counties along the Texas coast has determined that its 1-in-100 probable maximum loss (1:100 PML) for the 2020 catastrophe year is $4.2 billion. At a quarterly meeting...
California FAIR Plan Can Offer Only Fire Insurance, Judge Says
Mar 9 2020 // A fund that offers only fire insurance to California residents in wildfire-prone areas can’t be required to provide coverage for other hazards such as flooding or theft, a judge ruled in late February. Superior Court...
California Public Utilities Commission Fines PG&E $2.1B over Wildfires
Mar 9 2020 // The California Public Utilities Commission issued an administrative law judge decision imposing $2.137 billion in penalties against Pacific Gas and Electric Company for the utility’s role in the catastrophic 2017 and...
Amid Tennessee Tornado Devastation, Surviving Homes Become Beacons of Hope
Mar 6 2020 // Moments after a tornado tore through his quiet Tennessee neighborhood, Darrell Jennings walked out his front door and heard screaming. The house next door – and many others – had been leveled to its...
Tennessee Sets Up Mobile Units for Tornado Victims Without ID
Mar 6 2020 // Two mobile units have been deployed to help residents who lost state driver’s licenses or photo identification in severe storms that ravaged Tennessee counties this week. Tennessee’s Department of Safety and...
A&M Study: Texas’ Future Depends on Climate Preparedness
Mar 6 2020 // Texans should expect warmer weather, more wildfires and urban flooding, and increased impact from hurricanes through 2036 thanks to climate change, according to a new study from the Office of the Texas State Climatologist...
Death Toll from Tennessee Tornadoes Climbs to At Least 24
Mar 5 2020 // Rescuers searched through shattered Tennessee neighborhoods for bodies Tuesday, less than a day after tornadoes ripped across Nashville and other parts of the state as families slept. At least 24 people were killed, some...
USDA Adds New Hurricane Insurance Endorsement for 2020 Crop Year
Mar 5 2020 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) has implemented a new crop insurance endorsement, Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI), the agency announced. HIP-WI covers a...
Report Shows Underestimated Weather Led to Colorado Wildfire
Mar 5 2020 // A controlled burn that became a wildfire in Colorado was the result of weather conditions that were underestimated by fire personnel, state officials said. The Colorado Department of Public Safety Compliance and...
Climate Change Heightens Risk of Fierce Australia Wildfires: Study
Mar 5 2020 // Climate change is adding to the risk of fierce wildfires in Australia, according to a scientific study of this season’s blazes that razed an area the size of England and killed dozens of people and more than a...
Tennessee Left Reeling by Devastating, Destructive Tornadoes
Mar 4 2020 // Tornadoes ripped across Tennessee early Tuesday, shredding at least 40 buildings and killing 24 people. One of the twisters caused severe damage across downtown Nashville, destroying the stained glass in a historic church...
Insured Property Losses for Australia’s January Hailstorms Hit A$670M: PERILS
Mar 4 2020 // The initial insured property losses for January’s hailstorms in Australia are estimated at A$670 million (US$746.7 million), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization that provides industry-wide...
Earthquake Risk Prompts Order to Drain California Dam
Mar 4 2020 // Worried that an earthquake could collapse a big dam south of San Francisco, officials have ordered its reservoir to be completely drained by October to reduce the risk of floodwaters spilling into Silicon Valley. The...
Pool Re Completes £2.4 Billion Terrorism Retrocession Program
Mar 4 2020 // Pool Re, a leading British terrorism reinsurer, said it has completed placement of its £2.4 billion retrocession program with more than 50 international reinsurers, led by Munich Re. Hannover Re also provided a...
Tennessee Governor Declares State of Emergency After Multiple Tornadoes
Mar 3 2020 // Damage to areas of Nashville from severe tornadoes that hit the area March 2 and March 3, 2020 is captured by resident Adam Holdren. Reprinted with permission. Severe weather and tornadoes have impacted several counties in...
M5.8 Earthquake Strikes Near Western Alaska
Mar 3 2020 // A magnitude 5.8 earthquake near Adak, the westernmost municipality in the United States, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The earthquake struck 12:37 p.m. on Sunday at a spot 144.9 miles west of Adak, a town of about...
Three Florida Men Plead Guilty to Scamming Homeowners After Hurricane Michael
Mar 2 2020 // Three men have pleaded guilty to scamming Florida Panhandle homeowners out of about $319,000 by promising to repair hurricane damage and never doing the work. Edward Newton, Christoper Mayes and Christian Pantazonis each...
USDA’s Wildfire Indemnity Program Offers Possible Drought Assistance for California Farmers
Feb 28 2020 // U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced additional disaster assistance available to agricultural producers, including producers impacted by drought and excess moisture as well as sugar beet growers. California...
