Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
A Look at PG&E’s Rapid Fall After California Wildfires
Jan 30 2019 // On an unusually warm day in northern California, hot and dry winds whipped through the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of San Francisco. It was Thursday, Nov. 8, and a “red-flag warning” from the National...
Expert Ponders California Wildfire Commission, Other Solutions to State’s Severe Seasons
Jan 29 2019 // Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv Establishing a California Wildfire Commission is just one idea an expert is tossing out to help the state deal with worsening fire seasons. James Woods was formerly co-leader of Mayer...
PG&E in California Files for Bankruptcy in Wake of Wildfire Liabilities
Jan 29 2019 // Power provider PG&E Corp. filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, succumbing to liabilities stemming from wildfires in Northern California in 2017 and 2018. The owner of the biggest U.S. power...
Insured Losses from Last Year’s California Wildfires up to $11.4B
Jan 28 2019 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Monday announced that more than $11.4 billion in insured losses have been reported from the November 2018 fires. That is a 25 percent increase, or more than $2.3 billion,...
PG&E Cleared of Liability in 2017 California Wildfire, Bankruptcy Still Seen
Jan 28 2019 // California fire investigators last week concluded that a major 2017 wildfire was caused by privately owned electrical equipment, prompting the state’s new governor to estimate that PG&E Corp’s potential...
Assessing Effects of Government Shutdown on Wildfires, Workforce, Research
Jan 28 2019 // The government may be reopening, but the consequences of the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history are likely to linger for national parks, forests, the federal workforce and cutting-edge scientific research. Some may...
Everest Re Estimates Q4 2018 Catastrophe Losses of $695 Million
Jan 28 2019 // Everest Re Group, Ltd. expects to incur in the fourth quarter 2018 catastrophe losses of $695 million, net of reinsurance, reinstatement premiums and taxes. The catastrophe losses were related to the fourth quarter 2018...
Tornado, High Winds Damage Florida Homes, Church, Zoo
Jan 28 2019 // Authorities say a possible tornado damaged several homes and downed trees and powerlines as a line of storms crossed central Florida. News outlets report winds tore much of the roof off of the parsonage at Tuscanooga...
Trump Expands Federal Reimbursement for Florida’s Hurricane Michael Cleanup
Jan 28 2019 // Florida will get potentially hundreds of million dollars for Hurricane Michael recovery after President Donald Trump agreed to expand the number of days the federal government will reimburse state and local governments for...
‘Resilient’ Bermuda Reinsurance Market Copes with U.S. Tax Reform, Catastrophes
Jan 25 2019 // Bermuda-based (re)insurers continue to be tested by challenging market conditions, including heightened catastrophic losses and diminishing competitive advantage resulting from U.S. tax reform. However, the Bermuda market...
PG&E: Judge’s Aggressive Fire Prevention Plan Would Cost $150B
Jan 24 2019 // PG&E Corp. estimates it would cost as much as $150 billion this year alone to comply with a federal judge’s proposal to prevent wildfires. California’s largest investor-owned utility said U.S. District...
Hurricane Florence Demonstrates Perils of Being Underinsured/Uninsured, Says RMS
Jan 24 2019 // Hurricane Florence caused extensive freshwater flood damage in the Carolinas and parts of Virginia in September—and about 70 percent of those flood losses will be uninsured, according to RMS. “The insured loss for...
Private Flood Insurers Not Yet Ready to Fill Massive U.S. Protection Gap
Jan 24 2019 // The flood insurance protection gap in the United States is massive, but the take-up rate of private flood insurance continues to be low. The relative inability of private insurers to penetrate the flood insurance market...
Businesses View Cyber, Business Interruption as Bigger Risks Than Catastrophes
Jan 24 2019 // Cyber incidents join business interruption as the top risks facing global businesses, according to a survey conducted by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS). The impact of business interruption (which includes...
Insurance Industry Use of Drone, Aerial Imagery Soared After 2018 Southeast Disasters
Jan 24 2019 // The importance of drones and aerial imagery rose to a new level in the wake of 2018 natural catastrophes as insurers made them an integral part of their disaster recovery procedures, particularly following the hurricanes...
Texas Sunset Board: Legislature Needs to Decide Nature of Windstorm Insurer
Jan 23 2019 // To be the insurer of last resort for wind and hail insurance along the Texas coast, without state support and reliant on premium dollars and debt financing for funding, or to be a true insurance company that derives...
California’s Massive Wildfires Push Travelers to Seek Higher Premiums
Jan 22 2019 // California’s deadly wildfires are raising the specter of higher insurance premiums for homeowners in the state. After “two significant years in a row of losses, I think the discussion and the debate about the...
Travelers Grew Q4 Profit Despite California Wildfire, Hurricane Michael Losses
Jan 22 2019 // Travelers Cos. reported that despite catastrophe losses from the California wildfires and Hurricane Michael, it boosted its profit in the fourth quarter of 2018 thanks to growth in premiums and investment income. Net...
Insurance Covered $90B of Natural Disaster Losses in 2018, Leaving 60% Protection Gap
Jan 22 2019 // The economic costs of last year’s 394 natural catastrophe events came to US$225 billion with insurance covering US$90 billion of the overall total, creating the fourth costliest year on record of insured losses,...
Tornadoes Cause Damage in Alabama, Florida Panhandle
Jan 22 2019 // Homes, businesses, government offices and churches were among the buildings badly damaged or demolished when tornadoes struck central Alabama over the weekend. The severe weather hit Saturday and another tornado was...
