Latest Catastrophe Headlines

All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Verisk to Provide Aerial Imagery of Major Catastrophes through Geomni

Oct 1 2018 // Verisk is now offering customers free access to Geomni’s high-resolution aerial imagery following major loss events. Geomni is a Verisk business. Geomni will provide online access to before-and-after imagery of...

Texas Coastal Lawmakers Urge Denial of Windstorm Insurer’s 10% Rate Increase Request

Oct 1 2018 // More than 20 state legislators have signed a letter addressed to Texas Insurance Commissioner Kent Sullivan requesting that a 10 percent rate increase filed by the state’s property insurer of last resort for wind and...

Florence Impact on Insurers Tempered by Mostly Uninsured Flood Losses

Oct 1 2018 // Insurance industry losses from Hurricane Florence, which hit the Carolinas mid-September as a Category 1 storm, will be manageable and not have a severe impact on insurers, according to experts. As the storm turned out to...

South Carolina Issues Emergency Order to Insurers, Updates Hurricane Florence Data Call

Oct 1 2018 // The South Carolina Department of Insurance has issued two Hurricane Florence-related notices to all property and casualty insurers doing business in the state. SCDOI Director Ray Farmer issued an emergency regulation Sept....

Costs to Fight Wildfires in Utah Double This Year

Oct 1 2018 // Costs to fight wildfires in Utah are increasing by about $1 million a day right now and authorities expect the season to last throughout October. State Forester Brian Cottam says on average, there are roughly 1,100 fire...

Death Toll from Indonesia’s 7.5 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami May Reach Thousands

Sep 30 2018 // The death toll from a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi climbed to more than 800, with casualties expected to reach into the thousands as authorities try to reach those...

Typhoon Trami Hammers Japan; Flights and Trains Canceled in Tokyo

Sep 30 2018 // Typhoon Trami is bringing Tokyo to a halt. East Japan Railway Co. suspended all train service in the Japanese capital on Sunday in preparation for the storm, which is hammering the southwest of the country. Flights were...

Dozens of Structures Damaged in Post-Hurricane Florence Storm in Virginia

Sep 27 2018 // Officials say more than 70 buildings have been damaged or destroyed during a storm that spawned at least 10 tornadoes in Virginia from the remnants of Hurricane Florence. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports Chesterfield...

Aon Policy Provides Financial Support to Terrorist Victims

Sep 27 2018 // Aon has collaborated with Pembroke Managing Agency at Lloyd’s to develop Public Protection Policy (PPP), which helps businesses provide financial support to individuals affected by a terrorist attack on a...

Post-Disaster Readiness: The Psychology of Downed Trees

Sep 26 2018 // We are grateful for friend of the Academy, Christopher J. Boggs, CPCU, ARM, ALCM, LPCS, AAI, APA, CWCA, CRIS, AINS, Executive Director, Big “I” Virtual University who provided this very personal post. Thanks,...

Insured Losses from China’s Typhoon Mangkhut Estimated at US$1B-US$2B: AIR

Sep 26 2018 // Industry insured losses from Typhoon Mangkhut in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau will be between US$1 billion and US$2 billion, according to catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide. After making landfall in the...

Florence Impact on Insurers Tempered by Mostly Uninsured Flood Losses

Sep 25 2018 // This enhanced satellite image made available by NOAA shows Hurricane Florence off the eastern coast of the United States on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 at 5:52 p.m. EDT. (NOAA via AP) Insurance industry losses from Hurricane...

Carolinas Still Facing Major Flooding More Than a Week After Florence

Sep 24 2018 // Major flooding remains in eastern North Carolina more than a week after Hurricane Florence made landfall. Gov. Roy Cooper said Saturday that nine of the state’s river gauges are at major flood stage and four others...

High Winds, Tornadoes Damage Homes, Businesses in Southern Minnesota

Sep 24 2018 // Several tornadoes struck southern Minnesota as severe storms packing powerful winds and heavy rain left a trail of destruction overnight, the National Weather Service said Friday. The extreme weather late Thursday damaged...

Costs to Fight Wildfires in Utah Double This Year

Sep 24 2018 // Costs to fight wildfires in Utah are increasing by about $1 million a day right now and authorities expect the season to last throughout October. State Forester Brian Cottam says on average, there are roughly 1,100 fire...

California Passes Handful Bills Aimed at Protecting Wildfire Survivors

Sep 21 2018 // Five bills that their proponents say will protect wildfire survivors were signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday. The bills are aimed at addressing critical issues facing wildfire survivors including...

California Governor Signs Bill Giving Wildfire Victims Options for Rebuilding

Sep 21 2018 // Homeowners who lose their houses to wildfire will be able to use their insurance to rebuild somewhere else under an urgency bill signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday. Assembly Bill 1800, authored by by...

Following July Tornado, 60 Iowa Buildings Deemed Unsafe

Sep 21 2018 // Officials in central Iowa have designated about 60 structures as unsafe following a July tornado that damaged about 2,000 buildings. The Times-Republican reports that the properties in Marshalltown now have small red...

Remnants of Florence Spawned Six Tornadoes in Virginia

Sep 21 2018 // The National Weather Service has confirmed that the remnants of Hurricane Florence spawned a total of six tornadoes in Virginia earlier this week. Five of the tornadoes on Monday were spread across the Richmond metro area....

Allstate Reports $186 Million in Hail, Other Catastrophe Losses in August

Sep 21 2018 // The Allstate Corporation said estimated catastrophe losses for the month of August were $186 million, pre-tax ($147 million after-tax). Catastrophe losses occurring in August comprised 16 events at an estimated cost of...