Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Global Insured Catastrophe Losses Decline to $20 Billion in H1: Swiss Re
Aug 16 2018 // Global insured losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters during the first half of 2018 were US$20 billion, down from US$30 billion in H1 2017, according to Swiss Re Institute’s latest sigma study. On...
2018 Wildfire Season Outpacing 2017
Aug 15 2018 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Examining the Risk in French Gulch and Redding Less than a year ago, California was ablaze with some of the most catastrophic fires the United States has seen. Over 10...
Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation Creates California Wildfire Disaster Relief Fund
Aug 15 2018 // The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), a nonprofit organization that unites the insurance industry in helping communities and enriching lives through grants, volunteer service and leadership, has announced...
Extraordinary Re’s Extraordinary Idea for Trading Insurance Risks Like Stocks
Aug 15 2018 // Imagine there’s a way for institutional investors to trade insurance risks much like they trade stocks. Well, imagine no more. A new and unique reinsurer, Extraordinary Re, has hit upon the novel idea of creating a...
To Date, Wildfires Are Burning 3 Times More of California Than in 2017
Aug 14 2018 // California’s wildfires are now burning through land at a pace more than three times faster than last year’s blazes. About 4,200 fires have charred 726,000 acres (294,000 hectares) in the state so far this year,...
Mag 6.4 Earthquake Hits Alaska’s North Slope Region
Aug 14 2018 // Alaska’s North Slope was hit Sunday by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the region, the state’s seismologist said. At 6:58 a.m. Sunday, the magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck an area 42 miles (67...
Poll: Most Floridians Say They’re Prepared for Hurricanes, But Not Covered for Flood
Aug 14 2018 // Last year’s intense hurricane season has motivated most Florida residents to prepare for hurricanes that could hit the state this year, according to a recent survey by the Property Casualty Insurers Association of...
Hawaii’s Big Island to Seek $550M for Volcano Disaster Recovery
Aug 13 2018 // Big Island Mayor Harry Kim is planning to ask the Hawaii Legislature for $550 million for disaster recovery following the effects of the Kilauea volcano eruption. Kim said he discussed a conceptual plan with Gov. David Ige...
Liberty Mutual’s Q2 Profit Jumps on Life Unit Sale, Lower Catastrophe Costs
Aug 12 2018 // The sale of a life insurance unit and an easing of catastrophe costs boosted Liberty Mutual Holding Co.’s net income for the second quarter to $981 million, well above the $126 million it saw in the same quarter last...
Church Mutual, Church & Casualty Pilot Wildfire Loss Prevention Program in California
Aug 10 2018 // Church Mutual Insurance Company and Church & Casualty Insurance Agency have launched CM Wildfire Solutions, a no-cost, multifaceted program to keep customers and their property safe from the devastation of...
Massachusetts Town Condemns More Buildings After Tornado
Aug 10 2018 // Two more buildings damaged when a tornado tore through a Massachusetts town last weekend have been condemned. The Telegram & Gazette reports that two buildings in Webster were demolished Saturday soon after the storm...
July’s Droughts, Wildfires, Floods Caused Billions in Global Economic Losses: Aon
Aug 10 2018 // Many countries across the globe saw worsening in drought-related and wildfire conditions during July, which have led to hundreds of deaths and created a significant financial impact – particularly in the agriculture,...
3rd Major Earthquake Hits Indonesian Island of Lombok; Deaths Top 300
Aug 10 2018 // The Indonesian island of Lombok was shaken by a third big earthquake in little more than a week Thursday as the official death toll from the most powerful of the quakes topped 300. The strong aftershock, measured at...
NOAA : Fewer Atlantic Storms Now Expected for Rest of Hurricane Season
Aug 10 2018 // Conditions in the ocean and the atmosphere are producing a less active Atlantic hurricane season than initially predicted in May. Forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said the likelihood of a...
Cost of Fighting Wildfires in Oregon Far Ahead of Last Year’s Pace
Aug 10 2018 // The estimated cost of fighting Oregon wildfires this summer stands at more than $180 million. That’s $30 million more than at the same time last year. The Mail Tribune reported that 75 percent of those dollars have...
Trump Team Blames California Wildfires on Environmentalists, Sparking Backlash
Aug 9 2018 // Scientists say California’s record wildfires have been fed by an abnormally hot and dry fire season made worse by climate change, but the Trump administration insists there’s another culprit: environmentalists...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association: Rates Inadequate by More Than 30%
Aug 9 2018 // While the board of the directors of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association voted at its recent quarterly meeting to raise rates for residential and commercial properties by 10 percent next year, the group acknowledges a...
Typhoon Shanshan Moves Past Tokyo, Averting Major Disruption
Aug 9 2018 // Typhoon Shanshan spared most parts of Tokyo and is expected to head northward along Japan’s eastern coast, averting major disruption for commuters in and around the capital. The slow-moving storm was located 60...
Texas Governor Renews Hurricane Harvey Disaster Declaration
Aug 8 2018 // Texas Governor Greg Abbott has extended the disaster declaration for 60 counties impacted by Hurricane Harvey last year. Abbott first issued a disaster declaration on Aug. 23, 2017, for Aransas, Austin, Bee, Brazoria,...
IBHS Study Chronicles Hurricane Harvey Wind Damage, Provides Takeaways
Aug 8 2018 // Hurricane Harvey will be remembered as an epic flooding disaster – and rightly so. But there is more to the story of this brutal hurricane which struck in late August 2017, according to the Insurance Institute for...
