Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
This Just In: Early Forecasts for 2018 Hurricane Season
Apr 6 2018 // An early forecast for the 2018 hurricane season calls for a slightly above-average season with 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes. Dr. Philip Klotzbach of Colorado State University (CSU), a...
FEMA to Issue First Catastrophe Bond for Flood Insurance Program
Apr 5 2018 // In another step shifting risk to private markets, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said it intends to secure additional reinsurance for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through issuance of a...
Hurricanes Have Minor Effect as April Reinsurance Prices Stay Flat but Demand Grows
Apr 4 2018 // Reinsurance buyers were able to renew loss-free programs at broadly flat pricing levels during the April 1 renewals – continuing the trend seen at the January renewals, according to a Willis Re report. Pricing was...
Chubb $380M Q1 Cat Loss Estimate Includes California Wildfires, East Coast Storms
Apr 4 2018 // Chubb Limited released preliminary net loss estimates for the first quarter of 2018 attributable to natural catastrophes, including the California mudslides, of $380 million pre-tax, or $305 million after tax. Losses from...
Weather Service: Recent Storms in Mississippi Spawned 4 Tornadoes
Apr 4 2018 // The National Weather Service confirms three more tornadoes hit Mississippi last week. No one was injured in the twisters, which mainly caused tree damage on Wednesday. The longest was in Choctaw County, striking near...
Report: Orange County Agency Delayed Response to Destructive Wildfire
Apr 2 2018 // A Southern California fire agency is overhauling its procedures after a report found that missteps delayed response to a wildfire last fall that burned 15 homes. The Orange County Fire Authority announced on March 30 that...
National Hurricane Center Updates Hurricane Irma Death Toll
Apr 2 2018 // The death toll from Hurricane Irma’s catastrophic rampage across the Caribbean and the southeastern U.S. has risen to 44 fatalities directly caused by its strong winds and heavy rains, plus 85 fatalities indirectly...
P/C Insurers Record $23.5B in Underwriting Loss in 2017
Apr 2 2018 // The U.S. property/casualty industry recorded a net underwriting loss of $23.5 billion for year-end 2017, according to preliminary results from A.M. Best. That was $18 billion bigger than the underwriting loss in 2016. The...
Non-Catastrophe Losses, Natural Disasters Take Toll on Lloyd’s Market in 2017
Apr 2 2018 // The Lloyd’s market’s pre-tax loss of £2 billion (US$2.8 billion) in 2017 was partly due to hurricanes and wildfires in the third and fourth quarters. But these losses were exacerbated by the continued...
Some Tornado Victims in Pennsylvania Struggle with Uninhabitable Homes
Mar 29 2018 // God put Brian Cross’s home in a bubble. That’s his explanation for why the tornado that blasted through Uniontown and North Union Township, Penn., last month didn’t inflict as much damage on his Millview...
Wildfires Cost Montana $240M In Visitor Spending, New Research Shows
Mar 28 2018 // University of Montana researchers say the 2017 fire season likely cost Montana about $240 million in visitor spending. The Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research said Tuesday that 12.5 million out-of-staters visited...
National Hurricane Center Gets New Leader
Mar 27 2018 // A meteorologist who aided emergency response efforts along the Gulf Coast after the 2010 oil spill has been tapped to lead the U.S. government’s hurricane forecasting hub in Miami. The National Oceanic and...
Toxic Impact of Hurricane Harvey Deeper than Public Told
Mar 26 2018 // A toxic onslaught from the nation’s petrochemical hub was largely overshadowed by the record-shattering deluge of Hurricane Harvey as residents and first responders struggled to save lives and property. More than a...
California Chief Justice Expects an Influx of Wildfire Claims
Mar 23 2018 // California courts are preparing for an influx of lawsuits tied to last year’s historically destructive wildfires and mudslides, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye told lawmakers this week in her annual “state of...
Attritional Losses Take Their Toll at Lloyd’s, Along with 2017’s Natural Catastrophes
Mar 23 2018 // The Lloyd’s market’s pre-tax loss of £2 billion (US$2.8 billion) in 2017 was partly due to hurricanes and wildfires in the third and fourth quarters. But these losses were exacerbated by the continued...
Weather Service: At Least 9 Tornado Tracks Found in Alabama
Mar 23 2018 // The National Weather Service says there’s evidence that multiple tornadoes struck Alabama earlier this week, and it’s still counting. The weather service says survey teams have found tracks showing nine...
Pool Re to Extend Terrorism Cover to Include Non-Damage Business Interruption
Mar 22 2018 // Pool Re welcomed the UK government’s commitment to amend the 1993 Reinsurance (Acts of Terrorism) Act to enable it to extend its cover to include non-damage business interruption losses resulting from acts of...
Severe Storms Spawn Tornadoes, Damage Homes in Southeast
Mar 21 2018 // Severe storms that spawned tornadoes damaged homes and downed trees as they moved across the Southeast on Monday night. Forecasters warned that the storms could threaten more than 29 million people, raising the risk of...
How Bad Was P/C Insurers’ Underwriting Loss in 2017?
Mar 20 2018 // The U.S. property/casualty industry recorded a net underwriting loss of $23.5 billion for year-end 2017, according to preliminary results from A.M. Best. That was $18 billion bigger than the underwriting loss in 2016. The...
Wildfires in Southeast Australia Destroy More Than 70 Homes, Kill Livestock
Mar 19 2018 // More than 70 homes were destroyed as bushfires swept through the seaside town of Tathra in southeastern Australia at the weekend. Soaring temperatures and wind gusts fanned the fires about 500 kilometers (310 miles) south...
