Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Apartments Damaged, Trees Downed by Spin-Up Tornado in Arkansas
Jul 5 2017 // No one was injured when a short-lived tornado swept through Jonesboro, damaging an apartment complex and downing trees and power lines in the northeast Arkansas city. The National Weather Service in Memphis, Tennessee,...
Hike in Michigan Auto Catastrophic Claim Fee Now in Effect
Jul 5 2017 // The cost of owning a car or truck in Michigan has gone up by $10. Effective July 1, the Catastrophic Claims Association will now collect $170 per registered vehicle, up from $160. The insurance fund was created to...
2016 Texas Hail Losses Exceed $5B
Jul 5 2017 // Wind and hail loss information for 2016 released recently by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) show that homeowner losses from hail in Texas were the highest annual losses ever recorded, as they exceeded $5 billion,...
Homes Near Northern Arizona Wildfire Have Evacuations Lifted
Jul 5 2017 // Homeowners in northern Arizona were given the green light to return days after being displaced by a fast-moving wildfire, while residents more than 200 miles away fled their homes after a blaze forced an evacuation of a...
Wildfire Forces Evacuations in Rural California Town
Jul 5 2017 // Crews have stopped the forward progress of a small wildfire in Central California that has triggered evacuations in a rural area north of Fresno. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the 225-acre...
Prosecutors Unable to Prove Arson Against 2 Youths in Tennessee Wildfires
Jul 5 2017 // Prosecutors have dropped arson charges against two juveniles in connection with the Tennessee wildfires that killed 14 people and tore through thousands of homes and businesses in November, a law enforcement official said...
Injuries, Property Damage Reported from Tornadoes in Iowa, Wisconsin
Jun 30 2017 // Thunderstorms that spun off tornadoes as they rumbled across Iowa injured at least two people, mowed down crops and damaged homes and farm buildings. In Wisconsin, at least one person was reported injured, as...
Arizona Residents Evacuated as Wildfires Sweep Western U.S.
Jun 30 2017 // An Arizona wildfire that forced thousands from their homes and came dangerously close to consuming a town was 43 percent contained by Thursday evening, authorities said. Roughly 1,400 evacuated residents of the community...
North Carolina Lawmakers Hammer Out Details of $100M in Hurricane Relief
Jun 30 2017 // Lawmakers are figuring out how to spend $100 million earmarked in the recently approved North Carolina budget for continued cleanup and rebuilding from Hurricane Matthew. The House approved unanimously Wednesday a measure...
California Wildfire Destroys Ranch Home of ‘Big Bang Theory’ Star
Jun 29 2017 // The home of “Big Bang Theory” star Johnny Galecki has been destroyed in a wildfire in California. Nicole Perna, a spokeswoman for the 42-year-old actor, says his home on a ranch in the San Luis Obispo area was...
Utah Blaze Now Nation’s Largest Active Wildfire
Jun 27 2017 // The nation’s largest wildfire is burning in Utah and has forced more than 1,500 people from their homes and cabins in a mountain area that’s home to a ski town. Firefighters battled high winds Monday as they...
P/C Insurers’ Net Income Fell 42.2% in Q1; Catastrophe Losses Topped $7 Billion
Jun 27 2017 // The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry saw its net income fall to $7.7 billion in first-quarter 2017 from $13.4 billion in first-quarter 2016, a 42.2 percent decline. Also, its overall profitability as measured by...
Tropical Storm Cindy Drenches Southeast
Jun 26 2017 // A police officer stands guard after a possible tornado touched down destroying several businesses, Thursday, June 22, 2017, in Fairfield, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) Floodwaters from Tropical Storm Cindy covered timberland...
After Drenching Gulf Coast, Tropical Storm Cindy Heads North, East
Jun 23 2017 // The remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy brought tornadoes and flooding to the U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday and its heavy rains will drench much of the eastern United States in coming days, forecasters said. Flooding and road...
Tropical Storm Cindy Bears Down on Gulf Coast
Jun 22 2017 // Tropical Storm Cindy churned slowly on Wednesday across the Gulf of Mexico toward an expected landing on the Texas-Louisiana border, after claiming the life of a vacationing child and threatening to bring flash floods from...
Tropical Storm Cindy Heads Toward Texas/Louisiana Border
Jun 21 2017 // The National Hurricane Center reports that a tropical storm warning is in effect from San Luis Pass Texas to the mouth of the Mississippi River as Tropical Storm Cindy moves closer to the central Gulf Coast. The storm...
Texas Study Links Pollution, Earthquakes to Oil and Gas Drilling
Jun 21 2017 // A new study by a nonprofit science organization says oil and gas drilling in Texas is linked to pollution and earthquakes. The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas study found drilling for oil and gas in...
Weight of Swollen Reservoir Blamed for Arkansas Earthquake Swarm
Jun 20 2017 // Earthquakes in northern Arkansas are being linked to the weight of extra water at a flood-swollen reservoir. Earthquake geologist David Johnston works with the Arkansas Geological Survey. He says the added weight of the...
Northwest Wyoming Hit by Earthquake Swarm
Jun 19 2017 // A swarm of earthquakes hit the northwestern part of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming last week, the U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed. The USGS says the quakes occurred in a backcountry area of Yellowstone National...
Facebook Opens Up About How It Is Removing Terrorist Content
Jun 19 2017 // Facebook Inc. on Thursday offered new insight into its efforts to remove terrorism content, a response to political pressure in Europe to militant groups using the social network for propaganda and recruiting. Facebook has...