Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Typhoon Haima Batters Philippines; Weakened Storm Heads to China
Oct 20 2016 // More than 90,000 people were evacuated after Typhoon Haima left vast areas of the Philippines flooded and without electricity as the strongest storm to hit the nation this year heads toward China. Haima, a Category 5 super...
Florida Hurricane Fund Still Strong Despite Storms
Oct 20 2016 // Florida’s streak of dodging hurricanes is over, but the state-created fund that helps private insurers pay out claims after a storm remains in strong financial shape. Anne Bert, the chief operating officer of the...
Minor Flooding Follows Downpour in Nevada Wildfire Area
Oct 19 2016 // Fears of flooding are dissipating after rainfall helped quell a wind-whipped wildfire in Northern Nevada that destroyed 22 homes and 17 other structures in the Washoe Valley north of Carson City. Sierra Front Fire...
Philippines Readies for Super Typhoon Haima – in 2nd Storm in a Week
Oct 19 2016 // The Philippines raised the storm alert for two northern provinces to its highest level as authorities moved people to safer ground, canceled work and suspended flights before Super Typhoon Haima is due to make landfall as...
Volunteers in Oregon Gather to Assess Damage from Tornado on Coast
Oct 18 2016 // Volunteers who worked to keep residents safe when a tornado ripped through a coastal Oregon town are now assessing the damage. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that no one was hurt or killed by the tornado that ripped...
Parts of Virginia Beach Face Long Recovery from Hurricane Matthew
Oct 18 2016 // For some neighborhoods in Virginia Beach, the long recovery from flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew is just beginning. On Saturday, emergency management crews and other officials toured several communities where homes...
Slow Pace of Insurance Payouts, Rebuilding Angers Alberta Wildfire Victims
Oct 18 2016 // Some five months after the wildfires that devastated Fort McMurray were extinguished, anger over red tape and the slow pace of insurance payouts and permit issuance is flaring in the remote northern Canadian city. More...
A.M. Best: Damage From Hurricane Matthew Won’t Affect Most Insurer Ratings
Oct 18 2016 // A.M. Best does not anticipate a significant number of rating actions related to Hurricane Matthew, as most rated insurance carriers have sufficient capital and appropriate reinsurance programs in place to effectively...
Earthquake Policy Sales up, and May Continue to Rise Following ShakeOut
Oct 17 2016 // Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv It’s still a few days until the annual Great ShakeOut earthquake drills during which people in homes, schools, and organizations practice what to do during earthquakes – the events...
North Carolina Estimates $1.5B in Hurricane Damage to Buildings
Oct 17 2016 // North Carolina emergency officials have estimated that the destructive and deadly Hurricane Matthew caused $1.5 billion worth of damage to more than 100,000 homes, businesses and government buildings in the state. The...
Study: Kansas’ Largest Earthquake Likely Caused by Wastewater Injection
Oct 17 2016 // The largest recorded earthquake in Kansas history was likely the result of wastewater injected into the ground by one or two nearby wells, according to a new study from the U.S. Geological Survey found. The 4.9 magnitude...
Weather Service: Tornado, Rain Walloped Pacific Northwest
Oct 17 2016 // A tornado struck an Oregon beach town, sending debris flying and toppling power lines and trees as strong winds and heavy rain walloped the Pacific Northwest over the weekend, according to the National Weather...
Virginia Police Urge Caution When Making Post Hurricane Matthew Repairs
Oct 17 2016 // Virginia State Police are urging residents to be cautious as they repair their homes and vehicles that suffered damage during Hurricane Matthew. Officials with the State Police Insurance Fraud say residents should check...
Typhoon Sarika Hits Philippines, Killing at Least 2 People, Displacing Thousands
Oct 17 2016 // Typhoon Sarika made landfall in eastern Philippines on Sunday after leaving at least two people dead a day earlier, thousands of villagers displaced and hundreds of planes grounded. Locally named Karen, the typhoon...
Floods from Matthew in Eastern North Carolina Called ‘Worse than Floyd’
Oct 17 2016 // Standing on the banks of the Neuse River this week, watching water creep ever-closer to the bottom of the King Street Bridge, crowds of people continually compared what was happening to what Hurricane Floyd wrought here 17...
Take1 Insurance Launches Terrorism, Crisis Coverage for Special Events
Oct 17 2016 // Take1 Insurance has introduced Take1 Combined Crisis Cover insurance protection for the live and special event industry. The coverage provides immediate coverage of up to $1 million annually in the event of, or threat of,...
Hurricane Matthew Devastates Georgia Pecan, Cotton Crops
Oct 17 2016 // Georgia’s top agriculture official says Hurricane Matthew hit the state’s pecan and cotton farmers hard. Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black says he toured farms in three counties this week following...
FEMA Questions Mississippi City’s Spending of 2014 Tornado Recovery Grant
Oct 17 2016 // A division of the federal government says the city of Louisville, Miss., should repay a $25.4 million grant awarded for recovery from a 2014 tornado. However, state Auditor Stacey Pickering said he is working with federal...
Wildfires Threaten Alabama; Governor Signs No Burn Order
Oct 14 2016 // Gov. Robert Bentley on Wednesday signed an order banning outside fires across most of Alabama because dry conditions have led to fast-spreading wildfires. The governor signed the drought emergency declaration, putting 46...
Hurricane Matthew May Be Gone, But Insurance Industry’s Work is Just Starting
Oct 14 2016 // It’s been nearly a week since Hurricane Matthew ravaged the Southeast coast but the insurance industry’s job of responding to the devastation and assessing the total cost of damage from the storm is just...
