Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Multi-Year Trend of Reduced Natural Hazard Activity Continues in 2015
Feb 1 2016 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Low-Level Hazard Activity Results in Decreased Damage and Loss Totals Looking at the big picture, 2015 was a quiet year in terms of natural hazard activity. Overall,...
Oklahoma Governor OKs $1.4M in State Funds for Earthquake Research
Jan 31 2016 // Gov. Mary Fallin approved the use of nearly $1.4 million in state emergency funds for state agencies working to reduce the increasing number of earthquakes that have been linked to the disposal of oil and gas wastewater in...
Florida Tornado Tosses Vehicle Driving on Turnpike
Jan 29 2016 // A tornado picked up a southbound vehicle on Florida’s Turnpike near Fort Lauderdale Wednesday morning and dropped it in the northbound lane as a line of severe storms hit the area, officials said. They said the...
Record Western Wildfires a Contrast in Otherwise Quiet Year for U.S. Natural Disasters
Jan 28 2016 // It was a relatively quiet year for natural disasters – except for those living in the Western U.S. Property data provider CoreLogic today released its annual Natural Hazard Risk Summary and Analysis. The report shows...
Texas Governor Seeks Federal Disaster Help after Tornadoes
Jan 28 2016 // Gov. Greg Abbott has requested a federal disaster declaration for some Texas counties after deadly late-December blizzards and tornadoes. Abbott on Jan. 26 announced the request for individual assistance for people in...
2015 Cat Bond Activity Down Slightly from Record Levels in 2014: GC Securities
Jan 27 2016 // While property and casualty catastrophe bond primary issuance levels were “uncharacteristically low” in the fourth quarter of 2015, totals at year-end were only slightly lower than the all-time high levels...
Insurance Department Tally on California Wildfires $1B
Jan 26 2016 // Damage from two destructive Northern California wildfires that killed six and sent thousands fleeing their homes topped $1 billion in insured losses, according to a preliminary estimate by the state’s insurance...
Texas Led Nation in Catastrophic Losses in 2015
Jan 26 2016 // Tornadoes, hailstorms and fires took their toll on Texas last year with insured losses well over $3 billion, according to an insurer trade group The state had over three times as many claims and almost three times the...
EU Security Chiefs Warn that Terrorist Attacks Highly Likely in Europe
Jan 26 2016 // Islamic State and other militants are very likely to attempt big new attacks in Europe following those in Paris, the EU’s police agency said on Monday, echoing previous warnings by senior security officials. The...
Mississippi Cleans up From Snowstorm, Tornado Damage
Jan 25 2016 // Call it the tale of two storms: Just as about 2 inches of snow was about to fall in northern Mississippi, two tornadoes tore through parts of south Mississippi. The National Weather Service in Jackson confirmed Friday that...
Oklahoma to Host 5th Annual Tornado Summit
Jan 25 2016 // The 2016 National Tornado Summit, the 5th annual event, will be held Feb. 29-March 2 in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Insurance Department announced. The National Tornado Summit is an educational forum that provides...
Earthquakes and Resulting Lawsuits Persist in Oklahoma
Jan 25 2016 // A group of Edmond residents filed a lawsuit on Jan. 11 against 12 energy companies, claiming that their saltwater disposal wells were partly to blame for earthquakes in central Oklahoma. The lawsuit seeks a permanent...
Hiscox Adds Property Damage Protection to Terrorism Insurance Product
Jan 22 2016 // Hiscox has enhanced its stand-alone terrorism portfolio by adding new products covering property damage from malicious attacks utilizing nuclear, chemical, biological and radiological (NCBR) devices. Hiscox NCBR policies...
Oklahoma Officials Avoid Tough Measures Despite More, Stronger Quakes
Jan 20 2016 // In Oklahoma, now the country’s earthquake capital, people are talking nervously about the big one as man-made quakes get stronger, more frequent and closer to major population centers. Next door in Kansas,...
Grants Now Available to Strengthen Older California Homes
Jan 20 2016 // California homeowners have until Feb. 20 to apply for up to $3,000 in funding for retrofits to protect their homes from catastrophic earthquake damage. The Earthquake Brace + Bolt program today opened the registration...
Florida Tornadoes Leave 2 Dead, Several Injured
Jan 19 2016 // Florida officials say two adults have been killed and four children have been injured after two tornadoes swept through central Florida. Manatee County EMS officials tell WFLA-TV that several people were injured as severe...
Earthquake Rattled Hawaii’s Big Island
Jan 19 2016 // An early morning earthquake rattled Hawaii’s Big Island, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The USGS reported the magnitude 3.9 struck at 1:52 a.m. on Monday and was centered about 35 miles southwest of Hilo, near the...
Hundreds of Oklahomans Turn Out for Earthquake Hearing
Jan 19 2016 // Oklahoma residents concerned with a dramatic increase in the number of earthquakes called for more regulations on the oil and gas industry on Jan. 15 and urged state leaders to take action to stop the quakes. About 200...
Weather Service: Tornado Hit Southern California in Last Week’s El Niño Storms
Jan 15 2016 // The National Weather Service says a small tornado touched down in Ventura County, Calif. during last week’s powerful El Niño-driven storms. Meteorologists conducting a storms survey determined the tornado swept...
New Tsunami Hazard Found in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands
Jan 15 2016 // Geologists in Alaska have found evidence that a 125-mile section of the eastern Aleutian Islands that was once considered unlikely to generate earthquakes may be a future source of temblors – as well as potentially...
