Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wet Weather Helps in Battling Massive California Wildfire
Aug 4 2015 // Cooler, wetter weather helped crews make inroads Monday against a massive Northern California wildfire that tore through two dozen homes, threatened thousands more and forced 12,000 people to flee the flames. The largest...
Cooler Conditions Help Firefighters Battle Southwest Oregon Wildfire
Aug 4 2015 // Clouds and the end of triple-digit heat helped firefighters battling the Stouts wildfire in southwest Oregon. Fire spokesman Dave Wells says the blaze is only 3 percent contained, but crews made good progress on the fire...
Another Earthquake Shakes Northern Oklahoma
Aug 3 2015 // Another earthquake has shaken parts of northern Oklahoma near the Kansas border. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 3.6 magnitude earthquake was recorded at 3:28 p.m. on Aug. 1 about 11 miles south-southwest of Medford in...
California, Pacific Northwest Schools Get $4M for Earthquake Early Warning Systems
Aug 3 2015 // The U.S. Geological Survey has awarded $4 million to four universities in the Pacific Northwest and California to boost the development of earthquake early warning systems. The University of Washington, the University of...
Raging California Wildfire Jumps Containment
Aug 3 2015 // Firefighters aided by lower temperatures and higher humidity have made progress corralling a wildfire threatening thousands of homes in Northern California. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Capt. Don...
Hurricane Katrina: A Look Back After Ten Years
Aug 3 2015 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. The Atlantic was active from the start of the 2005 hurricane season. By late August, there had already been 10 named storms, including one Category 4 and one Category...
New Madrid Report Shows Need for Quake Insurance, Missouri Insurance Director Says
Aug 3 2015 // Missouri’s top insurance regulator says a new report on exposures within the reach of the New Madrid seismic zone reinforces the need for residents in affected areas to purchase earthquake insurance. Missouri...
Insured Catastrophe Losses Fell 36% in First Half of 2015
Aug 3 2015 // Property/casualty insurers’ catastrophe losses in North America for the first-half of this year were down 36 percent to $8.1 billion from 2014’s total of $12.6 billion, making it the lightest catastrophe first...
Weather Service Confirms Tornado Struck North Dakota City
Jul 31 2015 // The National Weather Service has confirmed that storm damage in Tolna, N.D. was caused by a tornado. The tornado last week was rated an EF-1, with an estimated peak wind speed of 110 mph. It was on the ground for about 4...
Public-Private Catastrophe Scheme in UK Would Help Mitigate Cyber-9/11: Study
Jul 31 2015 // A public-private, cyber-catastrophe reinsurance arrangement would improve the UK’s resilience against the growing threat of cyber risks in this interconnected world, according to a cyber report released this...
Firefighters Hold California Wildfire That Jumped Line
Jul 30 2015 // Crews battling the toughest of several wildfires burning across the state held their ground late Wednesday, keeping a blaze east of California’s Napa Valley from jumping any more containment lines, fire officials...
Japan Earthquake Premiums to Rise as Insurers Reassess Risk After Fukushima
Jul 30 2015 // Japan’s insurance companies are pushing for an average 19 percent increase in earthquake premiums as they reassess risk following the unprecedented magnitude 9 quake four years ago. The increase could come into...
Earthquake Shakes Alaska’s Aleutian Islands
Jul 29 2015 // The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting no damage from a strong earthquake that rocked Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The quake struck at 8:49 p.m. Sunday and was centered 45 miles southwest of the village of Nikolski...
Indiana School to Build Tornado Safe Room with $1.6M Grant
Jul 28 2015 // Federal officials have awarded a southern Indiana school district $1.6 million to build a tornado safe room at an elementary school. The grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will allow Salem Community Schools...
New Madrid Study Shows Need for Quake Coverage: Missouri Insurance Director
Jul 28 2015 // Missouri’s top insurance regulator says a new report on exposures within the reach of the New Madrid seismic zone reinforces the need for residents in affected areas to purchase earthquake insurance. Missouri...
More Wildfires in California, But Less Damage
Jul 28 2015 // The number of California wildfires so far this year is up, but the acreage burned is smaller, the result of favorable weather and more firefighters who can quickly be dispatched to corral flames, fire officials say. Since...
The Hartford’s Profit Up in Q2; CEO Addresses M&A Outlook
Jul 28 2015 // The Hartford reported core earnings of $389 million for the second quarter 2015, an increase of $245 million from $144 million in second quarter 2014. The increase was due in part to improved underwriting results with...
Lloyd’s Supports Natural Catastrophe Resilience Plan Across Asia
Jul 28 2015 // As he prepared to sign a Statement of Intent (SOI) between the British Government, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Lloyd’s in Singapore, UK Prime Minister David Cameron stressed that insurance is essential to...
Northern California Wildfire Threatens Homes, Prompts Evacuations
Jul 27 2015 // A Northern California wildfire raced through more than six square miles of drought-stricken timber over the weekend, threatening at least 150 rural homes in the Sierra Nevada, authorities said. The blaze forced evacuations...
Tornado in Colorado Forest Area Damages Campground
Jul 24 2015 // Tornado damage at a Pike National Forest campground has crews clearing felled trees in a six-acre area. KMGH-TV reported the Devil’s Head campground was hit by a tornado that the National Weather Service confirms...
