Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
UPDATE: Hurricane Blanca Weakens off Mexico Coast; Bound for Baja Resorts
Jun 4 2015 // Hurricane Blanca weakened slightly off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Thursday but could restrengthen as it continues moving toward tourist resorts at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, the U.S. National...
May U.S. Storm, Tornado Claims over $1Bn: Aon Benfield/Impact Forecasting
Jun 4 2015 // Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team, has released its latest Global Catastrophe Recap report for the month of May. The report highlights the “powerful thunderstorms” that...
Report: More Than 6.6M Atlantic and Gulf Coast Homes at Risk of Storm Surge
Jun 4 2015 // More than 6.6 million homes on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are at risk of hurricane storm surge with a total reconstruction cost value estimated to be nearly $1.5 trillion, according to a report released today. Property...
Tornado Caused $18.6M in Damage at Wisconsin Campus
Jun 3 2015 // A final tally shows a tornado that struck the University of Wisconsin-Platteville campus nearly a year ago caused $18.6 million in damage. The school released the final damage numbers on June 2. The tornado hit the campus...
Hurricane Blanca Grows off Mexico Coast; Headed for Tip of Baja
Jun 3 2015 // Hurricane Blanca strengthened to a category 4 storm off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Wednesday and was expected to bear down on a tourist hub at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, the U.S. National...
California Assembly Advances Earthquake Safety Bills
Jun 3 2015 // The California Assembly is advancing a pair of bills designed to help buildings withstand earthquakes. The legislation approved unanimously this week would expand financial incentives for seismic retrofits. AB428 would...
Florida Gun Owners Without Permits Get Exemption for Hurricanes
Jun 3 2015 // Florida gun owners who don’t have a concealed weapons permit can now take their firearms with them while fleeing a hurricane. Not that it’s been a big problem in Florida in the past. No one can cite an example...
Texas Pounded by Weather Extremes in May
Jun 2 2015 // Even though it means the commencement of hurricane season, weather-beleaguered Texans are likely pleased that May 2015 has come and gone. Texas was pelted during the month of May with all kinds of violent and deadly...
Pacific Storms Rage While Atlantic Hurricane Season Opens Quietly
Jun 2 2015 // The Atlantic hurricane season opened with empty seas and low expectations as two storms raged off the western coast of Mexico, where they will almost certainly stay. Hurricane Andres, which formed last week and grew into a...
NOAA’s Hurricane Hunter Planes Get $42 million Upgrade
Jun 2 2015 // The hurricane planes known affectionately as “Miss Piggy” and “Kermit” are getting new Rolls-Royce engines, new wings and better radar. Every hurricane season for nearly four decades, the two...
It’s a Myth That Summer Storms Mitigate Droughts: Researcher
Jun 1 2015 // Popular opinion says that tropical storms and hurricanes that make landfall mitigate droughts in the southeastern United States. But that simply isn’t true, according to a Florida State University researcher. Vasu...
Worried About Dying from Surgery, Hurricane, Plane Crash? Check Out the Odds
Jun 1 2015 // Americans who worry about dying worry about the wrong things. That’s according to the National Safety Council, which kicked off National Safety Month by unveiling its annual list of Americans’ “Odds of...
Small Earthquake Rattles Southern California Desert
Jun 1 2015 // The U.S. Geological Survey says a light earthquake struck Southern California on Sunday morning. The magnitude 4.1 quake occurred at 6:02 a.m. Sunday at a depth of about 7 miles. The quake was located about 7 miles...
Effective Wildfire Prevention Hampered by Liability, Weather, Development
Jun 1 2015 // Forest managers would prefer to use prescribed burns every few years to help prevent costly wildfires and rebuild unhealthy ecosystems, but hurdles like staffing, budget, liability and new development hinder them, a new...
Florida Insurance Rates Still High Despite Several Storm-Free Seasons
Jun 1 2015 // Living in a (semi)-tropical paradise has a price – and apparently, not even going nine years without a major hurricane strike will change that. While Florida’s property insurance market has stabilized somewhat...
The Rock Won’t Save You From Earthquakes; Retrofitting Might
May 29 2015 // It has been a big week for earthquake news in California. Hollywood gave us “San Andreas,” a thrill a minute dystopian drama starring Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) as a heroic flying firefighter and Paul Giamatti...
South Dakota Requests Disaster Declaration for Delmont Tornado
May 29 2015 // Gov. Dennis Daugaard has requested a presidential disaster declaration to help South Dakotans whose homes and businesses were damaged by the severe storm and tornado May 10 in Douglas and Charles Mix counties. The tornado...
Is This the End of Active Hurricane Era?
May 29 2015 // Colorado State University’s annual benchmark forecast for Atlantic hurricanes is unlikely to change significantly when it is updated June 1, according to CSU hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach, as the increasing...
It’s Time for Congress to Prepare for Hurricane Season
May 29 2015 // As thousands of Americans work to prepare their homes and businesses for the start of hurricane season on June 1, why isn’t Congress taking steps to get its own house in order? Members of Congress can’t stop...
Alberta Wildfires Burn for 6th Day, 10% of Oil Sands Crude Offline
May 29 2015 // Firefighters battled wildfires in northern Alberta, Canada’s biggest crude-producing region, for a sixth day on Thursday, with two blazes near oil sands facilities still out of control. The wildfires have forced...
