Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Report: Florida Coastal Communities Rebuilt, Ready to Face Future Storms
May 29 2015 // Since eight hurricanes whipped through Florida during back-to-back seasons a decade ago, causing $33 billion in insurance claims, the state’s coastal communities have added an additional 1.5 million people and almost...
Rental Company Sues Kentucky County for Unpaid Bills from 2012 Tornado Recovery
May 28 2015 // An eastern Kentucky county ravaged by a 2012 tornado is being sued for nearly $1 million by a Lexington company that provided rented trailers, generators, all-terrain vehicles and other equipment after the deadly twister...
NOAA Predicts Quiet-ish Atlantic Hurricane Season
May 27 2015 // The U.S. Climate Prediction Center says the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season will likely be below-normal. But that’s no reason to believe coastal areas will have it easy, say the weather experts at the center, which is...
Wildfires in Northern Alberta Continue to Disrupt Oil Sands Production
May 27 2015 // Wildfires in northern Alberta kept about 10 percent of Canada’s oil sands production offline for a third day [on Tuesday] as Bank of America Corp. warned the blazes may slow the economy. A fire at Cold Lake Weapons...
Aon’s Political Risk Map Highlights Western Countries Increased Terror Threats
May 27 2015 // “Risk levels are rising in Western economies due to the increased terror threat presented by Islamic extremists” according to the Aon Terrorism and Political Violence Map, released by Aon Risk Solutions, the...
Clean Up Underway for Mississippi County Hit by Tornado
May 27 2015 // A little more than four years after a powerful tornado destroyed most of Smithville, Miss., Monroe County residents are cleaning up from another twister. Monroe County Emergency Management Agency Director Robert...
For P/C Insurers, 2014 Was Better Than Average Year
May 26 2015 // Analysts who predicted the U.S. property/casualty industry would have a tough time topping its 2013 results in 2014 were largely correct as there was some slippage. However, while property/casualty insurers were not as...
Hurricane Protection System for New Orleans Tested by Army Corps
May 22 2015 // With hurricane season approaching, the Army Corps of Engineers is running through its plans to better protect New Orleans from flooding and testing pumps and floodgates built around this low-lying metropolis since...
