Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Hurricane Cristobal to Pass North of Bermuda; No Threat to U.S.
Aug 27 2014 // The most recent report from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, at 5:00 A.M. EDT, notes that Cristobal is now hurricane strength with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph – 130 km/h, and “some strengthening is...
Pacific Hurricane Marie Weakens to Category 1 Storm; No Warnings in Place: NHC
Aug 27 2014 // The most recent report from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, at 8:00 P.M. PDT, indicates that Hurricane Marie is “gradually weakening over colder water.” The storm, located around 1190 kms [740 miles]...
Pacific Hurricane Marie Grows to Category 5 Storm
Aug 26 2014 // Hurricane Marie grew into a large and powerful Category 5 storm and moved west-northwestward far off the Pacific coast of Mexico, threatening dangerous surf conditions from Baja California Peninsula up through Southern...
Vermont Enticing Disaster Preparedness With Money
Aug 25 2014 // Vermont is preparing to implement new rules that encourage communities to take steps to reduce future flood damage in exchange for more money to help them recover from the next big flood. Communities across Vermont have...
Napa Quake May Cost Up to $4 Billion as Wineries Shuttered
Aug 25 2014 // The earthquake that struck northern California yesterday will lead to economic losses of as much as $4 billion, fueled by damaged wineries and shuttered businesses that rely on tourists. Insurers will probably cover about...
Lessons from Napa’s ‘Winequake’
Aug 25 2014 // In the early hours Sunday morning, Northern California shook with the largest earthquake it has experienced since 1989. The South Napa Earthquake, as it is being referred to by the U.S. Geological Survey, was a magnitude...
TS Cristobal – Season’s 3rd Storm – Triggers Caribbean Warnings; No U.S. Threat
Aug 25 2014 // The National Hurricane Center in Miami has finally been able to give the third weather disturbance of the current hurricane season a name – Tropical Storm Cristobal. According to the 5:00 A.M. bulletin from the NHC...
M6.0 Earthquake is California Bay Area’s Strongest Since Loma Prieta
Aug 24 2014 // A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Napa, Calif. early Sunday morning is the strongest earthquake to hit the San Francisco Bay area since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which registered a magnitude 6.9, according to...
Hurricane Forecasters Keeping Eye on Storm Building in Atlantic
Aug 22 2014 // A potential tropical system became a bit ragged with poor definition late yesterday as it neared the Leeward Islands at the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea. A U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter found a small area of...
Eight Homes, 10 Buildings Destroyed by California Wildfire
Aug 21 2014 // A wildfire northeast of Bakersfield, Calif. has destroyed eight homes and 10 other structures, authorities said, but residents of some 200 homes under evacuation orders were allowed to return home Wednesday evening. The...
High Earthquake Probability for Yellowstone Region
Aug 20 2014 // A new U.S. Geological Survey report indicates a slightly greater earthquake hazard in the Greater Yellowstone region of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho than previously thought, a geophysicist says. “The new maps show how...
Wildfire Near Yosemite In California Threatens 500 Structures
Aug 19 2014 // Firefighters from throughout California have been dispatched today to protect homes threatened by a wildfire near Yosemite National Park. The nearly 2-square-mile blaze in Madera County had destroyed eight structures and...
Earthquake Gap: Insurance Sales Falling As Risk Rises
Aug 19 2014 // While earthquake risks are rising in the U.S., fewer homeowners nationally say they have earthquake insurance, creating a potentially huge gap in coverage, according to the Insurance Information Institute. That’s a...
Heart of Atlantic Hurricane Season Starts as Storms Seem Dubious
Aug 19 2014 // The official start of the most active part of the Atlantic hurricane season arrives tomorrow with more of a whimper than a bang. If tradition holds, William Gray, who pioneered seasonal hurricane forecasting more than...
Iceland Raises Alert Level for Volcano Eruption to Second-Highest
Aug 19 2014 // Iceland’s Met Office on Monday raised its risk level to the aviation industry for an eruption at its Bardarbunga volcano to orange, which is the fourth level on a five-grade scale. Ash from the eruption of...
Amlin First-Half Profit Drops as Catastrophe Losses Widen
Aug 18 2014 // Amlin Plc, the second-biggest Lloyd’s of London insurer by market value, posted an eight percent drop in first-half pretax profit on losses from foreign exchange and natural catastrophes. Profit declined to £148.5...
Chance of Below-Normal Hurricane Season Now Up to 70%
Aug 18 2014 // Forecasters with the National Weather Service raised the likelihood for a below-normal season in their most recent Atlantic hurricane season outlook. The Aug. 7 update predicts a 70 percent chance of a below-normal season,...
Mass. DOI Providing Claims Assistance to Revere Tornado Victims
Aug 14 2014 // The Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) announced this week its staff will be providing ongoing assistance for Revere residents and business owners who have open claims or other concerns related to the July 28th...
Weak Tornado Confirmed in South Dakota
Aug 14 2014 // The National Weather Service says a weak tornado caused minor damage at Lake Cochrane in South Dakota’s Deuel County over the weekend. The afternoon twister had estimated peak winds of 75 mph and was rated an EF-0,...
10 Years After Hurricane Charley: A Lesson in Strong Building Codes
Aug 13 2014 // It has been 10 years since the record-breaking 2004 Atlantic hurricane season when four major hurricanes – Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne – all made landfall in Florida within the space of six weeks, damaging one in...
