Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Southern California Got Snow, Rain, Tornado in Spring Storm
May 5 2023 // An unseasonably cold storm coated Southern California mountains with snow, dumped heavy rain elsewhere and spawned a small tornado Thursday as spring struggled to shake the grip of an exceptionally wet winter. More than 4...
Allstate Posts Loss With ‘Exceptionally’ High Catastrophe Costs
May 4 2023 // Allstate Corp. posted a bigger first-quarter loss than analysts expected as higher premiums failed to offset rising auto costs and soaring catastrophe losses. The company reported a $342 million loss on an adjusted basis...
Lawmakers from Western States Want More Done to Confront Wildfire Crisis
May 2 2023 // Lawmakers from several western states want the U.S. Forest Service to do more to address a wildfire crisis that they say will surely destroy more landscapes, communities and livelihoods as long-term drought persists around...
Recovery Continues After Tornado Hits Palm Beach Gardens
May 2 2023 // A tornado touched down in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Saturday as a powerful storm system brought intense rain and powerful winds to the state, overturning cars, damaging homes and snapping tree branches. The National...
Virginia Beach Tornado Causes $15M in Residential Damage; No Reports of Injuries
May 1 2023 // The Virginia Beach community in southeastern Virginia was hit by a tornado on Sunday, April 30, just minutes before 6:00 pm. City Manager Patrick Duhaney declared a state of emergency. Officials said there were no reported...
Wildfires in Alaska? Climate Change Sparks Disaster Fears
May 1 2023 // Research on a flat spot for air evacuations. Talk of old-style civil defense sirens to warn of fast-moving wildfires. Hundreds of urban firefighters training in wildland firefighting techniques while snow still blankets...
Mississippi Tire Plant Partly Covered, Will Reopen in June After Tornado
May 1 2023 // A northeast Mississippi tire plant that was damaged by an April tornado is expected to restart production in June. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. said this week that it was likely to take several months for its Cooper Tire...
Lawsuit Seeks to Recover $3M Invested in Louisiana Hurricane-Damage Lawsuits
Apr 28 2023 // A restoration contractor that helped finance an effort by McClenny Moseley & Associates to file thousands of hurricane-damage claims in Louisiana wants its $3 million investment back. Access Restoration Services US...
$1.6B Trial Starts Against Utility Over Fatal 2020 Oregon Wildfires
Apr 28 2023 // PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A trial connected to a $1.6 billion class action lawsuit against utility PacifiCorp over the catastrophic Labor Day 2020 wildfires in Oregon started Tuesday in Portland. The fires in 2020 killed...
A Record Start to the 2023 U.S. Tornado Season
Apr 27 2023 // The U.S. has experienced a record number of tornadoes in the first three months of 2023 according to preliminary data from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center (NWS SPC), delivering an active start to the...
New Mexicans Affected by Last Year’s Wildfire Get FEMA Aid
Apr 27 2023 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office, charged with administering nearly $4 billion in emergency financial aid for survivors of last year’s record-breaking wildfire in New...
People Moves: QBE Nabs Davis From Beazley to Head Cyber; Dhillon Head of Markel’s Catastrophe, Exposure Management
Apr 26 2023 // QBE Names Davis to Newly Created Position: Global Head of Cyber QBE Insurance Group Limited has appointed Serene Davis to newly the created position global head of cyber. Davis will begin working in the role on May...
Catastrophe Losses Hinder Chubb Q1 Net Income
Apr 26 2023 // First quarter net income at Chubb Ltd. fell several percentage points to about $1.9 billion as catastrophe losses evened gains in premiums written. P&C underwriting income was about $1.21 billion, down 5.5% from about...
Tornado, Small Earthquake Hit Upstate New York
Apr 25 2023 // A minor magnitude 3.6 earthquake shook parts of upstate New York on Sunday afternoon. There were no immediate reports of significant damage. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the earthquake struck at 2:10 p.m. with...
Central Oklahoma Tornadoes Kill 3, Cause Widespread Damage
Apr 20 2023 // A tornado outbreak on in central Oklahoma left three people dead and caused heavy damage Wednesday night. Three fatalities were reported in McClain County, where a tornado hit the town of Cole. Another tornado touched down...
Allstate Estimates $1.7 Billion in Q1 Catastrophe Losses
Apr 20 2023 // Allstate Corp. said pre-tax catastrophe losses for the first quarter are expected to be about $1.7 billion, with about $1.3 billion occurring during the month of March. Losses in March were attributed to 10 events with 75%...
Insured Losses from Mississippi Tornado Nearing $100 Million
Apr 20 2023 // Insurance losses from the March tornado that carved a path of destruction through parts of Mississippi are approaching $100 million, and uninsured losses will likely exceed that number, the state insurance department...
Catastrophe Losses Cause Q1 Drop in Travelers’ Net Income
Apr 19 2023 // First quarter net income at Travelers Cos. fell 4% to $975 million as catastrophes cost the insurer a total of about $535 million during the first three months of the year. Catastrophe losses, coupled with a $48 million...
Two Tornadoes Confirmed in Georgia Towns
Apr 17 2023 // The National Weather Service confirmed two weak tornadoes touched down last week in middle Georgia. No one was reported injured in either storm. A tornado with top winds of 90 mph touched down on the southeast edge of...
Mississippi City Faces Tough Road Rebuilding After Tornado
Apr 17 2023 // The scent of the Mississippi Delta’s soil took hold of Charlie Weissinger’s psyche at an early age, and he has chased it ever since. Weissinger, 37, works at a bank to support his farming addiction in Rolling...
