Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
March U.S. Tornado Activity Likely to Set Record
Apr 6 2022 // It appears there were more tornadoes across the U.S. this year in the month of March than ever before – possibly by a large margin. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National...
Lawmakers Probing Amazon Labor Practices Following Illinois Tornado Deaths
Apr 5 2022 // The U.S. House Oversight Committee is opening an investigation into Amazon.com’s labor practices during extreme weather events, following the death of six workers during a swarm of tornados last year. In a letter...
Lawsuit Alleges Power Line Sparked Colorado Wildfire
Apr 5 2022 // The first lawsuit filed in connection with a wildfire that destroyed over 1,000 homes and other buildings in suburban Denver claims that sparks from a power line started December’s blaze. The lawsuit filed against...
Fitch Downgrades California Earthquake Authority’s Ratings; Outlook Stable
Apr 1 2022 // Fitch Ratings downgraded California Earthquake Authority’s Issuer Default Rating and revenue bond ratings to ‘A-‘ from ‘A’. The Rating Outlook is Stable. The rating action follows the vote of...
Property Catastrophe Reinsurers Show Greater Risk Appetites as Price Hikes Continue
Apr 1 2022 // Reinsurers have boosted their 2022 probable maximum loss (PML) exposures as higher prices continues to attract more capital to property-catastrophe risks, according to Moody’s Investors Service. Reinsurers’...
Arkansas Tornadoes Injure At Least 7
Mar 31 2022 // Severe storms injured seven people, damaged buildings and downed power lines in northwest Arkansas early Wednesday as tornadoes and hurricane-force winds were forecast in much of the Deep South, a week after a twister hit...
Tornadoes Kill Two, Leave Damage, Power Outages Across Parts of South
Mar 31 2022 // Strong thunderstorms and tornadoes caused damage across parts of five Southern states Wednesday night and Thursday morning, killing two people and leaving some 180,000 people without power. Local news outlets and the...
Occam Completes Purchase of Terrorism-Specialist MGA Beech Underwriting
Mar 31 2022 // Occam Underwriting, the specialist lines managing general agency (MGA), announced it has completed the acquisition of Beech Underwriting Agencies Ltd. having received the required approval from the Financial Conduct...
Another Active Atlantic Hurricane Season in 2022: AccuWeather
Mar 31 2022 // Following the most active season for named storms in the Atlantic in 2020 and the third-most named storms in 2021, AccuWeather forecasters said to prepare for more of the same in 2022. AccuWeather has predicted 16-20 named...
Louisiana Dept. of Insurance to Hold Tornado Resource Center
Mar 29 2022 // The Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) announced it has established an open-door insurance resource center in Arabi to assist those affected by the tornado that struck the area last week. Meetings will be held at...
Residents Return Home After Fleeing Colorado Wildfire
Mar 29 2022 // Nearly 20,000 people who were forced to flee a wildfire in northern Colorado were back home Monday after firefighters were able to stop the spread of the fire at 190 acres. The fire that broke out Saturday in the rolling...
Alabama Wildfire Chars 600 Acres; No Injuries Reported
Mar 29 2022 // A wildfire that began over the weekend has consumed more than 600 acres of woods southeast of Birmingham, threatening homes but not causing any reported injuries. Fire officials say smoke and smoldering debris will...
South Texas Wildfire Destroys 3 Homes; Blaze Only 10% Contained
Mar 29 2022 // A wildfire has burned more an 1,000 acres in South Texas forcing some people to evacuate, destroying three homes and knocking out power to more than 100 others, officials said on March 27. Gov. Greg Abbott declared a...
Officials: Tornado Was New Orleans Area’s 2nd Strongest Ever
Mar 28 2022 // A tornado that killed a man near New Orleans this week was the metro area’s second strongest on record and left an 11.5-mile track northeast through three parishes, the National Weather Service said last week. Its...
Firefighters Increase Containment on Colorado Wildfire
Mar 28 2022 // A wildfire south of Boulder that forced nearly 20,000 people to flee was listed at 35% contained by Sunday afternoon and most evacuations had been lifted, officials with Boulder Fire-Rescue said. The fire, which ignited...
Louisiana Recovering After Tornadoes Plow Through Homes
Mar 24 2022 // Louisiana National Guardsmen and other responders went door-to-door in areas around New Orleans on March 23 as the region dug out from overnight tornadoes, with Gov. John Bel Edwards declaring a state of emergency and...
Tornadoes Cause Limited Damage in Alabama, Mississippi
Mar 24 2022 // The same severe weather front that destroyed property in Texas and Louisiana also spawned at least six tornadoes in Mississippi and Alabama, but damage appeared to limited. In Baldwin County, in south Alabama, emergency...
Japan’s Powerful Earthquake Estimated to Cost Insurers $2 Billion-$4 Billion: Verisk
Mar 24 2022 // The powerful earthquake that jolted Japan’s northeast coast last week is expected to cause insured property losses between $2 billion and $4 billion, modeling firm Verisk said on Thursday. About $400 million to $820...
Tornado Strikes New Orleans as Storms Move Into Deep South
Mar 24 2022 // A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. There were no...
Crews Make Progress in Containing Texas Wildfire
Mar 23 2022 // Firefighting crews were making progress containing a massive Texas wildfire that was blamed for last week’s death of a deputy, officials said. The Eastland Complex has burned about 85 square miles (220 square...
