Latest Catastrophe Headlines

All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.

CoreLogic: Hurricane Ida Threatens 941K Homes with $220B in Rebuilding Cost

Aug 29 2021 // Severe wind, surge inundation and extended heavy rainfall endanger more than 941,000 homes with a reconstruction cost value of all at-risk homes totaling more than $220 billion, catastrophe modeling firm CoreLogic reported...

Explainer: Is Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Going to Erupt Again?

Aug 27 2021 // The ground at the summit of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii has been rumbling and swelling in recent days, prompting scientists to warn that the mountain could once again disgorge lava. But there’s no indication an...

California Wildfire Threatens Lake Tahoe Area

Aug 27 2021 // Some 14,000 firefighters facing changing weather conditions battled more than a dozen large wildfires across California, including a growing blaze that was slowly pushing toward the Lake Tahoe resort region. Winds and...

Scientists Detected Earthquake Swarm at Hawaii Volcano

Aug 26 2021 // Geologists said they had detected a swarm of earthquakes at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, though it is not erupting. The quakes began overnight on Tuesday and continued into the morning, The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory...

KCC Estimates Insured Loss From Hurricane Grace: $300M in Mexico, $30M in Caribbean

Aug 26 2021 // Catastrophe modeling firm the Karen Clark & Company (KCC) estimates that the insured loss to onshore properties from Hurricane Grace will be around $330 million—$300 million in Mexico and $30 million in the...

$40M in Hurricane Laura Repairs at Louisiana College

Aug 25 2021 // A southwest Louisiana community college says it has nearly completed more than $40 million in repairs and rebuilding needed because of damage from last year’s Hurricane Laura. The need for skilled workers to repair...

Firefighter Dies While Working Oregon Wildfire, Officials Say

Aug 25 2021 // A firefighter died this week while battling a wildfire southeast of Eugene, Oregon, officials said. Bryan Cutchen, Oakridge city administrator and acting fire chief, said the death is suspected to have been caused by a...

Texas Coastal Windstorm Insurance Coalition Celebrates 50 Years

Aug 24 2021 // The Coastal Windstorm Insurance Coalition in Texas is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Established originally as the Windstorm Action Committee in Galveston, the coalition has expanded in recent years to include...

M4 Earthquake Confirmed in Southeastern California

Aug 24 2021 // An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.0 shook an agricultural area of southeastern California early Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The quake struck at 7:57 a.m. south of the Salton Sea, about 7...

Mulch Eyed as Erosion Control Following Colorado Wildfires

Aug 24 2021 // An aerial landscaping team has taken flight in the mountains west of Fort Collins, Colo. Its landing site sits in a broad field at the base of Poudre Canyon. Every few minutes, a helicopter arrives to lift a net loaded...

New Wildfires Break Out on Greece’s Evia Island

Aug 24 2021 // ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greece’s fire department scrambled firefighting aircraft and ground forces as at least two new blazes broke out in areas already scarred by wildfires this summer, with strong winds...

Hurricane Laura Hit Louisiana a Year Ago but Recovery Is Ongoing

Aug 24 2021 // Hurricane Laura made landfall in Southwest Louisiana nearly a year ago but local officials and state insurance regulators say the area still a long way to go to recover. Laura, which made landfall on August 27, 2020,...

Greece Wildfire Destroys Jobs of Pine Resin Collectors

Aug 23 2021 // AGDINES, Greece (AP) – For generations, residents in the north of the Greek island of Evia have made their living from the dense pine forests surrounding their villages. Tapping the ubiquitous Aleppo pines for their...

Catastrophic Flooding Takes 22 Lives in Tennessee; More People Missing

Aug 23 2021 // Catastrophic flooding in Middle Tennessee left at least 22 dead and dozens missing Saturday as rains washed away homes and rural roads, authorities said. Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told news outlets more than 20...

Hurricane Grace Crosses Mexico, Killing at Least 8 People

Aug 23 2021 // Hurricane Grace crossed through Mexico on Saturday, leaving at least eight people dead, causing floods and power cuts to more than half a million customers, before losing force as it swept toward the country’s...

Forest Service: Lightning Caused Minnesota Wildfire

Aug 23 2021 // A wildfire in the Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota has grown to 6 1/4 square miles (16 square kilometers), but U.S. Forest Service officials said on Aug. 19 that it grew little overnight. The Forest...

State Fund Offering Credit Extension to Policyholders Impacted by California Wildfires

Aug 20 2021 // California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund is offering a 30-day credit extension to policyholders affected by wildfires currently burning in Northern California counties declared states of emergency by Gov.Gavin...

California Wildfire Season Setting a Record, More Damage Expected

Aug 20 2021 // Smoke from California’s wildfires choked people on the East Coast. Flames wiped out a Gold Rush-era town. The acreage burned would dwarf the state of Rhode Island. Images of homes engulfed in flames and mountains...

Nevada Senator Wants Ideas to Address Wildfire Smoke

Aug 20 2021 // Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is urging firefighters, scientists, teachers and moms to help form new strategies to deal with increasingly unhealthy air quality in Nevada caused by wildfires that continue to worsen and no...

Tropical Storm Henri Could Strike New York, New England as Hurricane Starting Sunday

Aug 20 2021 // Tropical Storm Henri is set to grow into a hurricane before slamming the U.S. Northeast anywhere from Long Island to Massachusetts, bringing heavy rain, a flooding storm surge and thrashing winds to the region starting...