Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Worst Algerian Wildfires in Decades Kill at Least 65 People
Aug 12 2021 // The worst wildfires in decades have killed at least 65 people in Algeria’s forested mountains, making it the latest Mediterranean nation to be struck by devastating blazes as temperatures have risen to unprecedented...
6 Tornadoes Confirmed in Northern Illinois
Aug 11 2021 // The National Weather Service confirmed that at least six tornadoes touched down in four northern Illinois counties. Based on video, photos and storm reports provided by storm spotters and storm chasers, the agency...
Tornadoes Reported in Northern Chicago Suburbs
Aug 11 2021 // The National Weather Service on Aug. 9 received reports of tornadoes in the suburbs north of Chicago that damaged homes and knocked down trees. The reports were made from weather spotters and have not yet been confirmed,...
Massive Wildfire Devours Forests on Greek Island of Evia
Aug 11 2021 // ATHENS, Greece (AP) – A massive wildfire burning for days on the northern tip of Greece’s second largest island continued to devour forests Tuesday, its thick smoke hanging in the streets of a nearby town as...
Tropical Storm Warnings Posted in Eastern Caribbean as System Gathers Power
Aug 10 2021 // Tropical storm warnings have been posted across the eastern Caribbean as a system gathers power and takes shape southeast of Dominica, the National Hurricane Center said. With winds of 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour,...
Greek Citizens Angry With Government Over Reponse to Wildfires
Aug 10 2021 // As flames threatened to engulf the home of Stelios Kokkinelis in a suburb north of Athens at the weekend and the emergency services failed to respond to his calls for help, he decided to ignore an evacuation order and take...
Tornado in Wisconsin’s Grant County Destroys, Damages Buildings
Aug 9 2021 // Residents of Grant County, Wisconsin, are cleaning up debris after a tornado touched down near Boscobel destroying or damaging homes and farm outbuildings. Initial damage assessments by fire departments in the area...
Louisiana 2020 Hurricane Update: $10B in Claims Reported as of June 30
Aug 9 2021 // The amount of money that insurers expect to pay for the 2020 hurricanes continues to grow, albeit more slowly, as Louisiana gets further away from last year’s historic storm season. According to the Louisiana...
Wildfire Weather May Return to Northern California
Aug 9 2021 // Thick smoke that held down winds and temperatures began to clear Sunday from the scenic forestlands of Northern California as firefighters battling the largest single wildfire in state history braced for a return of...
Wildfires Rage Anew Near Athens, Forcing More Evacuations in Southern Greece
Aug 6 2021 // Wildfires rekindled outside Athens and forced more evacuations around southern Greece Thursday as weather conditions worsened and firefighters in a round-the-clock battle stopped the flames just outside the birthplace of...
Turkish Officials Accused of Using Only 2% of Forest Protection Budget Before Wildfires
Aug 6 2021 // Turkish authorities battling the country’s worst ever wildfires have been accused of failing to prepare for the threat after official data showed they spent only a fraction of the modest funds budgeted to prevent...
U.S. West Consumer Survey: 4-in-10 Policyholders Don’t Talk to Insurer About Wildfire Risks
Aug 5 2021 // Most residents of the wildfire-plagued Western U.S. believe in mitigation efforts, but fewer are actually taking such steps – while more than 40% have never spoken to their insurer about wildfire risk, according to a...
Wildfire Destroys Much of California Gold Rush Town
Aug 5 2021 // A wind-driven wildfire tore through a Northern California mountain town, leaving much of the downtown in ashes as crews braced for another explosive run of flames in the midst of dangerous weather. The Dixie Fire, swollen...
Forecasters Confirm Nine Tornadoes in Pennsylvania, New Jersey
Aug 5 2021 // The National Weather Service has confirmed a ninth tornado that struck during storms last week in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Forecasters said Sunday that an EF-1 tornado with peak winds up to 90 mph appeared in the...
Ratings Firm Moody’s to Acquire Catastrophe Modeler, Analytics Firm RMS for $2 Billion
Aug 5 2021 // Moody’s Corp. has agreed to acquire RMS, a global provider of climate and natural disaster risk modeling and analytics, for approximately $2.0 billion (1.425 billion pounds) from Britain’s Daily Mail and...
Two Louisiana Parishes May Be Eligible for Federal Aid From Tropical Storm Damage
Aug 5 2021 // Farmers in two south Louisiana parishes who lost property during extreme weather in April through June may be eligible for federal aid, Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain said...
Atlantic Hurricane Forecast Still Calls for an Above-Average Season
Aug 4 2021 // Conditions remain in line for the current Atlantic hurricane season to be an above-average one, according to the mid-season update by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. NOAA says there is a 65% likelihood that the...
Michigan Counties Ask State for Funds After Tornado Damage
Aug 2 2021 // Two Michigan counties are asking the state to help make funds available for residents and businesses affected by recent tornados that damaged buildings, knocked down trees and caused power outages. Macomb County Executive...
4 Tornadoes Confirmed in Wisconsin
Aug 2 2021 // The National Weather Service has confirmed at least four tornadoes caused widespread damage in Wisconsin and contributed to at least one death. Quinn Boehning, 29, was killed after crashing into a fallen tree and power...
Eight Tornadoes Confirmed in New Jersey, Pennsylvania During Storms
Aug 2 2021 // The National Weather Service has confirmed eight tornadoes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey during Thursday’s storm, including the EF-3 storm in eastern Pennsylvania and an EF-2 tornado that started in the Keystone...
