Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Grim California Wildfire Outlook Has Insurers Forking Over Big Bucks for Modeling
Jul 5 2021 // Severe drought and searing temperatures are not the only proof that Californians should be worried about wildfires this year. A glaring piece of evidence that there’s ample cause for concern is this: those who will...
4 Texas Windstorm Insurance Bills Signed by Governor in 2021
Jul 5 2021 // In previous legislative years, Texas lawmakers have attempted to tackle the problems of funding for and management of Texas’ insurer of last resort for wind and hail for seacoast properties. This year, numerous...
PG&E in California Seeks $3.6B in Rate Hikes for Wildfire Safety
Jul 2 2021 // Pacific Gas & Electric asked regulators Wednesday to grant a $3.6 billion rate hike to help it pay for hardening its power systems to prevent deadly wildfires. The nation’s largest electric utility requested the...
Governor Signs 4 Bills Impacting Texas Windstorm Insurer
Jul 2 2021 // Numerous measures relating to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association were filed in the Texas Legislature in 2021 and four made it to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. One, House Bill 769, has only two provisions. Authored...
California Firefighters Battling Growing Wildfires
Jul 1 2021 // Hundreds of firefighters labored this week in high heat on the lines of big wildfires in the forests of far northern California as many communities remained under lengthening evacuation orders. Mount Shasta, the volcano...
Researchers Use Drones to Help Forecast Fires as Wildfires Hit Western U.S.
Jul 1 2021 // In a grassy meadow outside Missoula, Montana, Jennifer Fowler eyes two drones high in the sky with weather instruments — part of a program to see how drones can help to fight and monitor wildfires. Missoula is a...
Some Scientists See More Intense, Wetter Hurricane Season Storms
Jul 1 2021 // Like death and taxes, the annual hurricane season can be counted on as a sure thing. The number and intensity of named storms may vary each year, as well as where they occur and whether or not they make landfall. But...
3.9M Earthquake Confirmed in San Francisco Bay Area
Jun 30 2021 // A magnitude 3.9 earthquake rattled the San Francisco Bay Area on Monday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The earthquake’s epicenter was in San Lorenzo, an East Bay community in Alameda County 13 miles...
Northern California Wildfire Forces Evacuation Orders
Jun 30 2021 // A wildfire in Northern California has grown significantly and begun to pose a threat communities. The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders Monday for the Lake Shastina and Juniper Valley...
Louisiana Lawmakers Eyeing Hurricanes Tackle Water System Upgrades
Jun 29 2021 // Spurred by recent hurricanes and a rare winter storm that demonstrated the frailty of Louisiana’s public water supply, lawmakers have set their attention on improving the state’s troubled water...
Wildfire Risk Creeping Higher in Montana Parks
Jun 29 2021 // The risk of wildfires is growing with more warm, dry weather in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. The fire danger in Yellowstone is rated as “high” and in Grand Teton it’s “very...
Wildfire Resilience Efforts Are Improving: Triple-I Panelists
Jun 29 2021 // Panelists convened by the Insurance Information Institute and ResilientH20 Partners agreed that resilience is building due to technological advances and greater awareness about how wildfires spread. In the latest...
Danny Is No Longer a Tropical Storm as It Moves Over Georgia
Jun 29 2021 // The National Hurricane Center has withdrawn yesterday’s tropical storm warning. Tropical Storm Danny has weakened as it travels inland over Georgia and is no longer classified as a tropical cyclone. The remnants of...
Severe Storms, Flooding in Michigan; Tornadoes in Indiana
Jun 28 2021 // Residents in the Detroit area were cleaning up June 27 after flooding in the area overloaded sewer systems, damaged homes and knocked out power for thousands. Bags of trash lined neighborhood streets in suburban Grosse...
Tropical Storm Warning Issued for South Carolina
Jun 28 2021 // The National Hurricane Center has issued a tropical storm warning for parts of the South Carolina coast due to the formation of a tropical depression. The warning is for citizens from Edisto Beach northeastward to South...
Update: Hurricane Enrique Brushes Past Mexico’s Pacific Coast
Jun 28 2021 // MEXICO CITY – The first hurricane of the eastern Pacific season brushed past the coastal shoulder of southwestern Mexico Monday, keeping just off shore while sweeping the coast with heavy rains and winds that raised the...
Supreme Court Limits Plaintiff Class in TransUnion ‘Terrorist List’ Case
Jun 25 2021 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday narrowed the scope of a class action lawsuit against TransUnion in which thousands of people sought damages after the credit reporting company flagged their names as matching those on a...
Biden Stresses Disaster Preparedness as Extreme Weather Exacts Toll
Jun 25 2021 // President Joe Biden said Tuesday that his administration needs to “bring every resource to bear” to deal with natural disasters as huge swaths of the country have already endured extreme weather with the summer...
Update: Deadly, Rare Tornado Devastates Towns in Southern Czech Republic
Jun 25 2021 // Hrusky, Czech Republic — Emergency workers and residents combed through wreckage in southern Czech Republic on Friday after a tornado ripped roofs off buildings and sent cars flying through the air, killing at least...
California Wildfires Burning in Coastal And Sierra Wilderness
Jun 23 2021 // California wildfires were burning in tinder dry vegetation in rugged central coast mountains and near an Eastern Sierra trailhead where hikers begin treks to the summit of Mount Whitney. More than 500 firefighters were...
