Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
NWS Says Seven Tornadoes Hit New Jersey, Pennsylvania During Storm
Sep 8 2021 // Seven tornados tore through parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey during last Wednesday night’s storm, including an EF-3 that damaged homes and businesses in the Garden State, according to the National Weather...
After Huge Wildfires, Greece Creates Climate Crisis Ministry
Sep 8 2021 // Greece’s center-right government has created a new ministry to address the impact of climate change and named former European Union commissioner Christos Stylianides as minister. Stylianides, 63, who served as...
U.S. Probing Nearly 350 Reports of Oil Spills in Hurricane Ida’s Wake
Sep 7 2021 // The U.S. Coast Guard said on Sept. 6 it was investigating nearly 350 reports of oil spills in and along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico in the wake of Hurricane Ida. Ida’s 150 mile-per-hour (240 kph) winds wreaked havoc on...
Weather Catastrophes Growing in Numbers and Damages But Taking Fewer Lives
Sep 7 2021 // Weather disasters are striking the world four to five times more often and causing seven times more damage than in the 1970s, the United Nations weather agency reports. But these disasters are killing far fewer people. In...
Lake Tahoe Residents Glad Homes Spared from Massive Wildfire
Sep 7 2021 // Connor Jones sunbathed with his dog on the otherwise empty beach at Ski Run Marina on Monday, as residents trickling back into town filled up their cars at a gas station behind him and employees of a water sports rental...
Entergy Louisiana: Hurricane Ida Power Restoration Could Take Weeks
Sep 7 2021 // Full restoration of electricity to some of the hardest-hit areas of Louisiana battered to an unprecedented degree by Hurricane Ida could take until the end of the month, the head of Entergy Louisiana warned Sept. 4. At...
AIR Worldwide Estimates Insured Losses for Hurricane Ida Could Be Up to $25 Billion
Sep 3 2021 // Insurance industry insured losses to onshore property resulting from Hurricane Ida’s winds and storm surge will range from $17 billion to $25 billion. AIR’s modeled insured loss estimates include insured...
Earthquake Confirmed in Northeast Nevada, No Damage
Sep 2 2021 // A magnitude 4.7 hit in a remote area of northeast Nevada, where officials said they had no immediate reports of damage or injuries, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The USGS said temblor struck about 10:20 a.m. about...
Ida’s Inland Path May Reveal Hidden Risk, Test Mapping Methods of Hurricane Floods
Sep 2 2021 // With remnants of Ida delivering downpours and fierce winds from North Carolina to New Jersey, U.S. government methods for assessing flood risks may be put to the test this week. While coastal communities would seem to have...
Progress Against Flames from Massive Wildfire Near Lake Tahoe
Sep 1 2021 // Firefighters reported progress in the battle to save communities on the south end of Lake Tahoe from an approaching forest fire after the stiff winds they had feared failed to materialize in the California-Nevada alpine...
California Commissioner Issues Another Non-Renewal Moratorium to Aid Policyholders Affected by Wildfires
Sep 1 2021 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has issued notices to insurers alerting them to cease non-renewals and cancellations of insurance coverage for communities with wildfire emergencies. Lara’s notices...
Bears Emerge as Threat in Fight Against Minnesota Wildfire
Sep 1 2021 // Officials leading the fight against wildfires in northeastern Minnesota warned Aug. 30 about a new threat: bears attracted by generous donations of food and other supplies. “Donations have far out-stripped our need...
Confirmed Tornado Caused Damage in Southeastern South Dakota
Aug 31 2021 // A storm survey team from the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has confirmed it was a tornado that caused damage in and around Lennox during the weekend. The weather service tweeted the brief tornado...
Floods, Outages Stall Oil Companies’ Efforts to Restart After Hurricane Ida
Aug 31 2021 // Widespread flooding from Hurricane Ida and power outages slowed efforts on Tuesday by energy firms to assess damages at oil production facilities, ports and refineries. Nearly all of Louisiana lost electrical power on...
Higher Rebuilding Prices Expected to Boost Hurricane Ida’s Insurance Costs
Aug 31 2021 // Insurers are bracing for $15 billion to $30 billion in claims from Hurricane Ida, but the figure could jump higher, in part because of pandemic pricing that has pushed up the cost of lumber and labor to rebuild, insurance...
Northeastern Iowa Tornado, Storms Damage Buildings, Crops
Aug 30 2021 // Officials in northeastern Iowa say a tornado caused significant damage, especially in the small town of Marble Rock. KCRG-TV reports that emergency management officials cited power lines and trees knocked over after a...
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...
