Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
How to Protect Your Base-Jumping, Crocodile-Wrestling, Shark-Diving, Volcano-Luging, Snake-Wrangling CEO
Aug 24 2020 // There’s a scene in the 2004 movie, Along Came Polly, when an unemployed actor named Sandy Lyle (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is stalking an executive suite like a big-game hunter on the Serengeti. His prey is a conference...
Insured Losses from Hurricane Isaias $3-$5 Billion: RMS
Aug 24 2020 // Estimated total insured losses from Hurricane Isaias will be between $3.0 and $4.5 billion in the U.S. This includes estimated losses to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) of between $400 and $700 million,...
Dueling Storms Marco, Laura Hit Haiti, Dominican, Cuba on Way to Gulf Coast
Aug 23 2020 // SUNDAY, 08/23/2020, 06:23 PM— Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura tore through the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, forcing thousands of coastal residents in Louisiana and Cuba to evacuate and flooding roads...
Gulf Coast Braces for Tropical Storm Marco; States Declare Emergencies
Aug 23 2020 // 08/22/2020 05:30 PM — Marco, one of two tropical storms headed for the U.S. Gulf Coast, was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane later on Saturday as coastal governors urged residents to prepare for the unprecedented...
Weather Service Probes Damage in New Jersey to Determine if Tornado Hit
Aug 21 2020 // National Weather Service officials on Thursday were trying to determine if a tornado touched down as a severe thunderstorm moved across a portion of New Jersey. Heavy rain and powerful winds sent residents scrambling in...
Florida Mayor, City Attorney Charged in $5M Hurricane Michael Fraud Scheme
Aug 21 2020 // The mayor and city attorney of a Florida Panhandle city are the latest to be charged in the theft of $5 million in Hurricane Michael debris removal funds, prosecutors announced Wednesday. Lynn Haven Mayor Margo Anderson...
Colorado Banning Open Fires as State Battles 4 Wildfires
Aug 19 2020 // Gov. Jared Polis issued a 30-day ban on open fires such as campfires, fireworks and other open sources of ignition on Tuesday as the state battles four separate wildfires. The ban does not include home barbecues, public...
Roadmaps for Wildfire Mitigation Provide Guidance for Suburban Neighborhoods
Aug 19 2020 // New wildfire guidelines from an insurance industry home safety organization offer guidance for adapting suburban communities to the growing threat of wildfire. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)...
Florida Unveils $10M Loan Program to Aid Hurricane Michael-Ravaged Panhandle
Aug 19 2020 // Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a $10 million housing loan program that could benefit hundreds of home buyers in the Florida Panhandle, which was devastated two years ago by Hurricane Michael. DeSantis traveled to Panama City...
Is California’s Prop 103 System ‘Democratic’?
Aug 18 2020 // Defining the term “democracy” has long been a challenging proposition. Nearly all agree that a democracy is a government that reflects the will of the people, but questions about the particulars, of what...
Oregon Wildfire in Mop-up Phase, 36 Structures Destroyed and 660 Threatened
Aug 18 2020 // A wildfire burning in the scenic Columbia River Gorge that has destroyed dozens of structures is 65% contained, according to authorities. Some evacuation orders were downgraded as of Monday because of the containment...
Texas Forest Service Warns of Increased Wildfire Activity, Fuel Dryness
Aug 17 2020 // Continued hot and dry conditions across much of the state have resulted in increased wildfire activity, particularly in north central Texas and in areas along the Interstate-35 corridor, the Texas A&M Forest Service...
Weather Service: Storms Spawn at Least 6 Tornadoes in Minnesota
Aug 17 2020 // The National Weather Service has confirmed that storms on Aug. 14 spawned at least six tornadoes in Minnesota. Survey crews determined the strongest tornado was an EF1 in McLeod County packing winds estimated at up to 95...
Heatwaves Raising California’s Wildfire Risk
Aug 17 2020 // The current heatwave broiling Californians like no event in decades is also elevating the risk for another potential disaster in the weeks ahead: wildfires. While heat and dry conditions have contributed to the Lake and...
RMS Estimates Insured Losses from Hurricane Isaias at $3-$5 Billion
Aug 17 2020 // Estimated total insured losses from Hurricane Isaias will be between $3.0 and $4.5 billion in the U.S. This includes estimated losses to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) of between $400 and $700 million,...
California Wildfires Burning Amid High Risk of Large Blazes
Aug 14 2020 // Dry vegetation fueled three wildfires near Los Angeles amid warnings Friday that the risk of new blazes erupting was high as temperatures spike and humidity levels drop during a statewide heat wave. A huge forest fire that...
Last Year Was Among Earth’s 3 Hottest Years on Record, Climate Report Shows
Aug 13 2020 // Last year will be remembered as among the world’s hottest, while greenhouse gases reached their highest levels on record, according to the 30th annual State of the Climate report. The international annual review of...
New Jersey Provides Guidance for Homeowners After Tropical Storm Isaias
Aug 13 2020 // The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) has provided guidance for homeowners suffering property damage caused by the recent tropical storm that rattled the state. DOBI has issued guidance for New Jersey...
Google Turns Android Phones Into Earthquake Sensors
Aug 12 2020 // Alphabet Inc’s Google’s Android phones on Tuesday started detecting earthquakes around the world to provide data that could eventually give billions of users precious seconds of warning of a tremor nearby, with...
Secondary Perils Drive Global Insured Catastrophe Losses of $31B During H1: Swiss Re
Aug 12 2020 // Global insured property losses from disasters were US$31 billion in the first half of 2020, up from US$23 billion during the same period last year, according to Swiss Re Institute’s sigma estimates. Natural...
