Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Wildfire Victims in PG&E Bankruptcy See $13.5B in Claims
Oct 8 2019 // A lawyer for the committee representing wildfire victims in the bankruptcy of PG&E Corp said at a hearing on Monday that the committee sees $13.5 billion as the cost to the power provider for paying claims of the...
Arch Capital Group Expects 3rd Quarter Catastrophe Losses of Up to $75M
Oct 8 2019 // Arch Capital Group Ltd. announced it expects to report third quarter 2019 pre-tax catastrophe losses of approximately $65 million to $75 million, net of reinsurance recoveries and reinstatement premiums. These losses are...
Comments Sought on Proposed Claim Rules for Texas Windstorm Insurer
Oct 7 2019 // Texas insurance regulators are seeking input on proposed changes to claims-related rules for the state’s property insurer of last resort along the Texas coast. The Texas Department of Insurance has proposed changes...
Supreme Court Rejects Sempra’s Bid to Recover $379M from 2007 California Wildfire Payouts
Oct 7 2019 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a bid by Sempra Energy’s San Diego Gas & Electric Co to recover $379 million from customers related to damages it was forced to pay out in litigation after the...
Hurricane Dorian Caused More Than C$105M in Insured Damage to Atlantic Canada
Oct 7 2019 // Hurricane Dorian hit Atlantic Canada on Sept. 7 causing more than C$105 million (US$78.9 million) in insured damage, said Insurance Bureau of Canada, quoting the Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ).* The...
Lawsuit Says Colorado Railroad Ignited Fires Prior to Wildfire
Oct 7 2019 // A federal lawsuit says nearly 50 fires in Colorado were ignited by a railroad company in the weeks leading up to a major wildfire. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad caused the smaller fires along its tracks...
Catastrophe Modelers: U.S. Insured Losses from Dorian Could Reach $1.5B in U.S.
Oct 7 2019 // Insured loss estimates for Hurricane Dorian will range from $500 million to $1.5 billion, according to catastrophe modeling firms Karen Clark & Co. and RMS. According to KCC, Dorian reached peak intensity of 185 mph...
Earthquake Warning App Coming to Washington Next Year
Oct 4 2019 // Washington state officials have announced an earthquake warning phone application is expected to be available for download October 2020. KING-TV reports that the app ShakeAlert was designed to send people an alert on how...
22 New California Laws Take Aim at Wildfire Danger
Oct 4 2019 // California is adopting nearly two dozen laws aimed at preventing and fighting the devastating wildfires that have charred large swaths of the state in recent years and killed scores of people. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom...
Powerful Typhoon Mitag Lashes South Korea, Leaving 9 Dead
Oct 4 2019 // A powerful typhoon has lashed southern South Korea, with authorities saying Thursday that the storm left nine people dead and five others missing and knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes. Typhoon Mitag brought...
Nippon Steel to Shut Typhoon-Damaged Kimitsu Plant until End of December
Oct 4 2019 // Japan’s biggest steelmaker, Nippon Steel Corp., said on Thursday one of the two steelmaking plants at its Kimitsu Steel Works will be shut until the end of December, to repair a chimney that collapsed in a typhoon...
Hurricane Lorenzo Lashes Azores, Causing Minor Damage, with Ireland as Next Stop
Oct 3 2019 // Hurricane Lorenzo powered across the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, lashing the Azores Islands with heavy rains, powerful winds and high waves but causing only minor damage, according to authorities. The Azores Civil...
11 Earthquakes Recently Recorded in Kansas’ Jewell County
Oct 2 2019 // The Kansas Geological Survey reports 11 earthquakes were recorded in a northern Kansas county last weekend. The agency’s data shows the cluster of quakes struck north and east of Randall in Jewell County Saturday and...
Texas Mutual Commits $5M to Help Tropical Storm Imelda-Impacted Policyholders
Oct 2 2019 // Austin-based workers’ compensation carrier, Texas Mutual Insurance Co., is offering a grant of $5 million for policyholders affected by Tropical Storm Imelda. The grant is intended to support the recovery of business...
Update: Hurricane Lorenzo Loses Power but Swells in Size as It Heads Toward Ireland
Oct 2 2019 // Hurricane Lorenzo, the largest storm ever to roam the Eastern Atlantic, is forecast to strike the heart of Ireland’s west coast within days carrying tropical-strength winds, driving rain and a huge storm surge. Once...
11 South Carolina Counties to Receive Federal Aid for Hurricane Dorian Damage
Oct 2 2019 // President Donald Trump has issued a declaration approving specific federal assistance for South Carolina areas affected by early September’s Hurricane Dorian. The White House on Monday ordered that federal aid be...
Tornado, Hail, Snow Sweep Through California
Oct 1 2019 // The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado touched down in a California field as thunderstorms swept through the central part of the state. Cellphone video posted online shows the towering vortex spinning...
Typhoon Mitag Lashes Eastern China, Heads to South Korea
Oct 1 2019 // After lashing parts of Taiwan and Japan’s southernmost Ryukyu Islands on Monday, Typhoon Mitag is passing eastern China today and then takes aim at South Korea and the remainder of Japan later this week, according to...
AGCS Names Kang as Head of Reinsurance and Catastrophe Risk Management
Oct 1 2019 // Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS), the corporate insurance carrier of Allianz Group, has appointed Hyeji Kang as global head of Reinsurance and Catastrophe Risk Management, effective Oct. 1, 2019. She will...
Wildfire Risk in Georgia Increasing Amid Southern Drought
Oct 1 2019 // The ongoing drought has made outdoor burning in Georgia more dangerous than previous years, state officials said. In the past three months, the Georgia Forestry Commission says firefighters have responded to – on average...
