Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
As Texas Windstorm Insurer Mulls Rates, Policyholders, Lawmakers Strongly Oppose Hikes
Nov 15 2019 // Texas’ property insurer of last resort for wind and hail in counties along the Gulf Coast is finding itself once again between a rock and a hard place — or perhaps more appropriately, between a hurricane and a...
North Carolina Officials Vote to Reopen Island Damaged by Hurricane Dorian
Nov 15 2019 // County commissioners on the North Carolina coast have moved to reopen an island ravaged by Hurricane Dorian. Acting on a recommendation from the Ocracoke Control Group, the Hyde County Commissioners on Monday adopted the...
Hail Has Damaged Insurance Market for Car Dealers. Parametric Insurance May Help.
Nov 14 2019 // Nick Pacifico has been working at his family’s Cadillac dealership in Denver since 2003. He’s never seen insurance costs this bad. “Getting coverage is nearly impossible,” said Pacifico, vice...
Australia Wildfires Continue to Rage, Destroying Homes, Forcing Evacuations
Nov 14 2019 // Scores of wildfires continued to rage across vast tracts of Australia’s drought-stricken east coast on Wednesday, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes, some for the second time in a week. The most...
Venice Floods, Australia Wildfires Blamed on Climate Change
Nov 14 2019 // Extreme floods in Venice, fires in Australia and even an outbreak of plague in China have been attributed to climate change this week, while researchers have warned that global warming could saddle future generations with...
Scientists Focus On Wiregrass Region of Alabama, Georgia for Tornado Study
Nov 14 2019 // Tornado researchers want to know more about how tornadoes form from squall lines in the Wiregrass region of Alabama and Georgia. That part of the South is of interest to Chris Weiss, a professor of atmospheric science at...
PURE Programs Launches California High Wildfire Risk Homeowners Program
Nov 13 2019 // PURE Programs has launched a new High Wildfire Risk Homeowners Insurance program, with coverages for retail insurance brokers serving clients that own high value homes in California at greater-risk of loss from...
Despite Wildfires, California Wine is Doing Just Fine – For Now
Nov 12 2019 // If you’re worried that wildfires might have created shortages of Northern California’s 2019 cabernet sauvignon, or even just imparted it with an undesirable smoky flavor, you can relax. The wine is just fine....
PG&E California Wildfire Victims Sue to Get Paid Before Fire Insurers
Nov 12 2019 // PG&E Corp. wildfire victims have filed a new lawsuit arguing they must be fully repaid for the losses of their homes and businesses before fire insurers are as part of the utility’s bankruptcy. The case takes aim...
Pool Re Forms Specialist Unit to Help U.K. Insurers Build Terrorism Risk Resilience
Nov 12 2019 // Pool Re, Britain’s government-backed terrorism reinsurer, has launched of Pool Re “Solutions,” a specialist unit created to support its member insurers and their policyholders by sharing the understanding...
Insurance Council of Australia Declares Catastrophe for New South Wales Bushfires
Nov 12 2019 // The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) on Nov. 9 declared a catastrophe for the bushfires blazing in northern New South Wales. The catastrophe declaration is for communities on the mid-north coast affected by bushfires...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Actuarial Committee to Meet Again for Rate Review
Nov 12 2019 // The Actuarial & Underwriting Committee of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) will meet Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 1:30 pm for review and possible action regarding development of recommendations to the...
Vertus to Offer Hurricane Deductible Buy-Back Insurance in Texas
Nov 12 2019 // Vertus Insurance Partners, a Florida-based managing general agent and provider of specialized catastrophic risk protection insurance products is entering the Texas marketplace with its homeowners’ hurricane...
Farmers Hit by Hurricanes in Alabama, Florida, Georgia to Get $800M in Federal Aid
Nov 12 2019 // The federal government announced $800 million in aid Friday to farmers in three southern states that were devastated by last year’s hurricanes. Nearly half that money will go to Florida, where timber farmers suffered...
PG&E Expecting over $6B in Costs from California Wildfire
Nov 8 2019 // Pacific Gas & Electric is reporting substantial losses for the third quarter, driven by catastrophic wildfires that have been blamed on the utility’s outdated transmission lines. The company anticipates those...
Typhoon Hagibis to Cost Japan’s Economy $10B, with Insured Losses in Billions: Aon
Nov 8 2019 // Typhoon Hagibis is likely to become one of 2019’s costliest events, with economic costs of more than US$10 billion and insured losses minimally in the billions, according to Aon’s monthly catastrophe...
California Town Devastated by Wildfire Rebuilds, But Is It Any Safer a Year Later
Nov 7 2019 // There was “no way in hell” Victoria Sinclaire was rebuilding in Paradise, Calif. She’d thought she was going to die during the six hours it took her to escape the deadliest and most destructive wildfire...
PG&E Extending Deadline for California Wildfire Damage Claims
Nov 6 2019 // Pacific Gas & Electric has agreed to extend by two months the deadline to file claims against the company for damages suffered from a series of wildfires in California. Lawyers for the victims asked to extend the...
Boosting Resilience to U.S. Wildfires Should Be Insurance Industry Priority: I.I.I.
Nov 6 2019 // Nearly a year after the deadliest and costliest wildfire in U.S. history, insurers and the customers they cover are revisiting how to reduce their collective exposure to this risk, according to the Insurance Information...
UT Study: Earthquakes in West Texas Have Dramatically Increased
Nov 5 2019 // West Texas has seen a dramatic increase in earthquakes, jumping from 19 in 2009 to 1,600 in 2017 alone, according to a new study published on Nov. 4 by the University of Texas at Austin. The study, which was published in...
