Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Some of April’s Costly Storms: U.S. Tornadoes, Canada Floods, Mozambique Cyclone
May 14 2019 // Some of April’s natural catastrophes included an elevated number of tornadoes in the United States, the strongest cyclone to hit Mozambique on record and costly seasonal flooding Eastern Canada that inundated nearly...
California May Go Dark This Summer; Most Aren’t Ready
May 13 2019 // A plan by California’s biggest utility to cut power on high-wind days during the onrushing wildfire season could plunge millions of residents into darkness. And the vast majority isn’t ready for it. The plan by...
Florida Passes ‘Catch All’ Insurance Bill Impacting Surplus Lines, Catastrophe Fund
May 13 2019 // A Florida bill that the insurance industry says will help modernize the state’s surplus lines system, as well as impact property insurer contracts under the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund and reduce “bad...
How Homes Are Being Built, Raised to Withstand Extreme Weather
May 13 2019 // Breezy Point is beautiful in the summertime, a quaint neighborhood sitting on a slim peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic just south of New York City. In a storm, though, that dreamy setting can become a...
House-Passed Hurricane, Farm Disaster Aid Bill Includes Flood Insurance Extension
May 13 2019 // The House on Friday passed a $19 billion disaster aid bill that would deliver long-sought relief to farmers, victims of hurricanes and floods, and rebuild southern military bases, as Democrats try to dislodge the...
Possible Tornado Tears Roof from Arkansas Apartment Complex
May 10 2019 // Several people were injured when a possible tornado tore the roof off an Arkansas apartment building, part of a powerful line of thunderstorms that was dumping more rain Thursday on already drenched areas throughout the...
Insurance Department: Claims from Deadly California Wildfires Top $12B
May 9 2019 // Insurance claims have topped $12 billion for the November wildfires in California, making them the most expensive in state history. The figure released on May 8 by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara covers the fire that...
Trump Visits Storm-Damaged Panhandle, Pledges Financial Aid
May 9 2019 // President Donald Trump blamed congressional Democrats for a lagging federal response to the hurricane-ravaged Florida Panhandle on Wednesday, declaring that his political opponents care more about investigating his...
Florida Passes Bill Seeking to Ease Post-Hurricane Outages
May 9 2019 // Florida utilities would have to come up with a 10-year plan to strengthen and bury power lines in an effort to ease post-hurricane power outages under a bill waiting to be signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Senate...
Judge Tells PG&E’s Board to Tour Wildfire-Ravaged California Town
May 8 2019 // A federal judge has ordered board members of Pacific Gas & Electric to tour the Northern California town of Paradise, which was leveled by a wildfire that may have been caused by the utility’s equipment. The...
Insured Losses from November 2018 California Wildfires Top $12B
May 8 2019 // Insured losses from the most destructive wildfire month in California’s history climbed $614 million in the first three months of the year, pushing total claims over $12 billion as of April, the California Department...
USGS: 2 Small Earthquakes Hit Southwest Alaska
May 7 2019 // Two small earthquakes have hit southwest Alaska, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. At 1:43 p.m. Sunday, a magnitude 3.4 earthquake hit a spot in the Gulf of Alaska. The agency says the earthquake had an epicenter 147.4...
NHC: Hurricane Florence 9th Most Destructive Storm, Caused $24B in Damage
May 7 2019 // Hurricane Florence killed 22 people across three Southeastern states, was the ninth most destructive storm in terms of property damage in U.S. history and spawned 44 tornadoes, a report from the National Hurricane Center...
Swiss Re: Insurance Industry Must Wake Up to Costs of ‘Secondary’ Catastrophe Perils
May 6 2019 // The insurance industry must wake up to the growing cost of “secondary” catastrophe perils, which amounted to more than 60 percent of the $76 billion price tag for insured natural catastrophe losses during 2018,...
Busy Wildfire Season Along West Coast: Forecast
May 3 2019 // Most of the country can expect a normal wildfire season but residents along the West Coast of the United States should be ready for another busy season, the National Interagency Fire Center said this week. California...
Swiss Re’s Q1 Profit of $429M Hit by Natural Catastrophes, Boeing Crash
May 3 2019 // Reinsurer Swiss Re AG’s reported an unexpected 6 percent fall in quarterly net profit on Friday as claims from large losses offset higher net premiums and a solid return on investments. Net profit came in at $429...
Twisters Swirl Through Tornado Alley in South Central States
May 2 2019 // Severe thunderstorms spawned numerous tornadoes across northern Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, downing trees and utility lines and damaging roofs. No injuries have been reported. The National Weather Service issued numerous...
PG&E Seeks Court Approval for $105M Fund to Aid California Wildfire Victims
May 2 2019 // PG&E Corp. is seeking court approval for a $105 million fund to help house victims of the wildfires blamed on the bankrupt California power provider. PG&E in a filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in San Francisco on...
April 18 Mississippi Tornado Outbreak Ties State’s One-Day Record
May 2 2019 // The National Weather Service is now confirming 44 tornadoes in Mississippi from the April 18 outbreak, tying the record for a single event. Forecasters say they also confirmed that many tornadoes in Mississippi during...
PG&E Still Has No Estimate on Compensating California Wildfire Victims
May 1 2019 // Pacific Gas & Electric Corp.’s top financial executives said during a bankruptcy meeting Monday they still haven’t determined when the utility can start compensating victims of recent wildfires started by...
