Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wildfires Burn in Texas as High Heat, Low Humidity Persist
Jul 24 2018 // Triple digit temperatures, low humidity and extreme drought conditions across much of Texas have firefighters battling wildfires and residents doing their best to escape the heat. The state’s largest wildfire, the...
Tropical Storm in Vietnam Triggers Floods, Killing at Least 20 People
Jul 24 2018 // Flooding triggered by a tropical storm has killed at least 20 people and left over a dozen missing in northern Vietnam, local media reports said. Ten people drowned in floods caused by heavy rain in Yen Bai province after...
California Wildfire Continues to Grow Near Yosemite
Jul 24 2018 // California firefighters worked in worsening heat Monday to contain a forest fire outside Yosemite National Park. The Ferguson Fire had scorched nearly 53 square miles of timber and brush in the Sierra Nevada west of...
Sweden Wildfires Destroy More Than $100M Worth of Forested Land
Jul 24 2018 // Swedish authorities said the risk of fires spreading across the country will hit “extreme” levels this week as emergency services battle dozens of blazes that have already destroyed more than $100 million worth...
Greek Wildfires Claim at Least 74 Lives in Worst Blazes Since 2007
Jul 24 2018 // Greek firefighters say that at least 74 people were killed in wildfires in the country’s Attica region, which includes Athens, as a summer heatwave has increased the risk of blazes across Europe. The fires struck two...
U.S. Flood Models Still in Infancy, So Underwriters Must Be ‘Cautious Consumers’
Jul 24 2018 // The market for privately written inland flood insurance in the United States is growing rapidly, but flood modeling is still in its infancy. As a result, underwriters need to be aware of the differences that exist among...
2 Tornadoes Knock Out Power for 20K People in Kentucky
Jul 24 2018 // The National Weather Service has confirmed two tornadoes during severe storms in Kentucky that toppled trees and power lines. The weather service in Louisville says storms on Friday produced an EF-1 tornado in Hart County...
Unexpected Iowa Tornadoes Flatten Buildings, Injure at Least 17
Jul 23 2018 // Thousands of people were without power Friday after a flurry of unexpected tornadoes swept through central Iowa, injuring at least 17 people and flattening buildings in three cities. The storms even surprised weather...
UK Motor Insurers to Mutualize Claims for Terrorist Attacks Using Vehicles as Weapons
Jul 23 2018 // UK motor insurers have voted for the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) to handle and pay the claims from victims involved in a terrorist event where a vehicle is used to kill or injure. MIB is the UK’s not-for-profit body...
Sweden Battles 50 Wildfires with Help of Firefighters Across Europe
Jul 23 2018 // As wildfires raging through Sweden exhaust local emergency services, Europe is sending hundreds of people to help contain multiple blazes across the country. France, Germany and Denmark have dispatched more than 100...
North Dakota Looking at New RV Safety Standards After Deadly Tornado
Jul 19 2018 // A deadly tornado that recently struck a western North Dakota city has prompted state and local officials to call for increased safety standards for RV parks that often house oilfield workers and families. McKenzie County...
Travelers Q2 Profit Dips Due to Hail, Harvey
Jul 19 2018 // Travelers Companies reported that catastrophe losses from wind and hail storms in several regions of the United States cut into its second quarter profit. Net income for the quarter was $524 million compared to $595...
Oasis Loss Modelling Framework Offered Open Source, Free of Charge
Jul 19 2018 // Not-for-profit catastrophe modeling platform “Oasis Loss Modelling Framework” announced that all components of its catastrophe modeling software are now open source and downloadable from GitHub, free of...
Monsoon Brings 100-Year Flooding Event to Arizona
Jul 18 2018 // The National Weather Service says the storm that swept across northern Arizona over the weekend amounted to a 100-year event. The Arizona Daily Sun reported that those types of storms have a 1 percent chance of happening...
RMS Strengthens Asia-Pacific Capabilities in Version 18 of Modeling Software
Jul 17 2018 // RMS, the Newark, Calif.-based risk modeling and analytics firm, announced it has strengthened the Asia Pacific capabilities of its Version 18 catastrophe risk management software. The Asia Pacific model suit is being...
New Orleans Won’t Have to Return $2B in Hurricane Katrina Grants
Jul 16 2018 // Congressman Cedric Richmond says New Orleans can keep $2 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency grants approved to fix sewers and water pipes damaged by Hurricane Katrina. A Department of Homeland Security audit...
North Dakota Official Says Tornado Warning Worked, But Residents Didn’t Hear It
Jul 16 2018 // All eight outdoor warning sirens in a North Dakota oil patch city were sounded before a deadly tornado ravaged an RV park, but park residents and others said they didn’t hear them, authorities said. A newborn baby...
Sustainable Re/Insurance Industry Vital in Uncertain World: Swiss Re’s Ojeisekhoba
Jul 16 2018 // Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore described it as “the first taste of a bitter cup that will be proffered to us over and over again.” That devastating event killed more...
Insurance Industry Is Rethinking Cat Modeling After Last Year’s Disasters
Jul 16 2018 // After Hurricane Harvey swept through Texas last August, it not only left behind nearly 50 inches of rain in some areas and an estimated $125 billion in damage, but questions for the insurance industry in terms of how to...
Below-Average Activity Seen for Rest of Hurricane Season
Jul 16 2018 // Scientists at Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorology Project have decreased their forecast and now believe that 2018 hurricane season will have below-average activity. According to the forecasters, the...
