Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Poll: Most Floridians Say They’re Prepared for Hurricanes, But Not Covered for Flood
Aug 14 2018 // Last year’s intense hurricane season has motivated most Florida residents to prepare for hurricanes that could hit the state this year, according to a recent survey by the Property Casualty Insurers Association of...
Hawaii’s Big Island to Seek $550M for Volcano Disaster Recovery
Aug 13 2018 // Big Island Mayor Harry Kim is planning to ask the Hawaii Legislature for $550 million for disaster recovery following the effects of the Kilauea volcano eruption. Kim said he discussed a conceptual plan with Gov. David Ige...
Liberty Mutual’s Q2 Profit Jumps on Life Unit Sale, Lower Catastrophe Costs
Aug 12 2018 // The sale of a life insurance unit and an easing of catastrophe costs boosted Liberty Mutual Holding Co.’s net income for the second quarter to $981 million, well above the $126 million it saw in the same quarter last...
Church Mutual, Church & Casualty Pilot Wildfire Loss Prevention Program in California
Aug 10 2018 // Church Mutual Insurance Company and Church & Casualty Insurance Agency have launched CM Wildfire Solutions, a no-cost, multifaceted program to keep customers and their property safe from the devastation of...
Massachusetts Town Condemns More Buildings After Tornado
Aug 10 2018 // Two more buildings damaged when a tornado tore through a Massachusetts town last weekend have been condemned. The Telegram & Gazette reports that two buildings in Webster were demolished Saturday soon after the storm...
July’s Droughts, Wildfires, Floods Caused Billions in Global Economic Losses: Aon
Aug 10 2018 // Many countries across the globe saw worsening in drought-related and wildfire conditions during July, which have led to hundreds of deaths and created a significant financial impact – particularly in the agriculture,...
3rd Major Earthquake Hits Indonesian Island of Lombok; Deaths Top 300
Aug 10 2018 // The Indonesian island of Lombok was shaken by a third big earthquake in little more than a week Thursday as the official death toll from the most powerful of the quakes topped 300. The strong aftershock, measured at...
NOAA : Fewer Atlantic Storms Now Expected for Rest of Hurricane Season
Aug 10 2018 // Conditions in the ocean and the atmosphere are producing a less active Atlantic hurricane season than initially predicted in May. Forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said the likelihood of a...
Cost of Fighting Wildfires in Oregon Far Ahead of Last Year’s Pace
Aug 10 2018 // The estimated cost of fighting Oregon wildfires this summer stands at more than $180 million. That’s $30 million more than at the same time last year. The Mail Tribune reported that 75 percent of those dollars have...
Trump Team Blames California Wildfires on Environmentalists, Sparking Backlash
Aug 9 2018 // Scientists say California’s record wildfires have been fed by an abnormally hot and dry fire season made worse by climate change, but the Trump administration insists there’s another culprit: environmentalists...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association: Rates Inadequate by More Than 30%
Aug 9 2018 // While the board of the directors of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association voted at its recent quarterly meeting to raise rates for residential and commercial properties by 10 percent next year, the group acknowledges a...
Typhoon Shanshan Moves Past Tokyo, Averting Major Disruption
Aug 9 2018 // Typhoon Shanshan spared most parts of Tokyo and is expected to head northward along Japan’s eastern coast, averting major disruption for commuters in and around the capital. The slow-moving storm was located 60...
Texas Governor Renews Hurricane Harvey Disaster Declaration
Aug 8 2018 // Texas Governor Greg Abbott has extended the disaster declaration for 60 counties impacted by Hurricane Harvey last year. Abbott first issued a disaster declaration on Aug. 23, 2017, for Aransas, Austin, Bee, Brazoria,...
IBHS Study Chronicles Hurricane Harvey Wind Damage, Provides Takeaways
Aug 8 2018 // Hurricane Harvey will be remembered as an epic flooding disaster – and rightly so. But there is more to the story of this brutal hurricane which struck in late August 2017, according to the Insurance Institute for...
Wildfires in California Are Mostly Burning in Rural Areas
Aug 8 2018 // Dry, hot and windy conditions are threatening to expand California’s largest wildfires, which so far are burning in largely rural areas, muting their economic impact. The fires, which have killed 12 people and burned...
Typhoon Shanshan Approaches Tokyo, Slowly
Aug 8 2018 // Typhoon Shanshan continued its slow-moving approach toward the Tokyo region, with the tropical storm’s arrival likely to disrupt commuters from Wednesday night through Thursday morning. Authorities are warning that...
Insurance Charity Responding to Historic California Wildfires
Aug 7 2018 // The insurance industry is responding to the massive blazes across California in a way that goes beyond merely paying claims. More than $30,000 has been collected within the last week to help victims of the dozens of...
Texas Commission Seeking Comments for Texas Windstorm Insurance Review
Aug 7 2018 // While the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is not subject to closure by the state’s Sunset Commission, the insurer is subject to periodic review by the commission as required by the Texas Sunset Act. As it...
Tornado Warnings in Wyoming Increasing This Year
Aug 7 2018 // The National Weather Service has issued more than double the number of tornado warnings in Wyoming so far this year than are typically issued. The Casper Star-Tribune reported the service has issued 51 warnings in Wyoming...
Largest Wildfire in California History Continues to Grow
Aug 7 2018 // Twin fires in Northern California being treated as one became the largest wildfire in state history, destroying 443 square miles. The Mendocino Complex fire north of San Francisco was still growing this week as it broke...
