Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Catastrophe Bonds Absorb ‘Black Swan’ Event Dealt by Melissa
Nov 10 2025 // A rare thing is about to happen in the $55 billion market for catastrophe bonds: a trigger event will wipe out 100% of a bond’s principal. Jamaica’s $150 million cat bond has been the subject of controversy...
Jamaica Catastrophe Bond Headed for Full Payout After Hurricane, World Bank Says
Nov 7 2025 // Investors in Jamaica’s catastrophe bond now face a 100% payout after Hurricane Melissa set off a full trigger event, according to the World Bank. Jamaica’s $150 million cat bond, which was arranged by the World...
Wildfire Victims Ask Gov. Newsom to Call for Insurance Commissioner’s Resignation
Nov 6 2025 // A few of the victims of the Los Angeles wildfires in January are asking California Gov. Gavin Newsom to call for the resignation of California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara over reforms Lara pushed that were designed...
KCC Estimates Privately Insured Losses From Hurricane Melissa Will Hit $2.4 Billion
Nov 6 2025 // Catastrophe modeling company KCC estimates that privately insured losses from Hurricane Melissa will hit $2.4 billion. This estimate includes insured damages to residential, commercial, and industrial properties in Jamaica...
Zurich Insurance Sees No Material Loss From Hurricane Melissa, CFO Says
Nov 6 2025 // Zurich Insurance does not expect any material financial losses from claims related to Hurricane Melissa, the insurer’s finance chief Claudia Cordioli said on Thursday. “A large number of members of those...
Here’s How Much Hurricane Melissa Was Worsened by Climate Change
Nov 6 2025 // Hurricane Melissa became the most powerful storm on record to strike Jamaica in part because of water made hotter and air made wetter by global warming, a new analysis has found. The storm was also one of the strongest to...
Two Men Charged with Terrorism Plot at LGBTQ+ Bars in Detroit Suburb
Nov 5 2025 // Two 20-year-old men who had acquired high-powered weapons and practiced at gun ranges were scouting LGBTQ+ bars in suburban Detroit in September for a possible Halloween attack, authorities said Monday in filing...
Philippine Typhoon Deaths Climb to 116 as New Storm Looms
Nov 5 2025 // Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least 116 people in the Philippines, becoming the deadliest storm to hit the Southeast Asian nation in a year, with dozens more missing. The typhoon, locally known as Tino, also displaced more...
Update: Jamaica to Get Record $70.8M Parametric Payout for Hurricane Melissa
Nov 4 2025 // The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) announced it will make a payout of US$70.8 million to the government of Jamaica to cover damages from Hurricane Melissa. This marks the largest single payout in the...
Typhoon Kalmaegi Kills 21 as It Pummels Central Philippines
Nov 4 2025 // Typhoon Kalmaegi killed 21 people and displaced nearly 400,000 more as it dumped heavy rains and caused widespread flooding in central Philippines, according to officials and local media. Many of the fatalities were in...
CNA Net Income for Q3 Up 42% on Lower Catastrophe Losses
Nov 4 2025 // CNA Financial Corp. recorded third quarter net income of $403 million compared with $283 million a year during the same period. Pretax catastrophe losses were $41 million for Q3, down more than $100 million from the prior...
Insured Losses From Hurricane Melissa Could Reach $4.2 Billion, Verisk Estimates
Nov 3 2025 // Insured losses from Hurricane Melissa’s strike on Jamaica are expected to range between $2.2 billion and $4.2 billion, according to estimates from data analytics firm Verisk. The Category 5 hurricane made landfall in...
Jamaica Catastrophe Bond Has Now Triggered, Government Says
Nov 3 2025 // Jamaica’s catastrophe bond has now triggered as a result of the fallout from Hurricane Melissa, the government said. “Over the next few weeks we’ll get more details into what the payout is,” Dana...
Wildfire Forces Rural Community in Southern Texas to Evacuate
Oct 31 2025 // Thick smoke blanketed a rural community in southern Texas and many residents were ordered to evacuate as firefighters worked to contain a blaze Wednesday evening, officials said. The Mill Fire in Gregory, Texas, about 150...
Hurricane Melissa to Bring Wet, Windy Weather to Northern Europe
Oct 31 2025 // Hurricane Melissa is forecast to dissipate in the Atlantic Ocean next week, bringing wet and windy weather to northern Europe after wrecking havoc across the Caribbean. The record-setting storm left a trail of destruction...
Satellite Data Reveals Hurricane Melissa Damage in Jamaica
Oct 31 2025 // As Hurricane Melissa sweeps past Bermuda, new satellite data of Jamaica has revealed devastation for tourist center Montego Bay and much of the Western part of the country. At least 40% of the buildings and roads in the...
Expert Underwriter Secures Critical Wildfire Coverage for High-Risk California Warehouse, Saving Key Account
Oct 30 2025 // Monrovia, CA ., Oct 30, 2025 – In a notable victory against challenging market conditions, the specialized underwriting team at Greenwood General Insurance Agency successfully placed a complex property insurance policy...
Jamaica’s Grid Was Not Ready for Hurricane Melissa
Oct 30 2025 // After Hurricane Beryl devastated Jamaica’s grid last year, officials at the island’s sole utility vowed to fortify it. But the company’s initiatives were only in the planning and early implementation...
Hurricane Melissa Wreaks $8 Billion of Damage, Kills Dozens
Oct 30 2025 // The devastation from Hurricane Melissa came into focus after the record-setting storm moved past Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba with at least 33 deaths and almost $8 billion of damage in its wake. Across the Caribbean, the...
SCE Wildfire Fund to Pay Millions, Fast-Track Death Claims
Oct 29 2025 // Southern California Edison said on Wednesday it would pay several million dollars each to families who lost loved ones in the January wildfires that scorched 14,000 acres in greater Los Angeles and destroyed thousands of...
