Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Sheriff: Arson a Possibility in Deadly Oklahoma Wildfire
Apr 23 2018 // Authorities are investigating the possibility of arson in connection with one of two large wildfires burning in Oklahoma, a blaze that’s resulted in the death of one person. Dewey County Sheriff Clay Sander said that...
Firefighters Hope Better Weather Will Aid Oklahoma Wildfire Fight
Apr 20 2018 // Firefighters are hoping higher humidity and milder winds will help them fight wildfires in Oklahoma, though conditions are critical in Arizona and New Mexico. U.S. Forest Service spokesman Todd Schroeder said on April 19...
Deadlines for Texas Windstorm Insurer Appraisal Demands Extended
Apr 19 2018 // The deadlines for a Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) claimant to demand appraisal of a claim for damages caused by Hurricane Harvey have been extended, the Texas Department of Insurance reports. An extension of...
California Wildfire Insurance Bills Moved Forward by Committee
Apr 19 2018 // A policy committee in California Legislature has unanimously approved a pair of wildfire-inspired bills by Assemblyman Marc Levine requiring insurance companies to notify homeowners whether their policies are sufficient to...
6 Tornadoes Confirmed in Mississippi from Weekend Storm
Apr 19 2018 // The National Weather Service confirms six tornadoes hit Mississippi on Saturday. Tornadoes were reported in Lafayette, Lamar, Lauderdale, Rankin and Winston counties. Surveyors say damage in Lowndes County was caused by a...
Quake Scenario: More than 1M Bay Area Homes Could Suffer Extensive Damage
Apr 18 2018 // More than a million San Francisco Bay Area residents would face extensive damage to their homes after a major earthquake on the Hayward fault, according to a new earthquake scenario developed by the U.S. Geological...
Spring Storm Brings Tornadoes, Floods to Southeast
Apr 18 2018 // A mid-April storm that pushed across the U.S. created a tornado in North Carolina that killed a person, caused widespread power outages in North and South Carolina and caused flooding emergencies in West Virginia and...
Surveyors Confirm 2 More Tornadoes Hit Arkansas Over Weekend
Apr 18 2018 // Survey teams with the National Weather Service have confirmed 11 tornadoes so far from the severe storms that hit Arkansas on Friday and Saturday. The NWS previously said it had confirmed nine tornadoes. The two strongest...
Reinsurance Capacity Remains Abundant for Mid-Year Renewals: Aon Benfield
Apr 18 2018 // Global reinsurer capital continued to rise in 2017, despite the US$136 billion in insured losses from natural catastrophes last year, according to a reinsurance market report published by Aon Benfield. Indeed, capital...
Small Businesses Hampered by Uninsured Damage After 2017 Hurricanes: Fed Reserve
Apr 17 2018 // Small businesses in the United States struggled with uninsured damages and lost revenue following a record-breaking year of hurricanes and wildfires, according to a Federal Reserve survey published on Tuesday. The report...
2 Killed in Oklahoma Wildfires, Threat Continues
Apr 17 2018 // Wildfires have killed two people and burned more than 400,000 acres in western Oklahoma, and dry, windy weather already hindering firefighting efforts there will only get worse as the week progresses, fire and forestry...
9 Tornadoes Confirmed in Arkansas from Weekend Storms
Apr 17 2018 // Survey teams with the National Weather Service have confirmed nine tornadoes so far from the severe storms that hit Arkansas on Friday and Saturday. The two strongest tornadoes were both rated EF2. One hit Mountainburg in...
Terrorist Attack Victims Seek to Restart Lawsuit Against Facebook After Zuckerberg Testimony
Apr 17 2018 // A lawyer for victims of terrorist attacks in Israel on Monday urged a federal appeals court to revive their lawsuit against Facebook Inc., saying Mark Zuckerberg’s congressional testimony undermined the social media...
Florida’s Citizens Reopens More Than 25K Hurricane Irma Claims
Apr 17 2018 // Citizens Property Insurance Corp. says it has reopened about 37 percent of its Hurricane Irma claims, according to a statement from the Florida insurer of last resort. The insurer says the reopening of claims is part of...
Buildings Damaged as Tornadoes Hit Southern Missouri County
Apr 16 2018 // The National Weather Service says two tornadoes hit sparsely-populated rural areas of Wright County in southern Missouri as strong storms raked states from Texas north to Iowa. Springfield television station KOLR reports...
Dozens of Wildfires Burn Hundreds of Square Miles in Oklahoma, Texas
Apr 16 2018 // Strong winds are fueling more than two dozen wildfires burning across Oklahoma and Texas. Authorities say one blaze in western Oklahoma is estimated to be nearly 40 miles across at its widest point. Oklahoma Forestry...
NOAA to Retire Hurricane Names Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate
Apr 16 2018 // The names of four deadly hurricanes that slammed parts of the United States, Central America and the Caribbean last year are being retired. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that hurricane names...
2 Tornadoes Knock Out Power in Florida City, Delay Flights
Apr 13 2018 // Weather officials say two tornadoes hit a Florida city on Tuesday, causing mostly minor damage. The National Weather Service confirmed that one tornado touched down shortly after 3:30 p.m. in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Fort...
Oklahoma Orders More Cuts in Water Injection Amounts After Earthquakes
Apr 12 2018 // The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has directed a wastewater disposal well to reduce its volume of injection after more than a dozen earthquakes rattled part of northwest Oklahoma since Friday. The U.S. Geological Survey...
Everest Re Expects Q1 Catastrophe Losses of $100M on Rising California Wildfire Claims
Apr 12 2018 // Everest Re Group Ltd. estimates it will incur $100 million of catastrophe losses, net of reinsurance recoverables and reinstatement premiums, in the first quarter of 2018, largely arising from the California wildfires and...
