Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Containment Increased on Massive Wildfire, 640 Structures Destroyed
Aug 5 2024 // Firefighters have increased containment on the 627-square-mile Park Fire near Chico, California, which is now 34% contained. The fire, now the fourth largest wildfire in history, is 401,740 acres. It was 24% contained on...
Hurricane Slams Florida After Gaining Fury in Warm Waters
Aug 5 2024 // Hurricane Debby slammed into Florida southeast of Tallahassee as a Category 1 storm after intensifying over warm waters, the latest evidence that this will be a robust season for tropical cyclones. The storm’s top...
Legislation Will Provide $100M in Aid to Victims of Wildfires and Flooding in New Mexico
Aug 5 2024 // New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed legislation that will provide $100 million in emergency aid to victims of recent wildfires and flooding in Lincoln County. The spending bill includes $70 million for local...
Insurers’ Losses from Hurricane Beryl Will be ‘Readily’ Absorbed
Aug 5 2024 // Insurers’ losses from Hurricane Beryl will be “low and readily absorbed” and the storm is not expected to change pricing conditions in the property/casualty and reinsurance sectors, Moody’s...
California Wildfire Now State’s Fourth Largest on Record, Containment Increased
Aug 2 2024 // Firefighters have increased containment on the Park Fire near Chico, California, which at 621-square-miles as of Friday is now the fourth largest wildfire in history. The fire, which covers parts of four counties—Butte,...
Toilet Paper and Flat Tires: The Strange Ways Californians Ignite Wildfires
Aug 2 2024 // Of all the insidious threats faced by wildland firefighters — extreme heat, desiccated forests, unpredictable fire behavior and a nearly year-round fire season — what might be the most fearsome? Humans. People do...
Oil and Gas Power Lines Suspected of Causing Texas Panhandle Wildfires
Aug 1 2024 // When a spate of wildfires tore across the Texas Panhandle in February and scorched 20,000 acres of Craig Cowden’s ranch near Skellytown, he decided he had had enough. Cowden took on a second unofficial job: looking...
Hurricane Could Drain Florida Cat Fund’s Reserves. But That May Be OK, Report Says
Aug 1 2024 // A report from Moody’s Ratings service contends that one good hurricane this year could wipe out the Florida Cat Fund’s reserves, potentially forcing it to place a small surcharge on Florida insurance premiums...
North Macedonia Seeks EU Assistance as Wildfires Burn Across the Balkans
Aug 1 2024 // SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia said it was seeking further assistance from the European Union Tuesday to combat wildfires that continue to burn out of control in heatwave temperatures and have crossed the...
Verisk’s PCS Classifies CrowdStrike Incident as a Cyber Catastrophe
Jul 31 2024 // Verisk’s Property Claim Services unit confirmed reports it has designated the recent global information technology outage as a cyber catastrophe event. With the designation, PCS Global Cyber believes what has come to...
600-Square-Mile-Plus Wildfire in California Now State’s Fifth Largest on Record
Jul 31 2024 // The Park Fire near Chico, California, at 609 square miles is now the fifth largest wildfire in history, destroying 277 structures and damaging 29, according to CalFire. The fire covers four counties—Butte, Plumas,...
French Farmers Facing ‘Catastrophic’ Harvest Seek State Help
Jul 31 2024 // French farmers are calling on the government to provide financial aid as there’s a high risk that this year’s wheat harvest will be the lowest in at least a decade because of heavy rains. Three weeks into the...
Damaging West Texas Earthquakes Likely Caused by Oil and Gas Activity: USGS
Jul 31 2024 // Damaging earthquakes that rocked West Texas in recent days were likely caused by oil and gas activity in an area that has weathered tremors for decades, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A sequence that began in...
Wildfire Smoke May Be Worse for Your Brain Than Other Air Pollution, Study Says
Jul 31 2024 // Wildfire smoke may be worse for brain health than other types of air pollution, according to new research linking it to an increased risk of dementia. The findings, reported Monday at the Alzheimer’s Association...
Firefighters Increase Containment on California Wildfire Now at 599 Square Miles
Jul 30 2024 // Containment has increased on a fire that exploded in size and in a few days became California’s sixth largest wildfire, destroying hundreds of structures. The Park Fire near Chico, California, has burned 383,619...
Typhoon Remnants Bring Rains, Floods That Kill Four in China
Jul 30 2024 // Record rainfall and widespread flooding killed four people in China’s southern province of Hunan, with roads in rural areas damaged and access to electricity and the internet disrupted, state media said on...
Rebuilding Rome: Upstate New York City Looking Forward After Destructive Tornado
Jul 30 2024 // A tornado that hit this small, upstate city tore off rooftops, leveled brick buildings and toppled the steeples of two historic churches. No one was killed, but the twister left a debris-strewn scar through downtown and...
California Wildfire Grows to 575 Square Miles, Destroying at Least 100 Structures
Jul 29 2024 // At least 100 structures have been destroyed and roughly 4,200 more are being threatened by the Park Fire, near Chico, California, which has burned 368,256 acres and now touches four counties. Containment on the Park Fire,...
Wildfire in Jasper National Park Could Burn for Months, Canadian Official Says
Jul 29 2024 // JASPER, Alberta (AP) — A wildfire that has destroyed hundreds of structures in the town of Jasper is the largest blaze recorded in Jasper National Park in a century and could still be burning months from now, a Parks...
Texas Earthquakes Prompt Oil Regulator to Inspect Disposal Wells
Jul 29 2024 // The Texas oil regulator said it’s investigating after several earthquakes hit the Permian Basin last week. Extremely salty water that naturally comes out of oil wells is discarded by injecting the slurry back into...
