Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fire Chiefs in California Want Money to Prepare for Wildfires
Mar 1 2018 // California fire chiefs said that reinforcements were too slow to arrive in last year’s ferocious firestorms and asked lawmakers for $100 million to call in extra firefighters when weather conditions are ripe for a...
Pool Re Extends Retrocession Program to $2.9B with Cyber Terrorism Now Covered
Mar 1 2018 // Pool Re announced it has renewed its retro program and extended the cover to include material damage and direct business interruption (BI) caused by acts of terrorism “using remote digital interference.” The...
Liberty Mutual Net Income Fell in 2017 Due to Catastrophes, Commercial Auto, Taxes
Feb 28 2018 // Liberty Mutual reported $17 million in net income for 2017, down substantially from more than $1 billion in 2016. The insurer pointed to catastrophe losses, adverse development in its commercial automobile business and a...
Earthquake in Papua New Guinea Causes ‘Massive Destruction’; Death Toll Rises
Feb 28 2018 // Whole villages were flattened and water sources spoiled by a powerful earthquake that killed at least 20 people, residents said on Wednesday as rescuers struggled to reach the hardest-hit areas in Papua New Guinea’s...
Europe’s Storm Friederike (aka David) to Cost Insurers €1.5B (US$1.8B): PERILS
Feb 28 2018 // The initial insured price tag for Extratropical Cyclone Friederike, also known as David, is an estimated €1.5 billion (US$1.8 billion), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization that provides...
Tornadoes, Flooding From Severe Storms Cause Damage, Deaths in Appalachia
Feb 27 2018 // The death toll rose to at least five on Sunday after severe thunderstorms swept through the central U.S., spawning a tornado that flattened homes, gale force winds and widespread flooding from the Upper Midwest to...
Weather Service Confirms 2 Weekend Tornadoes in Arkansas
Feb 27 2018 // The National Weather Service says two tornadoes struck northeast Arkansas during the weekend, including one that killed a man before moving into southeast Missouri. The weather service says an EF-2 tornado with winds of up...
Record Number of Californians Applied for Earthquake Retrofit Grants
Feb 26 2018 // The Earthquake Brace + Bolt program closed its latest registration with more than 7,500 California homeowners applying for 2,000 retrofit grants. The EBB, funded primarily by the California Earthquake Authority, closed...
Puerto Rico Governor Orders Review of Hurricane Death Count
Feb 26 2018 // Puerto Rico’s governor has announced that a team of experts at George Washington University will lead an independent, in-depth review to determine the number of deaths caused by Hurricane Maria amid accusations that...
Berkshire’s 14-Year Insurance Win Streak Comes to an End
Feb 26 2018 // Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway’s combination of insurance entities have recorded 14 consecutive years of underwriting profit worth more than $28 billion. The Oracle from Omaha has repeatedly warned his...
Kansas House Panel Rejects Earthquake-Prevention Bill
Feb 20 2018 // A Kansas House committee has rejected a bill that was designed to prevent earthquakes that experts say are caused by oil and gas production wastewater disposal methods. The Sierra Club and several Kansas residents who say...
TDI: Nearly 670K Property Insurance Claims Generated in Texas by Hurricane Harvey
Feb 19 2018 // Hurricane Harvey resulted in nearly 670,000 in combined personal and commercial property insurance claims to private insurers, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) and the Texas Fair Access to Insurance...
Europe’s Windstorm Burglind (aka Eleanor) Estimated to Cost $802.5M: PERILS
Feb 16 2018 // Initial insured losses for Extratropical Cyclone Burglind (also known as Eleanor) are estimated at €643 million (US$802.5 million), according to PERILS, the Zurich-based organization that provides industry-wide...
UK’s Pool Re Launches Terrorism Risk Assessment Tool to Help Insureds Cut Premiums
Feb 14 2018 // Pool Re, the UK terrorism reinsurer, announced the launch of the Vulnerability Self-Assessment Tool (VSAT). Aimed at medium and large businesses, this tool will enable Pool Re member insurers to offer a 5 percent premium...
Nearly 670K Property Insurance Claims in Texas from Hurricane Harvey: TDI
Feb 13 2018 // Hurricane Harvey resulted in nearly 670,000 in combined personal and commercial property insurance claims to private insurers, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) and the Texas Fair Access to Insurance...
All Types of Disasters Covered at Oklahoma’s National Tornado Summit
Feb 13 2018 // The Oklahoma Insurance Department reports that national experts will share innovative strategies in recovering from tornadoes, wildfires, flooding, hurricanes and more at the 2018 National Tornado Summit to be held in...
CNA Reports Solid Q4 and Year 2017 Despite Catastrophes
Feb 13 2018 // Insurer CNA saw its fourth quarter 2017 combined ratio improve and its quarterly net income dip only slightly despite catastrophe losses. For the full year 2017, it achieved net income of nearly $900 million, which was...
False Alarms Shake Confidence in Public Alert System
Feb 13 2018 // Weather junkie John Grosso knew it was highly unlikely a monster wave was barreling toward the Connecticut coast. Still, when a tsunami warning appeared out of the blue on his phone Tuesday, he felt a twinge of fear. His...
Judge Voids Verdict on Arab Bank Liability for Terrorism; Triggers Settlements
Feb 12 2018 // A U.S. appeals court has thrown out a 2014 jury verdict finding Arab Bank Plc liable for knowingly supporting militant attacks in Israel linked to Hamas, a decision that triggers a settlement agreement with hundreds of...
Fracking Earthquakes Pop Up in Unexpected Corner of Oklahoma’s Shale Patch
Feb 9 2018 // The oil prospectors of Oklahoma, it appeared, finally had a solution to their earthquake problem. Ordered by regulators to curb the wastewater they were dumping deep into the ground, they watched with satisfaction as...
