Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Earthquakes Rattle Southeast Idaho: USGS
Sep 5 2017 // The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed a moderate magnitude 5.3 earthquake has rumbled through southeast Idaho. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter of the quake was located 11 miles east of...
Western U.S. Wildfires Force Evacuations of Thousands
Sep 5 2017 // Wildfires forced thousands to flee their homes across the U.S. West during a sweltering, smoke-shrouded holiday weekend of record heat. The fires caused evacuations in Glacier National Park in Montana and many other parts...
Pre-Monte Carlo Outlook: Reinsurance Rates to Drop Up to 7.5% Despite Harvey
Sep 5 2017 // Global reinsurance rates are likely to fall by up to 7.5 percent at Jan 2018 renewals due to strong competition, despite the impact of Hurricane Harvey, ratings agencies said on Tuesday. Reinsurers, which help insurers...
Florida in State of Emergency as Category 5 Hurricane Irma Threatens
Sep 5 2017 // Florida declared a state of emergency before a possible hurricane strike after Irma strengthened to become a Category 5 storm on its approach to the Caribbean. Irma’s maximum winds rose as high as 175 miles an hour...
Hurricane Harvey Puts Pressure on Regional Insurers in Texas, Says A.M. Best
Sep 5 2017 // Losses anticipated from Hurricane Harvey are unlikely to exceed the top reinsurance limits of insurers writing business in Texas, according to new Best’s Special Report, titled, “Texas Insurers Expected to...
AGCS Expands Terrorism, Political Violence Coverage for U.S. Businesses
Sep 5 2017 // Allianz Group’s specialist corporate insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) has launched coverage for U.S. businesses when faced with loss related to terrorism and political violence both at home and...
Why Federal Flood Program Is Sinking Deeper Into Debt: CBO Report
Sep 5 2017 // The federal flood insurance program is on a course to continue falling deeper in debt, even when there is no catastrophic storm like Katrina or Harvey. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is currently on a path...
Remnants of Harvey Spawn Tornadoes, Floods Across Deep South
Sep 5 2017 // Wayne Doss surveys the damage to his cousin Danny Doss’ mobile home, which was completely destroyed by a tornado in Pickens County, Ala., after a tornado struck Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. The tornado damaged several...
Southern U.S., Caribbean Islands Brace for Hurricane Irma
Sep 4 2017 // Hurricane Irma, barreling toward the Caribbean and the southern United States, was upgraded to a powerful Category 4 storm on Monday as islands in its path braced for a possible onslaught. Hurricane advisories were issued...
Insured Loss Estimates from Harvey Will Take Time
Sep 4 2017 // Flood losses from Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm late on Aug. 25 near Rockport, Texas, are expected to vastly outnumber those from wind but that doesn’t mean property losses will be...
Official Blames Humans for Utah’s Wildfire Cost Doubling
Sep 4 2017 // Utah State Forester Brian Cottam said “stupid human tricks” have led to the states’ wildfire bill being double what it usually is. Cottam says the cost to Utah for this year’s wildfires is projected...
Lessons Learned from Hurricane Andrew
Sep 4 2017 // How the Insurance Industry Can Mitigate the Next Big Natural Disaster As an industry, we knew there could be large and costly hurricanes. We witnessed the destruction that Category 5 Hugo wrought on the Carolinas in 1989....
Declarations
Sep 4 2017 // Campus Guns “College campuses as gun-free zones present an environment where murderers, rapists and other criminals may commit crimes without fear of being harmed by their victims.” — An NRA lobbyist who...
25 Years Later: How Florida’s Insurance Industry Has Changed Since Hurricane Andrew
Sep 4 2017 // Aug. 24, 1992 was anything but a typical Monday for Robert Reynolds as he drove through debris-filled roads and devastation on the way to his family-run agency then located just north of Homestead, Fla. Hurricane Andrew...
Failed Communications Impacted Tennessee Wildfire Response
Sep 4 2017 // Records show failed communication systems hampered the response to last fall’s deadly Tennessee fires. Records that Sevier County began to release in August show that wind and fire on Nov. 28 combined to disable cell...
Devastating S. Asia Floods Kill 1,400, Expose Lack of State Planning for Monsoons
Sep 1 2017 // The most devastating floods to hit South Asia in a decade have killed more than 1,400 people and focused attention on the poor planning and lack of preparedness for annual monsoon rains, as authorities struggle to get aid...
As Harvey Winds Down, Hurricane Irma Waiting in Wings
Sep 1 2017 // Hurricane Harvey has left major devastation in Texas, but there is another hurricane called Irma out in the Atlantic that could take aim at the United States within the next week or so. Irma became a hurricane early on...
4,500 Evacuated as Oregon Wildfires Burn
Aug 31 2017 // Wildfires in Oregon are burning an area roughly equivalent to half the state of Rhode Island, affecting air quality throughout the state and forcing the evacuations of more than 4,500 people, fire authorities said on Aug....
Man Arrested, Suspected of Igniting Fire Near Hard-Hit California Town
Aug 31 2017 // Authorities on Aug. 30 arrested a man suspected of starting an illegal campfire believed to have ignited a growing Northern California blaze that destroyed 10 homes, damaged five others and threatened hundreds more. The...
Small Earthquake Hits Near Subdivision on Hawaii’s Big Island
Aug 31 2017 // A magnitude 3.8 earthquake has struck the island of Hawaii. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake hit at 3:52 p.m. Tuesday. Its epicenter was about 6 miles (9.7 kilometers) northeast of Hawaii Ocean View Estates,...
