Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Congress Sends Bill to Boost Weather Research to President’s Desk
Apr 11 2017 // The National Weather Service would have to boost research – including some from private companies – to improve forecasts and storm warnings under a bill headed to President Donald trump’s desk. Lawmakers said the...
Looks Like Below-Average Atlantic Hurricane Season, Say Colorado Forecasters
Apr 11 2017 // Colorado State University hurricane researchers are predicting a slightly below-average Atlantic hurricane season in 2017, citing the potential development of El Niño as well as recent anomalous cooling in the tropical...
North Carolina Requests Nearly $1B from Congress for Hurricane Recovery
Apr 10 2017 // North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is seeking nearly $1 billion from Congress to help North Carolina counties still recovering from Hurricane Matthew more than six months after it caused massive inland flooding and killed 28...
Oklahoma Earthquakes Lawsuit Against Energy Companies Dismissed
Apr 7 2017 // A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against three oil and gas companies over Oklahoma’s ongoing earthquakes. The lawsuit, filed last year on behalf of Sierra Club Oklahoma, asked for a reduction of production...
Missouri Tornado Damaged School, Fire House
Apr 7 2017 // A tornado with wind speeds of up to 120 mph caused damage to a fire station, elementary school and several other buildings in southwest Missouri, the National Weather Service said. Meteorologist Mike Griffin said the...
U.S. Weather in March to Cost Insurers More than $2 Billion: Aon
Apr 7 2017 // Four severe weather outbreaks in the U.S. throughout March led to extensive damage in the central and eastern parts of the country, costing the insurance industry in excess of US$2.0 billion, according to a report...
Tornado Confirmed in Mississippi
Apr 7 2017 // The National Weather Service confirms that a tornado struck southwest Mississippi on Monday. A survey showed that a twister with top winds of 110 mph (175 kph) touched down just inside Franklin County at 12:57 a.m. It...
This Year Already Among Oklahoma’s Most Active for Wildfires
Apr 5 2017 // Oklahoma Forestry Services officials say 2017 is already among the most active years on record for wildfires. The agency has responded to more than 800 wildfires so far that resulted in more than 450,000 acres of burnt...
PERILS Releases Updated Exposure Database
Apr 4 2017 // PERILS AG, the independent Zurich-based company that provides industry-wide catastrophe insurance data, has released the 2017 update of the PERILS Industry Exposure Database (IED). The updated database is composed of more...
U.S. Supreme Court to Hear if Arab Bank Is Financially Liable for Terrorist Attacks
Apr 4 2017 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider reviving litigation seeking to hold Arab Bank Plc financially liable for militant attacks in Israel and the Palestinian territories that accused the Jordan-based bank of...
USDA OKs Emergency Loans for Oklahoma Ranchers Affected by Wildfires
Apr 4 2017 // Gov. Mary Fallin says the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved emergency loans for livestock producers in six Oklahoma counties affected by recent wildfires. The fires in early March burned more than 1,200 square...
Update: Death Toll Rises, Dozens Injured in Russia Subway Terror Attack
Apr 3 2017 // A subway bombing in St. Petersburg killed 11 people and injured dozens more during a hometown visit by President Vladimir Putin, officials said, renewing fears of terrorism in Russia’s biggest cities less than a year...
2 California Congressmen Introduce Earthquake Mitigation Tax Incentives
Apr 3 2017 // A pair of Congressmen from California in late March introduced the Earthquake Mitigation Incentive and Tax Parity Act of 2017 to exclude incentives for residential seismic retrofits from federal taxation. The act was...
USGS Forecasts Lower Overall Seismic Hazard for Oklahoma in 2017
Apr 3 2017 // Oklahoma experienced fewer earthquakes last year compared with 2015 and a recent study of human-induced earthquakes predicts another year of reduced seismicity for the state in 2017. The U.S. Geological Survey warns,...
Michigan’s Auto Insurance Fee for Catastrophic Injuries Rising to $170
Apr 3 2017 // The annual auto insurance fee Michigan drivers pay toward caring for people catastrophically injured in crashes is rising to $170, a $10 increase. The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association announced the new per-car...
USGS Lowers Seismic Hazard Forecast for Oklahoma in 2017
Mar 31 2017 // Oklahoma experienced fewer earthquakes last year compared with 2015 and a recent study of human-induced earthquakes predicts another year of reduced seismicity for the state in 2017. The U.S. Geological Survey warns,...
Mississippi Long-Term Recovery Agency Back to Work in Tornado-Ravaged Areas
Mar 29 2017 // The long-term recovery agency in Hattiesburg, Miss., R3SM, is still getting some of its people in place, but officials with the organization say it is ready to take on the huge job of leading three of the four counties hit...
Insured Cat Losses in 2016 Rose 42% at Highest Level Since 2012: Swiss Re
Mar 28 2017 // Insured losses from disasters rose 42 percent to $54 billion last year, according to Swiss Re. That’s the highest since 2012 and the equivalent of 0.07 percent of global gross domestic product. Floods in Europe, the...
Cat 4 Cyclone Debbie Pounds Australia; Insurance Council Declares Catastrophe
Mar 28 2017 // A powerful cyclone tore into Australia’s northeastern coast on Tuesday, forcing thousands of people to flee, shuttering coal to gold mines and prompting insurers to declare a catastrophe. Cyclone Debbie made landfall...
Florida Conditions Ripe For More Wildfires
Mar 28 2017 // The smell of smoke is in downtown Orlando. On Sunday, a brush fire caused a part of State Road 528 to be shut down between Orlando and the Space Coast. A fire burned last week near the north-central Florida town of Bunnell...
