Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oklahoma Earthquake Risk: What a Difference Year Makes
May 8 2017 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. For nearly the past decade, the growing number of earthquakes in Oklahoma has gained widespread attention. As described in the CoreLogic® Insights Blog Earthquake...
Texas House Passes ‘Hailstorm’ Bill Aimed at Weather Damage Lawsuits
May 5 2017 // Note: this story was originally published in the Texas Tribune. The Texas House gave initial passage on May 4 to a bill that would make it harder for property owners to sue insurers over weather-related damage to...
Alaska’s 24/7 Earthquake Monitors on Budget Chopping Block
May 5 2017 // Alaska might lose its 24/7 earthquake monitors due to budget cuts. The Juneau Empire reported that as of March 1, more than 25 percent of the Alaska Regional Seismic Network has been offline. Since 2013, staff has...
Study Warns of Rising Risk to Mobile Homes from Tornadoes
May 5 2017 // Tornadoes and mobile homes don’t mix to begin with, but throw in the volatility of climate change and the potential for massive property damage and deaths is even higher in coming decades, indicates a new study by...
Correction: Weekend Tornado Count in Mississippi Rises to 24
May 4 2017 // The National Weather Service says it has confirmed that at least 24 tornadoes hit Mississippi during storms on Sunday. Surveyors are expected to continue examining damage Wednesday. So far, meteorologists have confirmed...
California’s Sherpa Wildfire Was Accidental, Authorities Say
May 4 2017 // Authorities say a fire that blazed through miles of California coast last summer was sparked by a man trying to douse a burning log. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department said this week that the Sherpa Fire last June...
Texas Seeks Property Insurers’ Catastrophe Area Premium Data
May 3 2017 // The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) has issued a special data call to companies writing direct commercial property or business owners insurance in Texas during calendar year 2016, seeking information that would help...
Oklahoma Tornado Shelter Company Owner Faces Felony Embezzlement Charges
May 2 2017 // Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has filed seven felony counts of embezzlement against William Stephens, who owns Muskogee-based Tornado King Shelters. After the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit...
Strong Storms Hit Alabama On Anniversary of Deadly 2011 Tornado Outbreak
May 1 2017 // The National Weather Service has sent out teams to look for damage and confirm where tornadoes might have touched down in the state. Al.com reports that the weather service was sending survey teams to Montgomery, Lee, Pike...
Cat Bond Issuance Saw Robust Start to 2017: Aon Benfield
May 1 2017 // Catastrophe bond issuance made a robust start during the first quarter of 2017 with seven catastrophe bond transactions that totaled US$2.17 billion, according to a report from Aon Securities, the re/insurance investment...
Meteorologists Offer Conflicting Predictions on 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season
May 1 2017 // Most meteorologists forecast the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season will be less active than a year ago, with the number of named storms and hurricanes near average. A few meteorologists, however, expect this season to be more...
Feds to Use Fires to Lower Washington Wildfire Risks
May 1 2017 // To reduce the risks of wildfires, federal officials this spring are planning to conduct controlled burns on more than 9,000 acres of land in Washington state forests. The Seattle Times reported the fires planned in the...
The Hartford Reports Improved Q1 Results
Apr 28 2017 // The Hartford reported first quarter 2017 net income and core earnings of $378 million compared with net income of $323 million and core earnings of $385 million in first quarter 2016. Net income rose 17 percent to $378...
Regulators in California Hit PG&E with $8.3M Fine for Deadly Wildfire
Apr 27 2017 // Regulators say they have fined Pacific Gas and Electric Co. $8.3 million for failing to maintain a power line that sparked a massive blaze in Northern California that destroyed 549 homes and killed two people. The...
Eastern Newfoundland Windstorm Costs Insurers US$32.5M
Apr 27 2017 // A windstorm that hit eastern Newfoundland on March 11, 2017 has resulted in almost C$45 million (US$32.5 million) in insured damage, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), quoting statistics from Catastrophe...
2 Tornadoes Confirmed in Mississippi From Weekend Weather
Apr 27 2017 // The National Weather Service confirms two tornadoes hit Mississippi’s northeast corner on Saturday. A survey shows that a twister with top winds of 90 mph (145 kph) struck Prentiss County around 2:35 p.m. The...
Alabama Community Unveils Memorial For 14 Residents Lost in 2011 Twisters
Apr 26 2017 // Overcast skies and a misty rain mirrored the mood of this tiny community as it came together to remember the 14 Lawrence County residents who died in the April 27, 2011, tornadoes. “They will never be...
Official Says Georgia Wildfire Could Go On For 6 Months
Apr 26 2017 // A wildfire in Georgia that has scorched more than 70 square miles (180 square kilometers) of public lands near the Georgia-Florida state line could burn for the next six months unless heavy rains snuff out the flames...
Feds Will Use Fires to Lower Washington Wildfire Risks
Apr 24 2017 // To reduce the risks of wildfires, federal officials this spring are planning to conduct controlled burns on more than 9,000 acres of land in Washington state forests. The Seattle Times reported the fires planned in the...
How Meteorologists View 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season
Apr 21 2017 // Most meteorologists forecast the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season will be less active than a year ago, with the number of named storms and hurricanes near average. A few meteorologists, however, expect this season to be more...
