Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Growing Southern California Wildfire Threatening 4,100 Structures
Jul 15 2024 // Evacuation orders and warnings are in place for roughly 4,200 people due to a growing wildfire in southern California that is threatening 4,100 structures. The Shelly Fire in Siskiyou County is now 15,232 acres and is 3%...
A Troubling Phrase: ‘Just a Category 1 Hurricane’
Jul 15 2024 // Here’s a troubling phrase hurricane forecasters hate but often hear: “It’s just a Category 1. Nothing to worry about.” Or even worse: “Tropical storm? Just some wind and rain.” But look...
Hurricane Beryl: Insurers See Minimal Impact, Brace for Active Season
Jul 12 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 Ratings...
Hurricane Beryl’s Remnants Spawn Severe Storms in Midwest and Northeast
Jul 12 2024 // INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The remnants of Hurricane Beryl dropped tornadoes and threatened flooding Wednesday as the system churned into Canada and the northeastern U.S. after leaving millions in the Houston area without...
Wildfires Encircle Canada’s Oil-Sands City Amid Hot Weather
Jul 12 2024 // A ring of wildfires has erupted around Canada’s unofficial oil-sands capital of Fort McMurray, adding new threats to crude production from the world’s third-largest petroleum reserves. Eight out-of-control...
SageSure Secures $60M Cat Bond Ahead of Busy Hurricane Season
Jul 11 2024 // SageSure, a managing general agent specializing in catastrophe-exposed markets in the Southeast and other states, along with its affiliated Anchor Re captive reinsurer and SURE reciprocal, announced they have secured a $60...
Wildfire Risk Rises as Western States Dry Out Amid Ongoing Heat Wave
Jul 11 2024 // Authorities in Western states warned of the rising risk of wildfires as hot conditions and low humidity dry out the landscape amid a protracted heat wave that is expected to bake much of the U.S. again...
Damage From Hurricane Beryl May Cost Insurers $2.7B in US, $510M in Caribbean: KCC
Jul 11 2024 // Insurers in the United States may take a hit of about $2.7 billion from damage caused by Hurricane Beryl, catastrophe modeling company Karen Clark & Co (KCC) said on Thursday. About 1.5 million customers remained...
Hurricane Beryl Triggers Record Payout for Caribbean Insurer
Jul 11 2024 // Hurricane Beryl’s path of destruction through the Caribbean last week triggered a record $44 million payout to the nation of Grenada from a regional catastrophe insurance fund. The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk...
Caribbean Braces for Economic Punch After Season’s Deadly 1st Hurricane
Jul 10 2024 // Leaders across the Caribbean were still tallying the financial toll wrought by the earliest Atlantic storm on record to intensify to the maximum Category 5 level, after it left a trail of destruction on Jamaica and islands...
CSU Research Team Increases Atlantic Hurricane Forecast
Jul 10 2024 // Hurricane Beryl got the respected team of researchers at Colorado State University to rethink its forecast for the Atlantic hurricane season, which has already seen three named storms. CSU’s Department of Atmospheric...
Southern California Wildfire Has Now Burned Nearly 27,000 Acres
Jul 9 2024 // A Southern California wildfire that grew to be the biggest of the year is now at nearly 27,000 acres. The Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County erupted on Friday northeast of Los Olivos. An evacuation order was issued for an...
Greece Evacuates Hospital as Wildfire Threatens City of Patra
Jul 9 2024 // Greek authorities evacuated a hospital after a wildfire broke out in Patra, the country’s third-biggest city. Firefighters, assisted by planes and helicopters, safely evacuated a hospital and a nursing home,...
Most of Houston Loses Power as Hurricane Beryl Delivers Latest Blow
Jul 9 2024 // Much of Houston remained without power in Tropical Storm Beryl’s wake, and authorities warned the blackout could last days even as heat builds across the battered region. Beryl left the nation’s fourth-largest...
California Earthquake Authority Selling Debt to Avoid Paying More for Coverage
Jul 9 2024 // A state-managed earthquake insurer for homeowners in California is opting to borrow from the public debt market in lieu of paying for additional coverage that would shield it against risks. The California Earthquake...
More Than 2.3 Million Texans Without Power as Hurricane Beryl Moves Inland
Jul 8 2024 // Hurricane Beryl has knocked out power for more than 2.3 million Texas customers, as of 10:27 a.m. Monday, based on estimates from PowerOutage.us and CenterPoint Energy. Outages are most extensive in the Houston area and...
New State Climatologist For Louisiana Warns of ‘Very Active’ Hurricane Season
Jul 8 2024 // BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry announced last week that Jay Grymes, the chief meteorologist for WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge, will serve as the new state climatologist. Among responsibilities in his role,...
Insurance Industry Impact From Hurricane Beryl Expected to Be ‘Manageable’
Jul 8 2024 // Hurricane Beryl made its U.S. landfall at Matagorda, Texas early Monday as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm has reportedly knocked out power to 1 million homes and businesses, but the storm’s overall impact to the...
Catastrophe Bonds Dodge Losses After Beryl Hits Jamaica
Jul 8 2024 // Investors in bonds intended to help Jamaica cover the costs of a natural catastrophe won’t be affected by the havoc wrought by Hurricane Beryl, even as the prime minister declares the entire Caribbean island a...
Lightning Strike Started New Mexico Wildfire That Damaged 1,400 Structures
Jul 8 2024 // A lightning strike caused the larger of two wildfires that has killed at least two people and destroyed or damaged more than 1,400 structures in New Mexico, authorities said. The South Fork Fire was first reported June 17...
