Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
ZestyAI: More Than $2 Trillion in US Homes at High Risk of Wildfires
Mar 24 2025 // While Western wildfires have dominated disaster news for decades, new analysis using artificial intelligence shows millions of homes across the country—even in the swampy Southeast—are at risk for wildfires. ZestyAI...
Wildfires and Government Action Exclusions
Mar 24 2025 // One of my first visuals of the conflagration in Los Angeles was a video of vehicles on the streets in the Pacific Palisades community being bulldozed to clear room for emergency vehicles. With traffic snarled as residents...
Texas Bills Seek to Improve State’s Response to Wildfires
Mar 19 2025 // A Texas lawmaker is laying the groundwork to create a statewide system that connects all first responders and government agencies to the same network. The proposal comes as a possible solution to fix communication issues...
Devastating Wildfires Destroy Hundreds of Homes Across Oklahoma and Texas
Mar 18 2025 // As Oklahomans assessed the devastation from wildfires that whipped across the state, damaging or destroying hundreds of homes, officials in both Oklahoma and Texas warned of an increased risk of fire danger in the coming...
Vortex Hurricane Insurance Now Available in Hawaii
Mar 18 2025 // Parametric hurricane coverage provider Vortex Weather has expanded its supplemental hurricane insurance solutions to Hawaii. Vortex’s parametric hurricane coverage provides automatic payouts based on National...
Death Toll Rises From Tornadoes, Wildfires and Storms in Multiple States
Mar 18 2025 // Unusually vicious and damaging weather across multiple U.S. states spawned violent tornadoes, blinding dust storms and fast-moving wildfires over the weekend, leaving at least 39 people dead. In the latest tally of the...
Multiple Deaths, Damage in South, Midwest From Winds, Tornadoes
Mar 17 2025 // Violent tornadoes ripped through parts of the U.S., wiping out schools and toppling semitractor-trailers in several states, part of a monster storm Friday and Saturday that has killed at least 32 people. The number of...
Volcano Near Alaska’s Largest City Could Erupt in Coming Weeks Or Months: Scientists
Mar 17 2025 // A volcano near Alaska’s largest city is showing new signs of unrest, with experts saying the likelihood of an eruption at Mount Spurr in the next few weeks or months has increased. The Alaska Volcano Observatory said...
US Property/Catastrophe Reinsurance Rates Likely to Stabilize During Midyear Renewals
Mar 14 2025 // Reinsurance renewal rates continued dropping during this year’s January renewals, but US property/catastrophe reinsurance pricing is likely to stabilize during the coming midyear renewals, according to a report from...
Billions in Hurricane Helene Aid to Farmers to Start Flowing by March 21
Mar 14 2025 // ATLANTA (AP) — Tens of billions in aid for victims of Hurricane Helene should start flowing later this month, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins pledged Wednesday, but delays are already making it hard this year...
Carrier Management to Host New Wildfire Conference
Mar 14 2025 // Carrier Management, a sister publication of Insurance Journal, will host a free online event spotlighting wildfire risk assessment, prevention and intelligence tools for risk and insurance professionals. The first Wildfire...
Delaware Forest Service Warns of Elevated Wildfire Risk
Mar 14 2025 // Delaware officials are reporting that the ongoing drought and current weather conditions have caused an uptick in wildfires in all three counties. Due to an elevated wildfire risk, the Delaware Forest Service is urging all...
Verisk: Catastrophe Claims in Q4 Double on Late Hurricane Activity
Mar 14 2025 // A significant rise in claims from hurricanes rather than winter storms was to blame for a 36% increase in total fourth quarter 2024 claims. A new report from Verisk Analytics found catastrophe claims more than doubled year...
Insurer Payouts Now at $12B for LA Wildfires, Report Shows
Mar 12 2025 // Insurance companies have so far paid out more than $12 billion for losses from the two biggest of the Los Angeles-area wildfires that swept through the region and destroyed tens of thousands of homes in January. California...
Tornado Destroys Florida Home, Strikes TV Station During Broadcast
Mar 12 2025 // A tornado destroyed an Orlando-area home and hit a TV station while the weatherman was broadcasting about the twister, part of storm fronts that caused damage across parts of the Southeast. In Longwood, Florida, north of...
Lloyd’s Said It Will Lose $2.3B From LA Wildfires
Mar 12 2025 // Lloyd’s this week said it will lose $2.3 billion from the Los Angeles wildfires in January, adding to the number of companies that have paid out more than $1 billion in losses from the catastrophe. The company...
AM Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for Mercury and Subsidiaries Over LA Wildfires
Mar 10 2025 // AM Best revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of “a” (Excellent) for the members of...
FEMA to Borrow $2 Billion to Pay Flood Claims After Hurricanes Helene and Milton
Mar 10 2025 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency said in February that it needs to borrow $2 billion from the U.S. Treasury to cover claims from National Flood Insurance Program policyholders. FEMA, administrator of NFIP, said it...
Maryland Wildfire Damage Less Extensive in 2024 Despite Severe Fall Fire Weather
Mar 7 2025 // The number of wildfires in Maryland during 2024 was much higher than the ten-year average, but acreage burned was significantly lower. In Maryland, 165 fires burned 953.4 acres during 2024, compared to 199 wildfires in...
Report: More Insurers in California Paying Wildfire Victims Without Itemized List
Mar 7 2025 // More insurers are paying contents coverage to California wildfire victims without requiring a detailed inventory, according to the California Department of Insurance. The CDI reported on responses from carriers following a...
