Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Senators Agree Federal Hurricane Prevention for New Orleans Worked During Ida
Oct 12 2021 // U.S. senators on Oct. 6 promoted a federal hurricane system’s performance in New Orleans during Hurricane Ida, but noted that other regions experienced devastation that is likely to worsen as climate change produces...
Strong Earthquakes Confirmed off Coast of Hawaii
Oct 12 2021 // CORRECTION: In a story published October 10, 2021, about an earthquake that struck Sunday off the coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, The Associated Press erroneously reported that there were two earthquakes 20 minutes...
Magnitude 6.5 Earthquake Struck off Coast of Alaska
Oct 12 2021 // An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 struck early Monday off the coast of Alaska, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The epicenter was about 114 kilometers east of the village of Chignik, the USGS...
Specialty MGA Rokstone Launches Terrorism Facility in the UK, Led by Ensurance’s Steel
Oct 12 2021 // Rokstone, the London-based speciality re/insurance managing general agency, has launched a new terrorism facility with “A”-rated capacity in the UK. The news follows the launch of its terrorism product in the...
MGA Occam Acquires Terrorism Specialist Beech Underwriting Agencies
Oct 11 2021 // Occam Underwriting, the London-based specialist lines focused managing general agency (MGA), announced it is acquiring Beech Underwriting Agencies Ltd., subject to UK regulatory approval. Beech Underwriting is an approved...
California Encourages Prescribed Burns to Counter Wildfires
Oct 8 2021 // California is encouraging more use of fire to fight fire, such as when deliberately set burns were recently used to protect giant sequoias from a raging wildfire. But sometimes what are known as prescribed fires themselves...
Tokyo Jolted by Strongest Earthquake Since 2011, With Injuries Reported
Oct 8 2021 // A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck near Tokyo late Thursday, rattling parts of the capital the most since the March 2011 disaster. Few train services remained disrupted the next morning, while some injuries were...
Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake Hits Pakistan, Killing at Least 20
Oct 7 2021 // QUETTA, Pakistan – An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 hit southern Pakistan in the early hours of Thursday, killing 20 people, most of them women and children, and injuring about 300, at a time when many victims were asleep,...
U.S. Approves Fire Retardant That Could Be ‘Game-Changer’ in Fighting Wildfires
Oct 7 2021 // U.S. officials on this week approved a long-lasting fire retardant that could significantly aid in fighting increasingly destructive wildfires by stopping them before they ever start. The U.S. Forest Service approved...
Swiss Re Estimates Hurricane Ida Could Cost Insurers $30 Billion
Oct 6 2021 // On an industry level, Swiss Re now estimates that total insured market losses from Hurricane Ida to be in the range of $28–30 billion, excluding federal flood insurance losses. Hurricane Ida, the second-most intense...
Swiss Re Estimates Hurricane Ida Could Cost Insurers $30 Billion
Oct 5 2021 // On an industry level, Swiss Re now estimates that total insured market losses from Hurricane Ida to be in the range of $28–30 billion, excluding federal flood insurance losses. Hurricane Ida, the second-most intense...
Neptune Flood Acquires Parametric Earthquake Insurance Broker Jumpstart
Oct 4 2021 // Digital flood insurance provider Neptune Flood has acquired Jumpstart Insurance Solutions, a parametric insurtech broker that offers parametric earthquake policies. Terms were not disclosed. Jumpstart, a licensed surplus...
Goats Being Brought in to Help Slow Colorado Wildfires
Oct 4 2021 // A group of horse trailers pulls up to a trailhead outside of Carbondale, Colo. The doors open and more than 800 goats jump out onto the gravel parking lot. The goats head straight for the closest grassy hill and...
California Oil Spill Called ‘Environmental Catastrophe’
Oct 4 2021 // HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.— A large oil spill off the southern California coast left fish dead, birds mired in petroleum and wetlands contaminated, in what local officials called an environmental catastrophe. The U.S....
Catastrophe Data Firm PERILS Launches Real-Time Hailstorm Loss Platform for Australia
Oct 1 2021 // PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization that provides industry-wide catastrophe insurance data, has announced the launch of a new platform providing real-time industry loss estimates for hailstorm events in...
Report Shows Wyoming, Idaho Have ‘Disproportionate Risk’ from Wildfire
Sep 29 2021 // Lately, when people say “wildfire,” California is probably the first state that comes to mind. But a new report out should concern people living in a few other Western states that aren’t often mentioned...
PG&E Charged in California Wildfire That Killed 4
Sep 29 2021 // Pacific Gas & Electric was charged Friday with involuntary manslaughter and other crimes after its equipment sparked a Northern California wildfire that killed four people and destroyed hundreds of homes last year,...
Louisiana Extends Hurricane Ida Insurance-Related Emergency Rule
Sep 28 2021 // Louisiana extended the emergency rule that allows suspension of insurance related statutes in the 25 parishes affected by Hurricane Ida, the insurance department said. The Louisiana Department of Insurance reported that...
Shell Plans Mid-October Post-Hurricane Restart for Louisiana Refinery
Sep 28 2021 // Royal Dutch Shell Plc tentatively plans the first restart of a production unit at its 230,611 barrel-per-day (bpd) Norco, Louisiana, refinery for mid-October, sources familiar with plant operations said on Monday. A Shell...
Mexican Insurtech Startup Offers Quick Claims Payments for Earthquake Damage
Sep 27 2021 // Mexican startup Super, which offers coverage for earthquake property damages, plans to expand into hurricane insurance and possibly raise a fresh funding round next year, according to chief executive officer and founder...
