Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Update: FEMA to Borrow $2B to Pay Flood Claims After Hurricanes Helene and Milton
Feb 13 2025 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency said 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 expects to pay out...
Insured Losses From Calgary Hailstorm Reach C$3.25B as 2nd Costliest Canada Disaster
Feb 12 2025 // The tally for Calgary’s record-breaking hailstorm last August continues to rise, with total insured losses now estimated to be C$3.25 billion (US$2.2 billion), according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, quoting...
Edison Utility Faces Shareholder Lawsuit Over LA Wildfires
Feb 12 2025 // The parent company of Southern California Edison has been sued for allegedly defrauding shareholders before the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires by assuring them it could shut down power lines to reduce the risk of...
Whitewater Rafting Businesses Face Uncertain Future After Hurricane Helene
Feb 12 2025 // ERWIN, Tenn. (AP) — After 24 years of guiding whitewater trips on the Nolichucky River Gorge for other companies, Patrick Mannion finally received a permit last year to operate his own outfitter business. But following...
Hawaiian Electric Welcomes Top Court’s Ruling on $4B Wildfire Settlement
Feb 12 2025 // Utility company Hawaiian Electric on Tuesday welcomed the Hawaii Supreme Court’s decision towards finalizing the more than $4 billion settlement related to the 2023 Maui wildfires saying it was favorable to the...
WDIS Launches Wildfire Only Coverage for E&S Commercial Property in California
Feb 12 2025 // Wildfire Defense Insurance Services Inc. has launched wildfire only coverage for E&S commercial property in California. The product is available for a range of commercial property classes of business. The target class...
AIG Q4 General Insurance Underwriting Income Down 29% on Catastrophes
Feb 12 2025 // American International Group reported fourth quarter 2024 net income of $898 million compared to $86 million the prior year, but insurance underwriting income was down 29% on high catastrophe losses. AIG said the dramatic...
California Approves FAIR Plan Request to Assess Insurers $1B for Wildfire Claims
Feb 11 2025 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara approved a California FAIR Plan request for a $1 billion assessment on admitted market insurers to cover claims from the Los Angeles wildfires. The FAIR Plan reported it has...
Travelers Expecting $1.7 Billion in Catastrophe Losses From LA Wildfires
Feb 11 2025 // Another major California insurer is reporting losses in excess of $1 billion from the Los Angeles area wildfires. The Travelers Companies Inc. announced Tuesday it will lose an estimated $1.7 billion from last...
What’s Tying Up $4B Settlement for Hawaii Wildfire Victims
Feb 11 2025 // Hawaii’s Supreme Court heard arguments last week over insurance issues that are tying up a potential $4 billion settlement over Maui’s catastrophic 2023 wildfire, the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a...
Tornadoes Kill 2, Injure 3 in East Tennessee, With Flooding in WV, Kentucky
Feb 10 2025 // WARTBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Two tornadoes moved through eastern Tennessee, leaving a mother and daughter dead and injuring three other people, officials said Friday. A mother and daughter from the same household were killed...
AccuWeather: Elevated Risk of Mudslides at LA Wildfire Burn Scars From Coming Storm
Feb 7 2025 // Meteorologists are warning of an elevated risk of dangerous debris flows and destructive mudslides in Southern California next week in areas scorched by destructive Los Angeles wildfires. AccuWeather meteorologists expect...
LA Neighbors See Different Post-Wildfire Rebuilding Options Due to Insurance Crisis
Feb 7 2025 // Before a wildfire ravaged their street in northwest Altadena, Louise Hamlin and Chris Wilson lived next door to each other in nearly identical houses. “I chose an old home in an old neighborhood because it has...
AM Best: Wildfires Intensifying California’s Property Insurance Troubles
Feb 6 2025 // Wildfires are intensifying the problems in California’s property insurance market, according to a new commentary from AM Best. Those problems include a major insurer pullback from California in the past year,...
Allstate Q4 Income Up 30% Despite High Hurricane-Related Losses
Feb 5 2025 // Allstate Corp. fourth quarter net income applicable to common shareholders increased 30% to about $1.9 billion, and the insurer finished 2024 with net income of $4.6 billion compared to a loss of $316 million the prior...
California Wildfire Losses: Net or Gross?
Feb 5 2025 // The insurance industry admittedly may not be as glamorous as high-tech, investment banking, advertising, or Hollywood. After all, consider that the most influential publication on what’s happening in property &...
USAA Becomes 3rd Insurer to Report $1B-Plus in Claims So Far for LA Wildfires
Feb 5 2025 // USAA has paid out more than $1 billion for the Los Angeles wildfires, making it the third insurer to report $1 billion or more in payouts for the destructive blazes that burned thousands of properties. The company, which...
Aon, Floodbase, Swiss Re Team on Parametric Storm Surge Solution for US Hurricane
Feb 5 2025 // Aon plc said it has launched a new parametric insurance solution designed to address and mitigate commercial losses from hurricane-related storm surge along the coast of the U.S. Developed with parametric flood insurance...
NC Governor Tests Lawmakers With Hurricane Helene Recovery Funding Request
Feb 5 2025 // RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein asked state legislators Monday to roughly double their spending so far on recovery from Hurricane Helene, warning that waiting will cause more business closings,...
LA Wildfire Losses Seen as High as $164 Billion, UCLA Says
Feb 5 2025 // Economic losses from the fires that tore through Los Angeles County in January range from $95 billion to $164 billion, according to a new report, potentially making the blazes the second-costliest natural disaster in U.S....
