Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Argo Group Estimates Q1 2021 Catastrophe Losses of $47 Million
Apr 22 2021 // Bermuda-based Argo Group International Holdings Ltd. announced estimated catastrophe losses of approximately $47 million for the first quarter of 2021. Argo expects to report Q1 natural catastrophe losses of approximately...
Coalition is Letting Californians Know May is Wildfire Awareness Month
Apr 22 2021 // Now is the time for Californians to prepare homes and communities for the coming wildfire season, the StrongerCA Coalition is warning. Last year saw a record-breaking wildfire season, with five of the 10 largest wildfires...
Cape Town Wildfire Largely Contained; Damage Assessment Begins
Apr 21 2021 // CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Fire crews had largely contained a big wildfire on the slopes of Cape Town’s Table Mountain on Tuesday as the city started to come to terms with the damage caused by what officials...
Everest Re Estimates Q1 2021 Catastrophe Losses of $260 Million
Apr 20 2021 // Bermuda-based Everest Re Group Ltd. estimates pre-tax catastrophe losses for the first quarter of $260 million. Breaking down that total, Everest said the Texas winter storms will cost $250 million, while Australia’s...
Insurers Report Estimated Q1 Catastrophe Losses
Apr 20 2021 // Carriers are starting to report their pretax catastrophe loss estimates for the 2021 first quarter, and the numbers are significant. Below are preliminary numbers from Allstate, Arch, AXIS, and The Hanover. *** The...
70 Homes Across Mississippi Damaged by 4 Tornadoes
Apr 20 2021 // Four tornadoes that moved across Mississippi earlier this month caused damage to around 70 homes, emergency officials said Thursday. Four businesses and three farms were also damaged. There have been no reports of injuries...
Another Earthquake Reported Near Louisiana-Texas Border
Apr 19 2021 // A second earthquake has sent some shock waves to parts of north Louisiana near the Texas border. A 3.1 magnitude earthquake was registered about 7:43 p.m. on April 15, about 6 miles west of Blanchard, Louisiana and near...
Wildfire on Cape Town’s Table Mountain Rages Out of Control
Apr 19 2021 // More than 250 firefighters in Cape Town battled a massive blaze that broke out on the slopes of the city’s Table Mountain on Sunday and spread to a university campus, severely damaging at least three buildings and...
Arch Capital Estimates Q1 Catastrophe Losses Could Reach $190 Million
Apr 19 2021 // Arch Capital Group Ltd. estimated a range of pretax catastrophe losses of $180 million to $190 million for the first quarter across its property casualty insurance and reinsurance segments. A major reason for the claims...
Farmers Insurance to Pay $25M in Settlement Over Oklahoma Earthquake Claims
Apr 19 2021 // Oklahoma has reached a $25 million settlement with Farmers Insurance over the company’s handling of earthquake claims, state officials say. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter and Insurance Commissioner Glen...
California Toughens PG&E Wildfire Safety Oversight
Apr 16 2021 // California officials on Thursday voted to toughen oversight of Pacific Gas & Electric, saying the utility had largely failed to perform required tree-trimming work near power lines in areas with the highest risk of...
AXIS Capital Estimates Q1 Pre-Tax Catastrophe Losses of $105M-$115M
Apr 15 2021 // Bermuda-based AXIS Capital Holdings Ltd. announced a preliminary, pre-tax first quarter net loss estimate for catastrophes and other weather-related events in the range of $105 million to $115 million, or $95 million to...
California Targets Urgent Projects as Wildfire Season Looms
Apr 15 2021 // California is in such an urgent race with another devastating wildfire season that officials began soliciting local project ideas even before they had money to pay for them. It faces such a threat of drought that the...
California Plans $536M for Wildfire Mitigation Before Fire Season
Apr 14 2021 // California will authorize $536 million for wildfire mitigation and forest management projects before the worst of the fire season strikes later this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders said. That more than...
Weak Tornado Confirmed in South Carolina from Weekend Storms
Apr 13 2021 // The National Weather Service confirmed Sunday that a weak tornado hit near Moore in upstate South Carolina on Saturday. Surveyors say the EF-O tornado had top winds of 80 mph (130 kph) and a path of 1.1 miles (1.75...
State of Emergency Declared in South Louisiana Parish After Tornado
Apr 12 2021 // A south Louisiana parish is declaring a state of emergency after a tornado killed one person and injured seven in Palmetto on April 10. St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard said on Facebook that two of the injured...
U.S. Raises Average Number of Named Storms for Atlantic Hurricane Season
Apr 12 2021 // The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has changed the number of storms that constitute an average Atlantic hurricane season, the agency said in a statement on Friday. NOAA’s Climate...
Researchers Predict Above-Average Hurricane Season This Year
Apr 8 2021 // Colorado State University hurricane researchers are predicting an above-average Atlantic hurricane season in 2021, citing the likely absence of El Niño as a primary factor. The CSU Tropical Meteorology Project team is...
California’s PG&E Sees Criminal Charges in 2019 Wildfire
Apr 8 2021 // A California prosecutor has filed 33 criminal charges accusing troubled Pacific Gas & Electric of inadvertently injuring six firefighters and endangering public health with smoke and ash in a 2019 fire blamed on its...
M4.0 Earthquake Confirmed in Los Angeles Area
Apr 7 2021 // A 4.0 magnitude earthquake gave the Los Angeles area a jolt before dawn Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The 4:44 a.m. quake was centered in the Inglewood area east of Los Angeles International Airport,...
