Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Hurricane Irma’s ‘Last Gasp’: 3-Year Claims Deadline Put to the Test
Sep 10 2020 // It’s been 3 years since Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm, and the trail of damage left in its wake is still being felt across the state today, particularly by the insurance industry as it...
Explained: How California’s Wildfires Could Spark a Financial Crisis
Sep 10 2020 // Wildfires across the U.S. West are among the sparks from climate change that could ignite a U.S. financial crisis by damaging home values, state tourism and local government budgets, an advisory panel to a U.S. markets...
Drones, Satellite Images Used to Assess Coastal Damage from Hurricane Laura
Sep 9 2020 // Hurricane Laura was hardly done ripping across Louisiana before scientists started combing through satellite imagery and drone footage and preparing to survey coastal areas to see what damage was caused by the monster...
Strong Winds Kick up Pacific Northwest Wildfires
Sep 9 2020 // Hurricane-force winds and high temperatures kicked up wildfires across parts of the Pacific Northwest over the Labor Day weekend, burning hundreds of thousands of acres and mostly destroying the small town of Malden in...
Record 2 Million Acres Burned in California Wildfires
Sep 9 2020 // Wildfires have burned a record 2 million acres in California this year, and the danger for more destruction is so high the U.S. Forest Service announced Monday it was closing all eight national forests in the southern half...
3.8M Earthquake Rattles Residents on Alabama-Florida State Line
Sep 8 2020 // No damage was reported after a weak earthquake occurred along the Alabama-Florida line Thursday morning. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that a magnitude 3.8 quake happened just after 10 a.m. north of Mount Carmel,...
Texas Windstorm Insurer: No Rate Change for Now
Sep 7 2020 // The board of directors of Texas’ property insurer last resort for wind and hail in the state’s coastal counties voted in August to file a 0% rate change with the Texas Department of Insurance The Texas...
California Wants Insurers to Reimburse Costs for Those Displaced by Wildfires
Sep 3 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a notice to all California property/casualty insurance companies urging them to cover additional living expenses for policyholders who remain under mandatory evacuation...
11K People Seek State Shelter in Louisiana After Hurricane Laura
Sep 3 2020 // Growing numbers of Louisiana residents are turning to the state to find a place to stay after Hurricane Laura ravaged the state’s southwestern region, wrecking homes, ripping away roofs and leaving hundreds of...
Simulations Depict Tsunami Impact on Washington Coastal Communities
Sep 3 2020 // State authorities have released new simulations that show how a powerful tsunami could overwhelm Washington state’s coastal and shoreline communities. The Department of Natural Resources says there are some locations...
California Wildfire Bills Expire as Legislature Recesses, But One Bill Expected to Return
Sep 2 2020 // Several major wildfire bills were left on the table when the California Legislature ended its session earlier this week, but one bill is expected to make a comeback in some form. Assembly Bill 2167, authored by Assemblyman...
Mississippi City Hit by April Tornado Awaiting Repayment for $1.45M Cleanup Costs
Sep 2 2020 // A southwest Mississippi city has paid $1.45 million to clean up from an April 23 tornado and now awaits reimbursement from federal and state disaster agency. The Enterprise-Journal reports McComb made its final payment to...
Colorado Forest Service Launches County-by-County Wildfire Risk Index
Sep 1 2020 // The Colorado State Forest Service has launched a wildland-urban interface risk index. The county-by-county index uses housing density combined with modeled fire behavior to determine where the greatest potential impact to...
North Carolina Homeowners, Businesses Hit by Earthquake Eligible for SBA Loans
Sep 1 2020 // The federal government will begin offering low-interest loans to homeowners and small business owners who were impacted by North Carolina’s earthquake. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the U.S. Small Business...
USGS Reports 3.7 Mag Earthquake Struck Northeast Arkansas
Sep 1 2020 // An earthquake rated with a preliminary magnitude of 3.7 struck near Marked Tree in northeastern Arkansas, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake struck just after 9:30 p.m. Saturday near Marked Tree, about 120...
Firefighter Killed at Scene of California Wildfire
Sep 1 2020 // A firefighter was killed and another injured Monday battling a wildfire in the Northern California forest, authorities said. The firefighter was killed in Mendocino National Forest north of San Francisco, where a wildfire...
Florida Borrows $2.25B for Hurricane Fund While Rates Are Low
Sep 1 2020 // With hurricane season barreling down on Florida, the state is seizing on low interest rates to borrow $2.25 billion for its catastrophe insurance fund. The State Board of Administration Finance Corp. is joining state and...
What Tampa Bay’s Worst-Case Scenario, ‘Hurricane Phoenix’ Could Look Like
Aug 31 2020 // It is only a simulation. It’s also the worst-case scenario. One day, it could be reality. “Hurricane Phoenix” is the hypothetical disaster that would change life in the Tampa Bay area forever. Imagine a...
Drones Help Insurance Companies Check Windstorm Damage in Iowa
Aug 31 2020 // Insurance adjusters who descended on Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after the Aug. 10 derecho storm are using drones to check roofs and asking homeowners with less severe damage to take their own photos. Some of this is due to the...
Fire at Hurricane-Hit Louisiana Chemical Plant Contained
Aug 30 2020 // A chlorine chemical fire that erupted last Thursday, triggering shelter-in-place orders and closing roadways in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, has been brought under control, the plant’s owner said on Friday. KIK...
