Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Windstorm Insurer Sets Funding at $4.2 Billion for 2020 Cat Year
Feb 19 2020 // The wind and hail insurance carrier of last resort for counties along the Texas coast has determined that its 1-in-100 probable maximum loss (1:100 PML) for the 2020 catastrophe year is $4.2 billion. At a quarterly meeting...
California Commissioner, Lawmakers Intro ‘Hardened Homes’ Wildfire Bill Requiring Admitted Market to Offer Coverage
Feb 18 2020 // A newly proposed bill would clarify under California law the concept of “hardened homes” that are safer or more resistant to wildfires and then require admitted carriers to cover those homes. California’s...
4.0-Magnitude Earthquake Hit Central California Coast
Feb 14 2020 // An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.0 shook California’s central coast on Wednesday but no damage or injuries were immediately reported, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The quake that hit at 7:33...
Report: Death Toll in 2018 California Wildfire Likely Includes 50 More People
Feb 13 2020 // Doctors and other experts say at least 50 more people, many of them elderly or ill, likely died as a result of the 2018 wildfire that devastated the town of Paradise, California, but were not counted in the official death...
National Weather Service Confirms Five Tornadoes Hit Maryland
Feb 13 2020 // The National Weather Service has confirmed that five tornadoes ripped through parts of Maryland on Friday. Multiple news outlets report that the tornadoes were confirmed in Carroll, Cecil, Montgomery and Frederick...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Board to Meet Feb. 18 in Austin
Feb 11 2020 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) board of directors will hold its quarterly meeting on Feb. 18, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. in Austin. The agenda for the meeting is posted on TWIA’s website. All meetings of...
California Utilities’ Wildfire Prevention Plans Call for More Blackouts
Feb 11 2020 // California utilities plan to continue shutting off power to customers during dry and windy conditions to prevent sparking deadly wildfires, but they aim to make outages more targeted to avoid widespread blackouts,...
Why Utilities Are Turning to Bond Market to Pay for Natural Disaster Losses
Feb 11 2020 // Fires and floods are sending some of the nation’s largest utilities to the bond market to cover huge, unexpected bills. California’s PG&E Corp., which was forced into bankruptcy a year ago after its...
Storm Ciara Batters Europe with Hurricane-Force Winds, Killing at Least 5 People
Feb 11 2020 // A strong winter storm that has battered Europe with hurricane-force winds and heavy rains and killed at least five people moved eastward Monday, causing severe travel disruptions across the continent. After striking...
Minor Earthquake Confirmed in California High Desert
Feb 10 2020 // A minor earthquake struck the Southern California high desert on Saturday and was was felt across the region, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The USGS reports the 3.9-magnitude earthquake hit an area about 13 miles...
Tsunami Sirens in Southern California Beach City Were False Alarm
Feb 10 2020 // Tsunami warning sirens wailing early Friday morning in the Southern California city of Huntington Beach were a false alarm, authorities confirmed. “There is no current threat to our community and we are working to...
Wine ‘Smoke Taint’ Disputes Linger 2 Years After California Wildfires
Feb 7 2020 // Recent wildfires in California Wine Country, particularly those that devastated parts of Napa and Sonoma counties in October 2017, have focused attention on whether insurance covers smoke taint damage to grapes and...
Arkansas’ Benton County to Appeal FEMA Denial of Aid for Tornado Damages
Feb 6 2020 // Benton County plans to appeal the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s decision to not help pay for the costs to clean up damages from two tornadoes that struck in October, officials said. The county was notified of...
A Tale of Two Californias: Managing Wildfire Risk in the Year 2030
Feb 6 2020 // For most of the 20th century, the insurance industry considered wildfires to be little more than a benign nuisance. They occurred frequently but rarely resulted in more than a handful of claims, and underwriters priced for...
Crews Removing Overturned Cargo Ship in Georgia Port Rush to Beat Hurricane Season
Feb 4 2020 // The salvage team in charge of removing a cargo ship that overturned on the Georgia coast nearly five months ago wants to surround it with a giant mesh screen to contain any loose debris as the vessel gets cut into...
Kansas Offering Public Access to Earthquake Investigation Information
Feb 4 2020 // The Kansas Corporation Commission has approved opening general investigation dockets to allow the public access to information gathered during investigations into seismic activity in Reno and Rooks counties. The dockets...
Chubb Launches Non Damage Terrorism Product for Businesses
Feb 4 2020 // Chubb has launched an insurance coverage aimed at bridging gaps in traditional terrorism business interruption policies. Chubb’s Non Damage Terrorism Solutions is a single policy offering non damage business...
Florida Woman Pleads Guilty to Hurricane Irma Disaster Assistance Fraud
Jan 31 2020 // A Florida woman has pleaded guilty to lying about damage caused by Hurricane Irma. Deannajo White, 39, pleaded guilty in Jacksonville federal court Friday to one count of disaster assistance fraud, according to court...
Tsunami Threat to Miami Passes After Major Earthquake in Caribbean Shakes City
Jan 28 2020 // A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in the sea in the western Caribbean on Tuesday, sending workers into the streets and triggering evacuations as buildings shook across the Cayman Islands, in Jamaica, and in...
Oregon Coast Tornado Confirmed, Caused Minor Damage
Jan 28 2020 // A tornado caused some minor damage to homes in Manzanita, Ore., on Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service confirmed. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that Tillamook County Emergency Manager Gordon McCraw said the...
