Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Australia Faces More Severe Cyclones, Wildfires, Floods as Climate Warms: IAG
Nov 1 2019 // Australia faces the prospect of more severe cyclones, wildfires and floods as the climate warms, the nation’s largest insurer said. A 3 degree Celsius increase in global temperatures will lead to higher intensity...
South Dakota Governor Requests Disaster Declaration for Tornadoes, Floods
Nov 1 2019 // Gov. Kristi Noem is requesting a presidential disaster declaration for the damage caused by tornadoes and floods that struck southeastern South Dakota in September. Noem made her request in a letter to President Donald...
Higher Limits of Liability for 2020 Disapproved for Texas Windstorm Insurer
Nov 1 2019 // In mid-October, Texas Insurance Commissioner Kent Sullivan denied a request by the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) to raise its maximum liability limits for new and renewal policies with an effective date of...
CEO Greenberg Says Chubb Has Been Able to ‘Reshape Portfolio’ in Wildfire Zones
Nov 1 2019 // Some insurers may be facing sizable risks stemming from the latest round of California wildfires now raging, but Chubb Chairman and CEO Evan Greenberg insists his company isn’t one of them. “We do have a quota...
A.M. Best Says Insurers Challenged by ‘New Normal’ of California Wildfires
Oct 31 2019 // While the number of burned acres in 2019 is still well below the number reported last year through October, experts predict the greatest fire potential will occur from now through December as the Santa Ana winds pick up,...
Industry Applauds House Panel Backing of Terrorism Reinsurance Renewal
Oct 31 2019 // Insurance carriers and agents are applauding a House committee vote advancing a bipartisan measure to renew the federal terrorism reinsurance program. The House Financial Services Committee unanimously (57-0) passed the...
Womack Named Vice Chair, Morrison Secretary-Treasurer at Texas Windstorm Insurer
Oct 30 2019 // The board of directors of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) have elected two individuals to fill the recently vacated executive positions of vice chair and secretary-treasurer. TWIA public representative...
Typhoon Hagibis Likely to Cause Earnings Event for Japan’s Insurers: Fitch
Oct 29 2019 // Typhoon Hagibis is likely to be an earnings event for Japan’s three main non-life insurance groups, MS&AD Insurance Groups Holdings, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance and Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance...
PG&E Open to Extending California Wildfire Victim Claims Deadline
Oct 29 2019 // PG&E Corp. told a judge it’s willing to extend the deadline for victims of wildfires caused by the utility’s equipment to file claims in its bankruptcy. U.S. District Judge James Donato criticized the...
This Wildfire Metric Threatens to Upend PG&E’s Restructuring Plan
Oct 29 2019 // PG&E Corp. investors looking to learn their fate may not get the answer from the bankrupt power company. Instead, the key data point could pop up within days on the website of California’s forestry...
California Wildfire Damage at $25.4B and Rising
Oct 29 2019 // Damages from the fires ripping across California stand at $25.4 billion, and they’re bound to keep rising. The Kincade fire has cost $10.6 billion, while the tally in Southern California is $14.8 billion mainly from...
PG&E Power Shutoffs Hit 2.7M as California Wildfires Burn
Oct 28 2019 // Mass power shutoffs by PG&E Corp. left more than 2.7 million Californians in the dark Sunday, the state’s largest deliberate blackout ever, as the bankrupt utility tries to keep its equipment from igniting...
Insurer Group: Dallas Tornado Outbreak Costliest in Texas History
Oct 25 2019 // The nine tornadoes that hit the Dallas, Texas-area over the weekend have caused an estimated $2 billion in damage, an insurer trade group says, making it the costliest tornado loss in Texas history. The Insurance Council...
California Braces for Biggest Blackout Yet as Massive Wildfire Burns
Oct 25 2019 // As wildfires rage and utilities race to restore power, the worst may be yet to come for California residents. PG&E Corp. has restored power to about 165,000 customers in portions of 18 counties, or about 93% of those...
9 Tornadoes Confirmed in North Texas Outbreak; Insured Losses Pegged at $2B
Oct 24 2019 // The National Weather Service says nine tornadoes struck the Dallas area during Sunday’s stretch of severe storms in Texas. Forecasters confirmed the twisters Tuesday after surveying damage throughout North Texas. The...
500K-Plus Californians Lose Power; Large Wildfire Rages
Oct 24 2019 // More than half a million people have lost power across California as part of a deliberate blackout designed to keep power lines from igniting wildfires. Meanwhile, a major blaze has already erupted. PG&E Corp. and...
Washington Tornado Uprooted Trees, Sending Them into Homes
Oct 24 2019 // The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down near Shelton, Wash. The tornado his on Friday night, with had winds up to 100 mph. The tornado started on land and traveled more than a half mile before moving...
Insured Losses from Japan’s Typhoon Hagibis Estimated at $8B-$16B: AIR
Oct 22 2019 // Insured losses from Typhoon Hagibis, which made landfall in Japan on Oct. 12, will be between 865 billion Japanese yen (US$8 billion) and JPY 1,730 billion (US$16 billion), with more than half of the losses due to inland...
No Fatalities Reported After Dallas Hit by Tornado
Oct 21 2019 // The City of Dallas said in a Twitter feed that no fatalities or serious injuries had been reported following a tornado that hit swept through northern part of the city on Sunday night causing widespread property damage,...
Tropical Storm Nestor Spawns Tornadoes in Florida Gulf but Spares Panhandle
Oct 21 2019 // Tropical Storm Nestor was downgraded Saturday after it spawned a tornado that damaged homes and a school in central Florida but spared an area of the Panhandle devastated one year ago by Hurricane Michael. The storm,...
