Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Tells PG&E’s Board to Tour Wildfire-Ravaged California Town
May 8 2019 // A federal judge has ordered board members of Pacific Gas & Electric to tour the Northern California town of Paradise, which was leveled by a wildfire that may have been caused by the utility’s equipment. The...
Insured Losses from November 2018 California Wildfires Top $12B
May 8 2019 // Insured losses from the most destructive wildfire month in California’s history climbed $614 million in the first three months of the year, pushing total claims over $12 billion as of April, the California Department...
USGS: 2 Small Earthquakes Hit Southwest Alaska
May 7 2019 // Two small earthquakes have hit southwest Alaska, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. At 1:43 p.m. Sunday, a magnitude 3.4 earthquake hit a spot in the Gulf of Alaska. The agency says the earthquake had an epicenter 147.4...
NHC: Hurricane Florence 9th Most Destructive Storm, Caused $24B in Damage
May 7 2019 // Hurricane Florence killed 22 people across three Southeastern states, was the ninth most destructive storm in terms of property damage in U.S. history and spawned 44 tornadoes, a report from the National Hurricane Center...
Busy Wildfire Season Along West Coast: Forecast
May 3 2019 // Most of the country can expect a normal wildfire season but residents along the West Coast of the United States should be ready for another busy season, the National Interagency Fire Center said this week. California...
Twisters Swirl Through Tornado Alley in South Central States
May 2 2019 // Severe thunderstorms spawned numerous tornadoes across northern Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, downing trees and utility lines and damaging roofs. No injuries have been reported. The National Weather Service issued numerous...
PG&E Seeks Court Approval for $105M Fund to Aid California Wildfire Victims
May 2 2019 // PG&E Corp. is seeking court approval for a $105 million fund to help house victims of the wildfires blamed on the bankrupt California power provider. PG&E in a filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in San Francisco on...
April 18 Mississippi Tornado Outbreak Ties State’s One-Day Record
May 2 2019 // The National Weather Service is now confirming 44 tornadoes in Mississippi from the April 18 outbreak, tying the record for a single event. Forecasters say they also confirmed that many tornadoes in Mississippi during...
PG&E Still Has No Estimate on Compensating California Wildfire Victims
May 1 2019 // Pacific Gas & Electric Corp.’s top financial executives said during a bankruptcy meeting Monday they still haven’t determined when the utility can start compensating victims of recent wildfires started by...
9: The Number of Tornadoes that Hit East Texas, Louisiana Last Week
Apr 29 2019 // The National Weather Service says at least nine tornadoes were formed during a two-day period of severe weather in eastern Texas and Louisiana. Meteorologist Davyon Hill says seven tornadoes were part of the same parent...
L.A. County Sues Southern California Edison for Wildfire Damage
Apr 29 2019 // Los Angeles County sued Southern California Edison and parent company Edison International on Thursday to recover more than $100 million in costs and damages from a wind-driven wildfire that may have been sparked by one of...
PG&E Behind on Tree Work in California a Month from Wildfire Season
Apr 29 2019 // California is just one month away from the official start of wildfire season and bankrupt utility giant PG&E Corp. is running behind on inspections, repairs and tree-trimming that was ordered up to reduce the risk of...
Florida Officials Call on U.S. Lawmakers to Pass Hurricane Michael Aid Package
Apr 29 2019 // A bipartisan group of Florida Cabinet members and state lawmakers is demanding that U.S. lawmakers pass a disaster-relief package for Hurricane Michael victims. Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, Attorney General...
NWS: 75 Tornadoes Confirmed in Mississippi So Far in 2019
Apr 29 2019 // With three more tornadoes confirmed Friday from an April 18 outbreak, the National Weather Service now says 43 tornadoes hit Mississippi that day, and 75 for the year. The one-day amount alone equals Mississippi’s...
Expert Discusses Potential Solutions to Ease the Pain of California’s Severe Wildfires
Apr 26 2019 // Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv James Woods has his sights set on finding ways to help California deal with repeated years of severe wildfire seasons, and the prospect of more seasons in which record losses from large...
Buildings Damaged, 2 Killed as Tornado Tears Through Northern Louisiana
Apr 26 2019 // A tornado killed two people as it swept through the northern Louisiana city of Ruston early Thursday, officials said. The tornado caused severe damage to buildings, vehicles and power lines and forced a local university to...
PG&E Asks California for Higher Rates to Pay for Wildfire Safety, Profits
Apr 26 2019 // California utility Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. is asking state regulators for another increase in rates and profits, saying it’s needed for wildfire safety and to attract investment as the utility goes through...
SCOR’s Q1 Net Profit Drops 21% on Japan Typhoons in 2018
Apr 26 2019 // French reinsurer SCOR, whose CEO faces a vote on his demotion during a shareholders meeting on Friday, said its net profit in the first quarter fell 21 percent as a result of the impact of 2018 typhoons in Japan. SCOR...
Above Average Year for Tornadoes in Alabama; 53 Confirmed So Far
Apr 25 2019 // Alabama already has exceeded its yearly average for tornadoes with more than 50 twisters verified in the state so far in 2019. The National Weather Service tweets that Alabama has had 53 total tornadoes so far this year....
PG&E Can Pay Employees $350M to Meet Safety Goals After California Wildfires
Apr 24 2019 // PG&E Corp. can pay employees up to $350 million in bonuses this year to spur them to help meet the bankrupt California power provider’s safety goals to prevent wildfires, a judge said on Tuesday. PG&E’s...
