Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Farmers in Hawaii Lost $28M Because of Volcano
Oct 23 2018 // A survey of Big Island farmers has found that they suffered nearly $28 million in damages because of the months-long eruption earlier this year of the Kilauea volcano, the Hawaii Tribune Herald reported. The survey of 46...
Dangerous Hurricane Willa Heads to Pacific Coast of Mexico
Oct 23 2018 // Hurricane Willa, an extremely dangerous a Category 4 storm, weakened slightly as it veered toward popular tourist resorts on Mexico’s Pacific coast on Monday, prompting government warnings for people to leave...
Georgia Estimates $250M in Insured Losses from Hurricane Michael
Oct 23 2018 // The Georgia Department of Insurance has estimated insured property losses from Hurricane Michael will reach $250 million, according to a statement Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens. In figures released Oct. 18,...
Timber Industry Suffers $1.3B in Losses from Hurricane Michael
Oct 22 2018 // Trees brought down by Hurricane Michael’s ferocious winds took a heavy toll on life, property and the timber industry in the heavily forested Florida Panhandle, where $1.3 billion in timber was lost, authorities said...
As Tornadoes Shift Eastward, Scientists Explore Why
Oct 22 2018 // Over the past few decades tornadoes have been shifting — decreasing in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas but spinning up more in states along the Mississippi River and farther east, a new study shows. Scientists aren’t...
Swiss Re to Post ‘Large’ Q3 Losses from Italy Bridge Collapse, Natural Disasters
Oct 18 2018 // Swiss Re AG said it will post relatively “large” losses from claims in the third quarter, as man-made disasters including the collapse of a bridge in Italy add to damage from storms. Natural disaster claims,...
Texas Windstorm Insurer’s Request to Hike Liability Limits Denied
Oct 18 2018 // Texas Insurance Commissioner Kent Sullivan has declined to approve the request by the state’s property insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast to increase maximum limits of liability for...
Florida Red Tide Not Diminished by Hurricane Michael
Oct 17 2018 // Hurricane Michael failed to break up a patchy and toxic algae bloom that has lingered in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida’s shoreline for the last year, experts said Monday, meaning the red tide outbreak could continue...
Hurricanes Behind Cuts in Earnings Estimates for AIG, Chubb, Other S&P 500
Oct 16 2018 // The S&P 500 has plummeted more than 5 percent since early October. The culprit: slowing earnings growth stemming from rising interest rates and oil prices, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. That straightforward...
ShakeOut an Opportunity to Sell Earthquake Policies in California and Beyond
Oct 16 2018 // Millions of people are expected to drop, cover and hold on at 10:18 a.m. PST on Thursday, which should be a good opportunity for insurance agents to try and sell some policies, according to the head of the California...
Florida Orders Insurers to Halt Rate Hikes; Sets Up Hurricane Michael Claims Village
Oct 16 2018 // Florida’s insurance regulator has issued an emergency order that ensures “additional protections” to Florida policyholders – including freezing any rate hikes for 90 days – to support recovery efforts...
California Utility Cuts Power to Dampen Wildfire Threat
Oct 15 2018 // California’s largest public utility cut off electric power to about 60,000 customers in an unprecedented move to prevent wildfires such as those that erupted in the state’s wine country last fall, as high winds...
Georgia Working to Restore Power to Thousands After Hurricane Michael
Oct 15 2018 // Power outages caused by Hurricane Michael are likely to linger into early this week for some of the hardest hit communities in southwest Georgia. More than 188,000 homes and businesses still didn’t have power Friday....
California Bracing for High Winds, Increased Wildfire Danger
Oct 15 2018 // Potentially powerful winds combined with dry weather are raising the threat of wildfires in California. State firefighters say they are preparing for potential extreme fire weather early in the week. The National Weather...
Rescuers Continue to Search Florida Towns Demolished by Hurricane Michael
Oct 15 2018 // Dozens of people remained missing on Sunday in Florida Panhandle communities reduced to ruins by Hurricane Michael as rescuers said they expected the death toll to rise and survivors grappled with power outages and...
Hurricane Leslie Hits Coast of Portugal, Injuring 27
Oct 15 2018 // A weakened Hurricane Leslie slammed into the coast of Portugal, leaving 27 people injured as it uprooted trees, brought down power lines and smashed store windows with gusting winds and heavy rain. Over 60 people were...
Karen Clark: Hurricane Michael Losses Could Reach $8B
Oct 15 2018 // Catastrophe modeling firm Karen Clark & Co. (KCC) estimates insured losses from Hurricane Michael will be close to $8 billion, according to the KCC high resolution U.S. Hurricane Reference Model. This estimate includes...
Market Changes Not Expected From Hurricane Michael; Florida Insurers ‘Heavily’ Reinsured
Oct 15 2018 // Losses to the insurance industry from Hurricane Michael, a Category 4 storm that hit the Florida Panhandle before continuing a path of destruction through several other Southeast states, will be substantial but not enough...
Insurtech Jumpstart Rolls out Parametric Earthquake Product for Californians
Oct 15 2018 // A firm that wants to make a name for itself as the first parametric insurtech in the U.S. for earthquakes has officially launched in California, over a year after its anticipated original launch date. Jumpstart Insurance...
Texas Coastal Lawmakers Urge Denial of Windstorm Insurer’s Filed 10% Rate Hike
Oct 15 2018 // More than 20 state legislators have signed a letter addressed to Texas Insurance Commissioner Kent Sullivan requesting that a 10 percent rate increase filed by the state’s property insurer of last resort for wind and...
