Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Weather Service Confirms Tornadoes Slammed Illinois, Ohio
Apr 6 2018 // National Weather Service survey teams have confirmed at least four tornadoes slammed through parts of Ohio. The NWS also confirmed that four tornadoes touched down in southern Illinois after a round a storms Tuesday. In...
This Just In: Early Forecasts for 2018 Hurricane Season
Apr 6 2018 // An early forecast for the 2018 hurricane season calls for a slightly above-average season with 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes. Dr. Philip Klotzbach of Colorado State University (CSU), a...
Research on Coastal Housing Shows Gaps in Natural Disaster Recovery Policies
Apr 5 2018 // A team including an Iowa State University researcher studied Galveston, Texas, homes following Hurricane Ike, finding that the types of housing and homeowners – and how U.S. recovery policy handles each – played a...
Hurricanes Have Minor Effect as April Reinsurance Prices Stay Flat but Demand Grows
Apr 4 2018 // Reinsurance buyers were able to renew loss-free programs at broadly flat pricing levels during the April 1 renewals – continuing the trend seen at the January renewals, according to a Willis Re report. Pricing was...
Chubb $380M Q1 Cat Loss Estimate Includes California Wildfires, East Coast Storms
Apr 4 2018 // Chubb Limited released preliminary net loss estimates for the first quarter of 2018 attributable to natural catastrophes, including the California mudslides, of $380 million pre-tax, or $305 million after tax. Losses from...
Weather Service: Recent Storms in Mississippi Spawned 4 Tornadoes
Apr 4 2018 // The National Weather Service confirms three more tornadoes hit Mississippi last week. No one was injured in the twisters, which mainly caused tree damage on Wednesday. The longest was in Choctaw County, striking near...
Report: Orange County Agency Delayed Response to Destructive Wildfire
Apr 2 2018 // A Southern California fire agency is overhauling its procedures after a report found that missteps delayed response to a wildfire last fall that burned 15 homes. The Orange County Fire Authority announced on March 30 that...
National Hurricane Center Updates Hurricane Irma Death Toll
Apr 2 2018 // The death toll from Hurricane Irma’s catastrophic rampage across the Caribbean and the southeastern U.S. has risen to 44 fatalities directly caused by its strong winds and heavy rains, plus 85 fatalities indirectly...
Non-Catastrophe Losses, Natural Disasters Take Toll on Lloyd’s Market in 2017
Apr 2 2018 // The Lloyd’s market’s pre-tax loss of £2 billion (US$2.8 billion) in 2017 was partly due to hurricanes and wildfires in the third and fourth quarters. But these losses were exacerbated by the continued...
Some Tornado Victims in Pennsylvania Struggle with Uninhabitable Homes
Mar 29 2018 // God put Brian Cross’s home in a bubble. That’s his explanation for why the tornado that blasted through Uniontown and North Union Township, Penn., last month didn’t inflict as much damage on his Millview...
Wildfires Cost Montana $240M In Visitor Spending, New Research Shows
Mar 28 2018 // University of Montana researchers say the 2017 fire season likely cost Montana about $240 million in visitor spending. The Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research said Tuesday that 12.5 million out-of-staters visited...
National Hurricane Center Gets New Leader
Mar 27 2018 // A meteorologist who aided emergency response efforts along the Gulf Coast after the 2010 oil spill has been tapped to lead the U.S. government’s hurricane forecasting hub in Miami. The National Oceanic and...
Toxic Impact of Hurricane Harvey Deeper than Public Told
Mar 26 2018 // A toxic onslaught from the nation’s petrochemical hub was largely overshadowed by the record-shattering deluge of Hurricane Harvey as residents and first responders struggled to save lives and property. More than a...
California Chief Justice Expects an Influx of Wildfire Claims
Mar 23 2018 // California courts are preparing for an influx of lawsuits tied to last year’s historically destructive wildfires and mudslides, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye told lawmakers this week in her annual “state of...
Weather Service: At Least 9 Tornado Tracks Found in Alabama
Mar 23 2018 // The National Weather Service says there’s evidence that multiple tornadoes struck Alabama earlier this week, and it’s still counting. The weather service says survey teams have found tracks showing nine...
Pool Re to Extend Terrorism Cover to Include Non-Damage Business Interruption
Mar 22 2018 // Pool Re welcomed the UK government’s commitment to amend the 1993 Reinsurance (Acts of Terrorism) Act to enable it to extend its cover to include non-damage business interruption losses resulting from acts of...
Severe Storms Spawn Tornadoes, Damage Homes in Southeast
Mar 21 2018 // Severe storms that spawned tornadoes damaged homes and downed trees as they moved across the Southeast on Monday night. Forecasters warned that the storms could threaten more than 29 million people, raising the risk of...
12 Arizona Counties Re-Designated Natural Disaster Areas
Mar 19 2018 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the re-designation of 12 Arizona counties as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by recent drought. The Mohave Valley Daily News reported farmers in...
Wildfires in Southeast Australia Destroy More Than 70 Homes, Kill Livestock
Mar 19 2018 // More than 70 homes were destroyed as bushfires swept through the seaside town of Tathra in southeastern Australia at the weekend. Soaring temperatures and wind gusts fanned the fires about 500 kilometers (310 miles) south...
Climate Change Worsens Effects of Natural Disasters, Costing Farmers Billions of Dollars
Mar 19 2018 // Natural disasters from droughts to floods are costing farmers in poorer countries billions of dollars a year in lost crops and livestock, and it’s getting worse thanks to climate change. Agricultural losses from...
