Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
University of California Purchases Sensor-Triggered Earthquake Parametric Policy
Oct 2 2024 // What is being called the first sensor-triggered earthquake parametric insurance policy in the U.S. was purchased by The University of California. Liberty Mutual Reinsurance, part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, and...
Taiwan Rescues All Crew Members on Stricken Ship as Super Typhoon Nears
Oct 2 2024 // Taiwan authorities completed the dramatic helicopter rescue of 19 crew members on a stricken ship, which foundered as Super Typhoon Krathon brings strong winds and heavy rains to the island. All those on the...
Hawaii High Court Agrees to Weigh in on Issues Holding up $4B Wildfire Settlement
Oct 1 2024 // Hawaii’s Supreme Court will consider questions about issues that threaten to thwart a $4 billion settlement in last year’s devastating Maui wildfires. A Maui judge last month agreed to ask the state high court...
Update: Taiwan Warns of Storm Surge From Powerful Typhoon, Troops Mobilized
Oct 1 2024 // Taiwan mobilized nearly 40,000 troops on Tuesday to be on standby for rescue efforts as powerful Typhoon Krathon approached its populous southwest coast which is bracing for a storm surge. As the typhoon approached,...
4.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hit California South of San Francisco
Sep 30 2024 // An earthquake registering magnitude 4.2 shook part of central California early Sunday, the United States Geological Survey confirmed. The earthquake was detected at 2:47 a.m. local time about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers)...
Hurricane Helene Halts Poultry Plants, Damages Pecan Trees
Sep 30 2024 // Hurricane Helene has halted chicken processing plants and caused severe damage to some flocks, while also downing pecan trees and flattening cotton crops, as floodwaters swamped the southern US. Every commodity was...
Powerful Typhoon Krathon Forecast to Hit Taiwan’s Populated West Coast
Sep 30 2024 // Taiwan issued a warning on Monday ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Krathon, which has strengthened into the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane and is expected to cross the densely populated west coast bringing torrential...
Tropical Storm Helene Lashes Florida With Powerful Winds, Rain
Sep 27 2024 // Hurricane Helene barreled into the western coast of Florida with dangerous winds, knocking out power for more than a million customers and threatening to unleash deadly flooding across several states. Helene made landfall...
Cal/OSHA Cautioning Employers to Protect Workers From Wildfire Smoke
Sep 25 2024 // Cal/OSHA is urging employers to protect workers from unhealthy air due to wildfire smoke. The Line Fire is impacting air quality in areas around San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Employers are required to monitor air...
Report: Experts Worry California’s Wildfire Season Could Get Worse
Sep 24 2024 // Despite several early blazes and one of the state’s largest so far, experts worry California’s wildfire season could get worse when the seasonal winds responsible for fanning some of the biggest fires arrive. A...
Florida’s Big Bend Braces for Third Hurricane in a Year as Helene Gains Strength
Sep 24 2024 // Florida’s Big Bend region on the northern Gulf Coast is bracing for yet another hurricane, the third in the last 13 months. Wind speeds for what could soon be Hurricane Helene are forecast to reach up to 115 mph,...
Hurricane John Makes Landfall in Mexico as Major Category 3 Storm
Sep 24 2024 // Hurricane John hit Mexico’s southern Pacific coast late on Monday as a major category 3 storm, with authorities warning residents to protect themselves against potentially deadly storm surges and torrential rain. The...
Northwest Residents Concerned About Wildfire, But About 25% Don’t Prepare
Sep 24 2024 // The majority of Washington and Oregon residents (82%) have some level of concern about growing wildfire dangers, but only about one-in-four are taking precautions to combat the impacts of smoky air or fire before it...
Florida Braces for Potential Gulf Hurricane Strike This Week
Sep 23 2024 // The US Gulf Coast from Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle is at risk of a hurricane strike by the end of the week as a patch of turbulent weather in the Atlantic becomes more organized. Currently a swirl of thunderstorms...
California’s Lara Orders 1-Year Moratorium for 750K Residents Following Wildfires
Sep 20 2024 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies to preserve residential insurance coverage for 750,000 policyholders affected by the Airport, Bridge, and Line...
Markets/Coverages: Mosaic Offers Syndicated Terrorism Cover for Fine Art & Specie
Sep 19 2024 // Mosaic Insurance, the Bermuda-based specialty insurer, has launched customized global terrorism and sabotage coverage for fine art and specie insureds, with syndicated capacity extending up to $215 million per risk. The...
Wildfire Risk Upends California’s Cannabis Heartland as Insurance Vanishes
Sep 18 2024 // Hannah Whyte is one of thousands of Californians who have struggled to insure their property in the event of wildfire. Her 77-acre farm nestled deep in a wildfire-vulnerable forest lost its coverage from State Farm after...
California Commissioner, Cal Poly Humboldt Working on Public Wildfire Model
Sep 17 2024 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Cal Poly Humboldt plan to form a strategy group to undertake what Lara says will be the nation’s first public wildfire catastrophe model. The plan is for the group...
In The Line of Fire: Key Insights from the 2024 CoreLogic® Wildfire Risk Report
Sep 16 2024 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. August 8, 2024, marked one year since the Lahaina Fires in Maui, which scorched approximately 6,500 acres and destroyed over 2,200 structures, leaving the Lahaina...
California Commissioner Issuing Moratorium on Cancellations for Wildfire Victims
Sep 16 2024 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has identified areas in the vicinity of the several ongoing large wildfires in the state that will be protected by a one-year moratorium on homeowners insurance non-renewal or...
