Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
XL Group: Loss Estimates of $45M Related to Southern California Wildfires
Jan 11 2018 // XL Group Ltd. on Wednesday announced preliminary estimates of natural catastrophe net losses of roughly $45 million related to the recent wildfires in Southern California and $20 million related to other events. The...
Southern California Edison Blamed in Lawsuit for 3 Los Angeles-Area Wildfires
Jan 10 2018 // Edison International’s Southern California Edison was blamed in a lawsuit for three wildfires that destroyed more than 1,000 buildings and killed a firefighter last month in the Los Angeles area. While no official...
California Wildfires Top Arch Capital’s Q4 Catastrophe Losses of $60M-$75M
Jan 10 2018 // Arch Capital Group reports estimated pre-tax losses of $60 million to $75 million from fourth quarter catastrophic events, primarily the California wildfires. This estimated range of losses – net of reinsurance...
Wildfires Cost Montana $240M in Tourist Spending
Jan 8 2018 // A new report says summer fires cost the state of Montana $240 million in visitor spending. The report by the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreational Research estimates that tourists spent...
Number of Strong Earthquakes in Oklahoma Continues to Decline
Dec 28 2017 // Regulators and scientists say the number of 3.0 magnitude or stronger earthquakes in Oklahoma is declining. The Oklahoma Geological Survey reports the number of quakes of at least that magnitude during 2017 was 294 through...
Wildfires Cost Montana $240M in Tourist Spending
Dec 27 2017 // A new report says summer fires cost the state of Montana $240 million in visitor spending. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported preliminary date released by the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and...
Typhoon Tembin Leaves Trail of Death, Destruction in Philippines
Dec 27 2017 // A powerful storm that left a trail of death and destruction in the Philippines was downgraded to a tropical depression Tuesday [Dec. 26] and failed to make landfall in Vietnam. Hundreds of thousands of people in...
Weather Service Reports Possible Tornado in Southern Mississippi
Dec 22 2017 // The National Weather Service says a possible tornado has touched down in southern Mississippi. Forecaster Robert Ricks says people saw a funnel cloud north of the Salem community in Walthall County. Ricks says radar...
California Commissioner Asks Insurers to Forego Detailed Home Inventories in Wake of Wildfires
Dec 21 2017 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is asking insurers to help California wildfire survivors by providing relief from detailed home inventories and to provide up to 100 percent of contents coverage limits without...
St. Louis Cardinals’ Anti-Terrorism Safety Act Plan Approved
Dec 20 2017 // The St. Louis Cardinals have received federal certification giving the organization legal protections in the event of a terrorist attack at Busch Stadium. Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill announced that the U.S. Department...
Catastrophe Bond Managers Put Hurricanes Behind Them, Plan New Launches
Dec 20 2017 // Hedge funds and other managers of catastrophe bond funds racked up some of the worst losses in more than a decade from this year’s hurricanes and wildfires. But a year that is shaping up to be the costliest on record...
California Wildfire Claims Top $9.4B, Department of Insurance Says
Dec 18 2017 // California Commissioner Dave Jones announced in early December that the total of insured losses from the wildfires in California in October had topped $9.4 billion in residential and commercial claims. That figure is near...
The Road to a Rebound After 2017 Storms, Wildfires: Fitch
Dec 18 2017 // U.S. property/casualty insurers will rebound in 2018 from the late-2017 onslaught of hurricanes and wildfires, but it will take a while to return to “significant underwriting profits,” Fitch Ratings predicted...
M4.0 Earthquake Confirmed in Oregon
Dec 15 2017 // An earthquake hit Oregon roughly 40 miles south of Portland near Molalla and was felt by numerous residents in the area, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The USGS reported the magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck about...
Tougher Utility Rules Being Considered in Wake of California Wildfires
Dec 15 2017 // California utilities may face tougher safety rules for power lines, phone lines and utility poles in parts of the state most prone to wildfires. Under the proposed rules being considered by the California Public Utilities...
Winds Kick up Fire Threat from California Wildfires
Dec 15 2017 // Dry, gusting winds are aggravating fire worries across much of central and western California, including those areas where infernos are still raging and places that were scorched in October, the U.S. Storm Prediction...
Farmers Reports $1.2B in Claims from Northern California Wildfires
Dec 15 2017 // Farmers Insurance reported it has received more than 4,000 claims from the Northern California wildfires to date at an estimated gross cost of $1.2 billion. With reinsurance, the Los Angeles-based carrier estimates its...
200 Homes Evacuated as South Dakota Wildfire Grows
Dec 14 2017 // Strong winds are fanning the flames of a growing wildfire in South Dakota, pushing the fire beyond the borders of the Custer State Park and prompting new evacuations. Custer County Emergency Management director Mike Carter...
Report: Nearly $60M in Texas Windstorm Insurer Hurricane Ike Claims Still Unpaid
Dec 13 2017 // The Houston Chronicle reports that several school districts, cities and other government agencies are still waiting for a Texas insurer to pay nearly $60 million in claims from Hurricane Ike, adding to more insurance...
Verisk: 96% of the Area in California Fire at High or Extreme Wildfire Risk
Dec 13 2017 // Most of the area within the massive Thomas fire in Southern California is at high or extreme wildfire risk, according to a Verisk report on Wednesday. The fire encompasses more than 230,500 acres, and while containment on...
