Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Lessons Learned from Hurricane Andrew
Sep 4 2017 // How the Insurance Industry Can Mitigate the Next Big Natural Disaster As an industry, we knew there could be large and costly hurricanes. We witnessed the destruction that Category 5 Hugo wrought on the Carolinas in 1989....
25 Years Later: How Florida’s Insurance Industry Has Changed Since Hurricane Andrew
Sep 4 2017 // Aug. 24, 1992 was anything but a typical Monday for Robert Reynolds as he drove through debris-filled roads and devastation on the way to his family-run agency then located just north of Homestead, Fla. Hurricane Andrew...
Failed Communications Impacted Tennessee Wildfire Response
Sep 4 2017 // Records show failed communication systems hampered the response to last fall’s deadly Tennessee fires. Records that Sevier County began to release in August show that wind and fire on Nov. 28 combined to disable cell...
As Harvey Winds Down, Hurricane Irma Waiting in Wings
Sep 1 2017 // Hurricane Harvey has left major devastation in Texas, but there is another hurricane called Irma out in the Atlantic that could take aim at the United States within the next week or so. Irma became a hurricane early on...
4,500 Evacuated as Oregon Wildfires Burn
Aug 31 2017 // Wildfires in Oregon are burning an area roughly equivalent to half the state of Rhode Island, affecting air quality throughout the state and forcing the evacuations of more than 4,500 people, fire authorities said on Aug....
Small Earthquake Hits Near Subdivision on Hawaii’s Big Island
Aug 31 2017 // A magnitude 3.8 earthquake has struck the island of Hawaii. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake hit at 3:52 p.m. Tuesday. Its epicenter was about 6 miles (9.7 kilometers) northeast of Hawaii Ocean View Estates,...
Montana Town Threatened by Wildfire; Hundreds Evacuate
Aug 31 2017 // Authorities in Montana ordered the evacuation of nearly 600 homes after a fire burning on a mountain ridge suddenly changed direction and threatened a popular destination for boaters, anglers and hikers. The fire near...
Climate Change and Hurricanes – The Worst Is Yet to Come
Aug 31 2017 // How powerful would Hurricane Harvey have been in 1880? How much stronger might it be in 2100? A single Hurricane Harvey has been more than anyone can bear. But to better prepare cities for future storms, researchers are...
Oregon Wildfires Have Cost Taxpayers More Than $100M in 2017
Aug 30 2017 // Oregon wildfires already have burned nearly 500 square miles this year, as one of the state’s many multimillion-dollar forest fires this season smolders and flares away. The Register-Guard reported the blaze, started...
Insurance Industry Opens Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Fund
Aug 30 2017 // The nonprofit Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) has established the IICF Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Fund to assist victims affected by Hurricane Harvey. IICF said it will collect and report on the total...
Lloyd’s Insurers’ Stocks Fall on Possible Claims from Hurricane Harvey
Aug 29 2017 // Lloyd’s of London insurers dropped amid speculation that they will suffer losses from Tropical Storm Harvey that’s battering Houston, the epicenter of the U.S. oil industry. The storm, which which made landfall...
Tornado in Florida Causes Damage to Several Buildings
Aug 29 2017 // A tornado damaged buildings and cars and toppled trees in Florida but no one was hurt. The Bradenton Herald reports that the tornado struck Saturday night in Manatee County with winds of 70 mph (112 kph). The newspaper...
IIAV ‘Redoubling’ Hurricane Preparedness Efforts Since Following Harvey’s Texas Impact
Aug 28 2017 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia (IIAV) is motivated to “redouble its efforts” around hurricane preparedness, particularly as it relates to flood damage, since following Hurricane Harvey’s...
Typhoon Hato Will Have Limited Financial Impact on Macau Insurers: A.M. Best
Aug 28 2017 // Typhoon Hato will have only a moderate impact on the earnings of rated non-life insurers in Macau, and a limited effect on their financial strength, according to A.M. Best. On Aug. 23, 2017, Typhoon Hato (Category 2 on the...
Hurricane Harvey Could Spur Congress to Act on Flood Insurance
Aug 28 2017 // The destruction that heavy rain and floods from Hurricane Harvey could inflict on Texas would add to the pile of debt owed by a federal flood insurance program that is due to expire in September, advocacy groups said. The...
Hurricane Harvey’s Flood Insurance Losses Could Match Katrina’s
Aug 28 2017 // Flood damage in Texas from Hurricane Harvey may equal that from 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, said an insurance research group on Sunday. As heavy rain pounded Houston and...
Hurricane Harvey Shutters Key Oil, Gas Operations in Texas
Aug 27 2017 // Key oil and gas facilities along the Texas Gulf Coast have temporarily shut down as Hurricane Harvey pounds the region with torrential rain and high winds, virtually assuring gasoline prices will rise in the storm’s...
How Hurricane Harvey Is Affecting Catastrophe Bonds
Aug 27 2017 // Bonds tied to weather risks tumbled the most in seven months as Hurricane Harvey advanced on Texas’s Gulf Coast. The Swiss Re Cat Bond Price Return Index dropped 0.44 percent this week, the steepest decline since...
Saturday Update: Hurricane Harvey Expected to Weaken to Tropical Storm
Aug 26 2017 // Early this morning, Hurricane Harvey weakened to a category 1 hurricane as it moved farther inland over southeastern Texas. It continues to bring “life-threatening storm surge, rainfall, and wind hazards to portions...
A.M. Best Weighs Hurricane Harvey’s Financial Hit; Ranks Top 30 Texas Insurers
Aug 25 2017 // With Hurricane Harvey threatening the Texas coastline, A.M. Best said it has begun to assess the potential financial impact this event may have on the U.S. property/casualty (P/C) industry. The most recent track of Harvey...
