Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oregon Legislature Repeals Contested Wildfire Hazard Map
Jun 27 2025 // Oregon lawmakers have voted to repeal the state’s contentious wildfire hazard map, which subjected homeowners in certain areas at high risk of wildfires to stricter building codes and requirements to reduce...
Heat Wave Threatens Power Output and Wildfires Across Europe
Jun 26 2025 // Europe’s heat wave is intensifying, fueling wildfires across the Mediterranean and threatening to curb electricity generation from both nuclear and hydropower plants. Temperatures in Spain are forecast to hit 39C...
HEMIC to Act as a Servicing Facility for Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund
Jun 26 2025 // HEMIC Insurance Managers is accepting apartment and condominium owner associations (AOAO) applications for hurricane coverage from Hawaii licensed insurance agents. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs announced...
First Tropical Storm of 2025 Season Weakens in Atlantic
Jun 25 2025 // Tropical Storm Andrea, the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, was forecast to dissipate by Wednesday after forming at sea Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said. The tropical storm was far from...
Wildfire Alerts Issued Across Mediterranean as Heat Wave Builds
Jun 25 2025 // Wildfire warnings were issued across the Mediterranean, as temperatures soar to 40C (104F) in parts of Spain, Italy, and Greece. Italian authorities are already tackling a blaze near the town of Bernalda in Basilicata...
Firefighters Battle Major Wildfire on Greek Island of Chios, With Evacuations Ordered
Jun 24 2025 // Greek authorities sent new evacuation notifications for two areas near the main town of the eastern Aegean island of Chios Monday morning, as firefighters struggled to control a major wildfire raging on the town’s...
North Dakota Tornado Leaves 3 Dead as Powerful Storms Sweep Through Midwest
Jun 23 2025 // Powerful winds — including a tornado — that swept across parts of the upper Midwest left three people dead and a regional airport heavily damaged, while nearly 150 million Americans were under a heat advisory or...
Update: Hurricane Erick Weakens Over Mexico, Leaving Trail of Damage in its Wake
Jun 19 2025 // Hurricane Erick weakened after slamming into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast as a major hurricane on Thursday, leaving a trail of damaged businesses, wrecked boats and flooded streets in the state of Oaxaca as...
Verisk: Q1 Claims Volume Hits 5-Year Low but Severity Up on Wildfire Losses
Jun 19 2025 // The first three months of 2025 brought devastating wildfires to California, significant wind and hail events to Texas, and substantial increases in tornado activity to “Tornado Alley,” but claim volume...
Translating the real meaning of risk in Cotality’s 2025 Hurricane Risk Report
Jun 18 2025 // This post is part of a series sponsored by Cotality. Hurricane risk isn’t exclusive to Florida — or to coastal areas at all, for that matter. Many people, including insurance professionals, do not realize how far...
Storm System Brings Severe Weather and Tornadoes to Central Plains and Midwest
Jun 18 2025 // A powerful storm system brought severe weather across parts of the Central Plains and Midwest early this week, with more storms forecast for Wednesday. A moist and unstable atmosphere led to significant rainfall, hail and...
St. Louis Waives 25% Holdback Rule for Property Claims From May 16 Tornado
Jun 17 2025 // St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer signed an executive order to waive a 25% holdback of insurance payouts for property damage claims related to the May 16 tornado that damaged at least 10,000 properties in the city. The order...
Cotality: Over 33 Million Properties at Risk of Hurricanes, Creating ‘Liquidity Traps’
Jun 16 2025 // Cotality said it has identified more than 33.1 million residential properties from Texas to Maine with a combined reconstruction cost value of $11.7 trillion as being at least at moderate risk of sustaining damage from...
Global Reinsurers Stand Strong Amid Investment Volatility, Natural Disasters
Jun 16 2025 // The reinsurance industry has shown significant improvements in operating performance in recent years. Despite facing substantial insured natural catastrophe losses globally, reinsurers achieved robust earnings growth in...
Smoke in the Rearview: Lessons in Wildfire Preparedness from an Agency CEO’s Evacuation Experience
Jun 16 2025 // In 2024, my family and I were forced to evacuate our home due to an approaching wildfire. After two decades in the insurance industry helping countless clients prepare for disasters and the unexpected, nothing compares to...
Missouri DCI Estimates High Uninsured Rates in St. Louis Following Tornado
Jun 16 2025 // The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance released preliminary uninsured estimates for properties in the St. Louis in response to the F3 tornado that struck the region on May 16. DCI Department Director Angela...
California Commissioner Investigating State Farm’s Handling of LA Wildfire Claims
Jun 12 2025 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday said he has launched a formal investigation into State Farm’s handling of thousands of insurance claims from wildfire survivors affected by the Palisades and...
Florida Commission Accepts First Hurricane Models Under New Standards
Jun 12 2025 // The Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology has accepted new loss models from Karen Clark & Co. and Cotality, the first to meet the commission’s latest standards. KCC’s Version 5.0...
Oregon Wildfire Prompts Evacuations and Closes Interstate
Jun 12 2025 // A wildfire in Oregon prompted officials to issue evacuation orders for hundreds of homes and to close nearly 20 miles of an interstate in the Columbia River Gorge. Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the state’s Emergency...
Markets/Coverages: MGA Optio Launches $150M Political Violence & Terrorism Cover
Jun 12 2025 // Optio Group, the London-based, independent specialty MGA, announced the launch of new political violence and terrorism (PVT) binders, backed by 100% Lloyd’s of London capacity. The new product provides a US$150...
