Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mississippi Tornado Kills 4, Causes At Least $200M in Insured Damage
Jan 23 2017 // Rain was pouring down in the pre-dawn darkness, and the wind was picking up as Darryl McMorris ran for his daughters’ bedroom. The windows started blowing out as he dove on top of his girls, grabbing one under each...
Tennessee Wildfire Insurance Claims Top $842M
Jan 23 2017 // State officials say insurance claims have topped $842 million in the deadly eastern Tennessee wildfires that burned thousands of buildings. The Knoxville News Sentinel reported the number, provided the Tennessee Department...
Earthquake Risk: Spotlight on Canada
Jan 20 2017 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. What is ‘The Big One’? When assessing earthquake risk in Canada, many commonly refer to ‘The Big One’ that will eventually strike British...
Team Formed to Review How Wildfire Spread to Tennessee Tourist City
Jan 19 2017 // Authorities are forming a team to investigate the massive fires that tore through a Tennessee tourist city late last year, killing 14 people. The team will be made up of representatives from the Park Service, the U.S....
26% of Natural Disaster Economic Losses in 2016 Were Insured: Aon Benfield Cat Report
Jan 17 2017 // Overall, just 26 percent ($54 billion) of overall economic losses caused by natural disasters worldwide during 2016 were covered by insurance as a higher percentage of damage occurred in areas with a lower insurance...
Tornado That Touched Down in California Not So Rare
Jan 13 2017 // The latest storm to wallop Northern California whipped up a small tornado that downed trees and fences near Sacramento. Here’s what you need to know about twisters in California, which occur regularly but in limited...
Report: Oklahoma Saltwater Disposal Volumes Decline in Earthquake Zone
Jan 11 2017 // Recent reports show that disposal well operators placed about 23 percent less saltwater into Oklahoma’s deepest geological formation within the earthquake zone in 2016 compared to the previous year. The year-end data...
Tornadoes, Hurricanes and Fires… Oh My! 2016 A Rough Year for the Southeast
Jan 11 2017 // It is fair to say 2016 was the year of the catastrophe in the Southeast. Tornadoes, drought, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires impacted virtually every state in the region. For the insurance industry, these events made for...
Kansas Universities Mulling Increase in Earthquake Insurance Coverage
Jan 9 2017 // Regents system universities in Kansas are reviewing earthquake insurance policies after several quakes were reported in the state this year. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the universities’ chief financial...
Expert: Remote Nevada Earthquakes Big Enough to Cause $1B in Damage
Jan 9 2017 // A trio of significant earthquakes that struck a remote part of western Nevada along the Sierra Mountains’ eastern last month were big enough to cause as much as $1 billion in damage if they had been centered beneath...
Weather Service: At Least 8 Tornadoes Hit Louisiana on Jan. 2
Jan 6 2017 // The National Weather Service says at least eight tornadoes hit Louisiana on Jan. 2. Survey teams conclude twisters damaged parts of Avoyelles, Beauregard, Evangeline, Rapides and Tangipahoa parishes. The most powerful...
NWS Reports At Least 9 Tornadoes Hit 12 Mississippi Counties in 1 Day
Jan 6 2017 // The National Weather Service has counted at least nine tornadoes hitting Mississippi on Monday. Survey teams conclude storm damage was caused by twisters in Claiborne, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, Jasper, Jefferson, Lamar,...
New Hurricane Research Looks Like Good News for Atlantic Coast
Jan 5 2017 // Active Atlantic hurricane periods, like the one now, are not necessarily a harbinger of more, rapidly intensifying hurricanes along the U.S. coast, according to new research performed at the University of...
More Earthquakes Strike Near Pawnee, Oklahoma
Jan 3 2017 // Three earthquakes have struck in the area of northern Oklahoma that was rattled last year by the largest earthquake in state history. The U.S. Geological Survey says back-to-back earthquakes hit in the morning on Jan. 2...
Kansas Universities Mulling Increase in Earthquake Insurance Coverage
Jan 3 2017 // Regents universities in Kansas are reviewing earthquake insurance policies after several quakes were reported in the state this year. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the universities’ chief financial officers...
Expert: Remote Nevada Earthquakes Big Enough to Cause $1B in Damage
Dec 30 2016 // A trio of significant earthquakes that struck a remote part of western Nevada along the Sierra Mountains’ eastern front Wednesday were big enough to cause as much as $1 billion in damage if they had been centered...
Families Remember Deadly North Texas Tornado
Dec 29 2016 // Kenneth and Natasha Briggs and their four children had avoided the area near the Bush Turnpike and Interstate 30 in spite of, and because of, what it had done to form their family. This week, however, Natasha sat front and...
Western Kansas Saw 3 Brief Tornadoes Seen On Christmas Day
Dec 28 2016 // Three tornadoes were reported in Kansas on Christmas Day, causing some damage but no injuries, the National Weather Service confirmed. The Dodge City office of the weather service said the first tornado was reported six...
Philippines Hunts for Crew of Ship Sunk by Typhoon Nock-Ten; AIR Comments
Dec 28 2016 // The Philippine coast guard pressed its search Tuesday for 18 crewmen from a cargo ship that sank at the height of Typhoon Nock-Ten, which struck the country on Christmas Day. Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said 14...
Florida Church Struggles to Fix Steeple Toppled by Hurricane Matthew
Dec 27 2016 // The pastor of a Florida church whose steeple was toppled by Hurricane Matthew says it’s painful to see the storm’s damage linger. The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that the 25-foot steeple remains where it...
