Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Texas Tornadoes, Midwest Flooding Leave at Least 24 Dead
Dec 29 2015 // At least 11 people died and dozens were injured in strong tornadoes that swept through the Dallas area and caused substantial damage this weekend, while 13 people died in flooding in the Midwest. It was the latest of a...
AIR Worldwide: At Least 9 Tornadoes in North Texas; Extent of Damage Not Yet Known
Dec 29 2015 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide reported that the huge storm system that impacted the United States from New Mexico to Michigan and Georgia over the Christmas holiday weekend delivered at least nine tornadoes in...
California Wildfire Contained, Now Comes Worries About Landslides
Dec 29 2015 // As firefighters mopped up the remains of a wildfire on the Southern California coast, authorities turned their focus to a new concern: a landslide if rain pounds the charred hills. In a heavy rain, the denuded soil could...
Australia Wildfire Insurance Losses Double to A$53 Million ($38 Million)
Dec 29 2015 // Losses from wildfires that destroyed more than 100 homes along a popular tourist stretch in southeastern Australia more than doubled in two days to A$53 million ($38 million) and are expected to climb further, the...
Tornado Touched Down in Western Ohio: Weather Service
Dec 28 2015 // The National Weather Service has that confirmed a rare December tornado touched down in western Ohio. The weather service says the tornado had an estimated maximum wind speed of 65 mph and did not cause any injuries. The...
President Signs Disaster Declaration Following Idaho Windstorm
Dec 28 2015 // President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration for Idaho due to a powerful windstorm in the northern part of the state in November and ordered federal aid. The money can be used by state, tribal, local governments...
Texas Storms That Spawned Tornadoes Kill at Least 11
Dec 28 2015 // Tornadoes that swept through the Dallas, Texas area caused substantial damage and at least 11 people died either from the storm or related traffic accidents and dozens of people were injured. It’s the latest of a...
Peru Insurance Regulator Approves AIR Worldwide’s Earthquake Model
Dec 23 2015 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, a division of Verisk Analytics, announced that its earthquake model for Peru has been officially approved by Peruvian insurance regulator Superintendencia de Banca y Seguros (SBS)...
Forecasters Warn of Severe Storms, Possible Tornadoes in Alabama
Dec 22 2015 // Forecasters say severe storms – including the threat of tornadoes – will be possible on Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evening across Alabama. The National Weather Service in Birmingham says an area that...
Oklahoma Judge Won’t Toss Suit over Earthquake Damage
Dec 22 2015 // An Oklahoma judge has rejected a request from two energy companies to throw out a lawsuit by a woman who claims she was injured in an earthquake caused by the injection of wastewater. Lincoln County District Judge Cynthia...
Insurance Executive Sees Problems, Opportunities in L.A.’s Earthquake Law
Dec 21 2015 // It’s a big question in front of landlords of thousands of Los Angeles properties early next year. When the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted in October for new earthquake retrofit regulations it put in play...
Typhoon Melor Hits Philippines with Fierce Winds and Flooding: AIR
Dec 16 2015 // A report from catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, describes Super Typhoon Melor, known locally as Nona, as having struck the Philippines on Monday, December 14, 2015, at around 3:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. local time) near...
Kansas Sees More, but Mostly Weak, Tornadoes in 2015
Dec 15 2015 // Meteorologists say Kansas saw more tornadoes than normal this year, but all but a few were weak and short-lived. The Wichita Eagle reports there were 108 tornadoes in Kansas by the end of August, 18 more than normal for...
Energy Companies Want Oklahoma Judge to Toss Earthquake Suit
Dec 10 2015 // Two energy companies asked a judge on Dec. 9 to throw out a lawsuit by an Oklahoma woman who claims she was injured in an earthquake caused by the injection of wastewater deep into the ground — a long-used method to...
Insurance Executive Sees Problems, Opportunities in L.A.’s Earthquake Law
Dec 7 2015 // Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv Who’s going to pay? It’s a big question in front of landlords of thousands of Los Angeles properties early next year. When the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted in...
Karen Clark Adds US Earthquake Reference Model to Modeling Platform
Dec 7 2015 // Karen Clark & Company (KCC) has released a new US earthquake Reference Model as part of the RiskInsight open loss modeling platform. The earthquake model is based on the latest 2014 US Geological Survey (USGS) report...
Oklahoma Shutting Down Disposal Wells after Series of Earthquakes
Dec 7 2015 // In response to an increase in larger earthquakes in certain oil production areas of the state, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission said it’s working to have some disposal wells shut down and volume reduced at other...
King Appointed to Texas Windstorm Insurance Board
Dec 3 2015 // Texas Commissioner of Insurance David Mattax has appointed Deborah King to the board of directors of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA). King of Highland Village is vice president and chief actuary at...
Hurricane Season Ends: Atlantic Stayed Below Normal; Pacific Set Records
Dec 1 2015 // The Atlantic, eastern and central Pacific hurricane seasons officially ended yesterday, and as NOAA predicted, the Atlantic season stayed below normal with 11 named storms, while the eastern and central Pacific were above...
Florida Marks 10 Years Without Major Hurricane, Sets Record
Dec 1 2015 // The state of Florida is marking a big milestone with the official end of the 2015 hurricane season – 10 years without a major hurricane making landfall in the state. The Miami Herald reports that the hurricane-free...
