Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
UK’s Chancellor of Exchequer to Double Budget to Fight Cyber Terrorism
Nov 17 2015 // Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced he’ll double funding to strengthen the U.K.’s cyber defenses, while refusing to confirm that budget cuts to be announced next week would spare...
Global Acts of Terrorism Cost $52.9 Billion in 2014 – Highest Price Since 9/11
Nov 17 2015 // In the wake of Friday’s massacre in Paris, a new report says the world is paying the highest price for terrorism since the 2001 attack on New York’s Twin Towers. In 2014, acts of terror cost the world $52.9...
History Shows Economies Are Resilient After Terrorist Attacks
Nov 16 2015 // The French economy has history on its side. From the attacks of September 11 to those on Spain in March 2004 and London in July 2005, industrial economies have proven more resilient to terrorism than first feared,...
Wildfires, and Now El Niño, May Boost Californians’ Appetites for Surplus Lines
Nov 16 2015 // There’s little question that the drought and the recent wildfire season that it unleashed pushed more California homeowners into the surplus lines market. Now with what appears to be a strong El Niño on the horizon...
Paper Fingers Climate Change for California Wildfires
Nov 12 2015 // There was a bit of hesitation from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist Stephanie C. Herring when she was asked questions about the increased risk and the implications of that risk for the insurance...
Kate Becomes 4th Atlantic Hurricane of 2015
Nov 11 2015 // Hurricane Kate became the fourth Atlantic hurricane of 2015 early Wednesday morning, passing well north of Bermuda, according to a report from Weather Underground. “Kate is racing northeast, caught up in the jet...
Many Have Died in ‘Subpar’ Atlantic Hurricane Season
Nov 10 2015 // The 2015 Atlantic hurricane season may end up being remembered for a subpar number of storms, even though the total still beat early forecasts and more than 50 people died. The season, which also lags behind in terms of...
Cyclone-Heavy Hurricane Season Not Over Yet
Nov 9 2015 // For a few minutes last Wednesday, there weren’t any hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons or tropical storms anywhere in the world. The respite didn’t last long. Thursday morning, the U.S. Navy and Air Force’s...
ACE Appoints Brown as Political Violence & Terrorism Underwriter at AOG Unit
Nov 6 2015 // ACE Group has appointed Cara Brown as political violence & terrorism underwriter, ACE Overseas General, with immediate effect. Brown is responsible for assisting in the development of global business within both...
Mexico Catastrophe Bond Likely to Pay on Hurricane Patricia’s Losses: S&P
Nov 5 2015 // Bonds sold by Mexico to shield it from the cost of repairing hurricane damage are closer to paying out after the biggest storm ever measured in the Americas struck the country last month, Standard & Poor’s...
Wildfires, and Now El Niño May Boost Californian’s Appetites for Surplus Lines
Nov 3 2015 // There’s little question that the drought and the recent wildfire season that it unleashed pushed more California homeowners into the surplus lines market. Now with the onset of what appears to be a strong El Niño...
Oklahoma Commissioner to Insurers: Clarify Earthquake Coverage
Nov 2 2015 // In response to questions from consumers about earthquake coverage, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak is requiring property insurers in the state to issue a clarifying notice of earthquake coverage. In announcing...
99.9 Percent Probability of L.A.-Area Earthquake: Study
Nov 2 2015 // There is a 99.9 percent chance of a magnitude-5 or greater earthquake striking within three years in the greater Los Angeles area, where a similar sized temblor caused more the $12 million in damage last year, according to...
Guy Carpenter Says Wildfire Losses May Exceed $1.75B
Nov 2 2015 // A briefing from Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC in late October shows more than 9 million acres were burned by wildfires so far this year, most of that occurring in the Western U.S, and that insured losses from wildfires...
Superstorm Sandy: Ohio’s 6th Costliest Natural Disaster
Oct 30 2015 // Superstorm Sandy in late October 2013 was Ohio’s sixth costliest natural disaster in recent history from an insured loss standpoint, an insurance trade group says. Moving inland after devastating parts of the East...
Wildfires Threat in Texas Increased Over Past 15 Years
Oct 30 2015 // Larger, more threatening wildfires are occurring at greater rates as Texas faces lingering drought, consistent development — driven by millions of new residents and the spread of outlying suburbs — and changes in how...
SBA Offers Low-interest Wildfire Disaster Loans to Washington Businesses
Oct 30 2015 // The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest disaster loans to Washington businesses, nonprofits and residents affected by the wildfires. The federal agency has declared its own disaster declaration to...
Texas’ Population Spread, Wildfires Bring New Era of Firefighting
Oct 29 2015 // A top state fire official says the changing landscape of Texas, driven by millions of new residents and the spread of exurbia, has coincided with an unprecedented wave of large wildfires that are occurring more...
Atlantic Hurricane Season Enters Final Stretch with No-Hit Record Intact
Oct 29 2015 // It has been 10 years since a major hurricane hit the U.S., and as the Atlantic season staggers into its last month, every day that passes seems certain to extend that record streak. Wilma was the last major system,...
West Coast Towns Vulnerable to Tsunamis Consider Ways to Save Lives
Oct 28 2015 // Bracing for a tsunami like the one that devastated Japanese communities during a 2011 mega-earthquake, coastal communities from British Columbia to California have been grappling with how to protect people from a similar...
