Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oregon Jury Awards $85 M to 9 Victims of Deadly 2020 Wildfires
Jan 29 2024 // An Oregon jury awarded $85 million to nine victims of wildfires that ravaged the state in 2020, the latest verdict in a series of legal proceedings that are expected to put the utility PacifiCorp on the hook for billions...
Startup AiDash Raises $50M for Tech Using AI, Satellites to Spot Wildfire Risk
Jan 26 2024 // A California startup using artificial intelligence (AI) and satellites to spot fire and weather risks on power lines, AiDash, reported it had raised $50 million in new funding, reflecting Silicon Valley efforts to create...
Colombia Declares National Disaster as Wildfires Spread Through Parched Forests
Jan 26 2024 // Colombia declared a national disaster as wildfires spread through drought-hit forests and filled the capital, Bogota, with smoke. Environmental authorities reported 31 separate blazes on Thursday, after months of hot, dry...
People Moves: Former California Earthquake Authority CEO Pomeroy Joins GeoVera
Jan 26 2024 // Glenn Pomeroy, former CEO of the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), joined GeoVera as executive vice president of marketing and regulatory affairs effective February 1. GeoVera is headquartered in Fairfield,...
Fifth Circuit Upholds $502K Award for Louisiana Church in Hurricane Laura Damage Suit
Jan 25 2024 // The United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month upheld a 2022 decision against Church Mutual Insurance Co. in favor of Sugartown United Pentecostal Church in Dry Creek, Louisiana, which sits about 50...
Natural Disaster Protection Gap Returned to ‘Average Levels’ in 2023
Jan 24 2024 // Global insured losses from natural catastrophes totaled $118 billion in 2023, according to Aon’s annual Climate and Catastrophe Insight report. That number represented 31% of the total economic loss caused by 398...
Florida to Borrow Billions to Backstop Insurers After Hurricanes
Jan 23 2024 // The state corporation that oversees the Florida Cat Fund is planning to borrow as much as $3.8 billion to ensure the fund has plenty of money on hand to reimburse property insurers for losses when homes are damaged or...
UK Braces for More Hurricane-Strength Winds From Next Atlantic Storm
Jan 23 2024 // Just over a day after Storm Isha started to clear, the UK is bracing for more hurricane-strength winds off the Atlantic. Jocelyn — the 10th named storm of the season to hit the UK — will rip across the north of the...
Hurricane-Force Winds Cause Chaos, Blackouts Across Europe
Jan 22 2024 // Storm Isha is causing travel disruption and power blackouts across northern Europe, as it brought hurricane-force winds to the UK and other parts of the region. The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning across the UK...
USGS: Nearly 75% of US Could Experience A Damaging Earthquake
Jan 22 2024 // Nearly 75% of the U.S. could experience damaging earthquake shaking, a recent U.S. Geological Survey report shows. A USGS-led team of more than 50 scientists and engineers in the latest USGS National Seismic Hazard Model...
Lawsuit Says Compensation Delayed for Victims of Worst Wildfire in New Mexico History
Jan 22 2024 // A new lawsuit has been filed against the Federal Emergency Management Agency, alleging compensation has been delayed for victims of the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history. FEMA is responsible for...
2024 Oregon Consumer Laws Include Protections for Homeowners Dealing with Wildfire
Jan 22 2024 // Consumer protections for homeowners dealing with wildfire-related issues, property contents coverage, personal data protection and prescription drugs are set to go into effect in 2024. The Oregon Division of Financial...
Wildfire Prevention, Helping Maui Recover Top Agenda for Hawaii Lawmakers
Jan 16 2024 // Hawaii lawmakers convened this week for the first time since the burning of historic Lahaina awakened the state to the deadly and costly threat posed by wildfires in an age of climate change. The tragedy refocused the...
Australia’s Usual Summer of Wildfires Is Now Being Soaked by Prolonged Wet Weather
Jan 12 2024 // Australians bracing for a return of scorching heat and wildfires are instead battling a prolonged deluge of rain across the country’s east that’s inundated homes and damaged crops from sugar to wheat. Vast...
Texas Regulators Suspend Well Permits to Address Rising Earthquake Frequency
Jan 11 2024 // The state’s oil and gas regulatory agency last month suspended nearly two dozen permits that let companies inject saltwater water into the ground, a routine industry practice that regulators said has contributed to...
Tornadoes Rip Homes, Businesses in Florida Panhandle
Jan 9 2024 // Multiple tornadoes and high winds were reported across the South early Tuesday, including Panama City, Florida, where storms caused significant damage to homes and businesses and forced rescues of stranded...
Insured Price Tag for Natural Disasters Was $95B in 2023 With Economic Cost of $250B
Jan 9 2024 // Natural catastrophes in 2023 caused global economic losses of US$250 billion, with insurers and reinsurers paying US$95 billion of that amount, according to Munich Re. Last year’s insured losses of US$95 billion are...
Houston Yet to Allocate $200 Million in Federal Relief Funds to Hurricane Harvey Victims
Jan 8 2024 // More than six years after Hurricane Harvey flooded thousands of homes and killed more than 80 people on the Texas Coast, the city of Houston has yet to allocate $200 million in federal relief funds to victims, according to...
Lawsuit Says Compensation Delayed for Victims of Worst Wildfire in New Mexico History
Jan 8 2024 // A new lawsuit has been filed against the Federal Emergency Management Agency, alleging compensation has been delayed for victims of the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history. FEMA is responsible for...
The Sentry Tees Off PGA Tour as First Major Sporting Event in Maui Since Wildfires
Jan 5 2024 // The 2024 PGA Tour teed off Thursday with the opening round of The Sentry, the first major sporting event to be held on the island of Maui since the devastating Lahaina wildfires in August. Sentry Insurance, the...
