Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake Felt Widely Across Big Island of Hawaii
Dec 6 2023 // A magnitude 5.1 earthquake on the Big Island of Hawaii was felt widely, but there were no reports of damage or injury, officials said. The earthquake hit at 5:54 p.m.on Monday near the Kilauea volcano at a depth of 1 mile...
Hailstorm Claims Risk Undermining Solar Energy, Insurer Says
Dec 6 2023 // Solar farms around the world are under threat due to costly hailstorm-related claims, according to renewable energy underwriter GCube Insurance. Hail was the costliest category for insurance claims by the renewables...
NOAA: 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season Ranks 4th for Most-Named Storms
Dec 5 2023 // Ending on Nov. 30, the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season saw 20 named storms, ranking fourth for the most-named storms in a year since 1950, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said. Seven storms were...
Climate Change, Natural Disasters Sent Texas Homeowners Insurance Rates Skyrocketing in 2023
Dec 1 2023 // Insurance companies across Texas have dramatically increased home insurance rates this year, state filings show, as climate change spooks executives and inflation pushes up costs to rebuild after natural disasters. Texas...
Oregon Regulator to Investigate Pacificorp’s Request to Limit Wildfire Liability
Nov 30 2023 // Oregon’s utility regulator this week said it would investigate a petition by PacifiCorp to limit its liability from future wildfire-related lawsuits, delaying a decision on the power provider’s request by as...
People Moves: Markel Appoints Howden’s Woodhouse for War and Terrorism Team; Costero Brokers Taps Marsh’s Olley as Cyber Divisional Director
Nov 29 2023 // This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Markel and Costero Brokers. A summary of these new hires follows here. Markel Appoints Howden’s Woodhouse for War and Terrorism Team Markel, the...
Maui Wildfire Survivors Camp Pushing Mayor to Convert Vacation Rentals into Housing
Nov 28 2023 // A group of Lahaina wildfire survivors is vowing to camp on a popular resort beach until the mayor uses his emergency powers to shut down unpermitted vacation rentals and make the properties available for residents in...
FBI Closes Probe of Car Wreck at Niagara Falls Bridge, No Indication of Terrorism
Nov 27 2023 // FBThe FBI has ended its investigation of a fiery car wreck that killed two people at a border checkpoint in Niagara Falls after finding no evidence that it was a terror attack, easing a period of high tensions as Americans...
Alabama Begins $13.6M Rebuild of Pier Damaged in Hurricane Sally
Nov 27 2023 // GULF SHORES, Ala. (AP) — Hurricane Sally wiped out a 200-foot (61-meter) section of the Gulf State Park Fishing Pier on the Alabama coast in September 2020 just as it was about to reopen after a $2.4 million rebuild...
Wildfires Prompt North Carolina, Tennessee Campgrounds to Evacuate; West Virginia Blaze Contained
Nov 22 2023 // Wildfires prompted campgrounds in North Carolina and Tennessee to evacuate starting Sunday while firefighters prepared for high winds and low humidity on Monday, though officials hoped for some help from expected rain. The...
National Weather Service Surveying Tornado Damage in Arizona Town
Nov 21 2023 // A tornado that hit the town of Star Valley in Ariona prompted the National Weather Service`s Flagstaff branch to survey damage to the area, the organization said. Officials from the town located about 95 miles northeast of...
Dollywood Temporarily Suspends Park Entry Due to Nearby Wildfire
Nov 20 2023 // Dolly Parton`s Dollywood temporarily suspended entry Thursday into the Tennessee amusement park as wildfire crews on Thursday battled nearby flames. Park officials say they paused entry to allow fire crews enough room to...
Revisiting Terrorism Issues
Nov 20 2023 // Yesterday was my son’s 12th birthday but he didn’t spend it unwrapping presents or gorging on ice cream and cake. Most of our evening was spent solemnly observing unspeakable horror and devastation as the...
Mississippi Loosens Burn Ban After More Rain and Fewer Wildfires
Nov 17 2023 // JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Recent rain has helped improve drought conditions enough for Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves to partially lift a statewide burn ban. Reeves, the Mississippi Forestry Commission and the Mississippi...
Fatalities From Maui Wildfire Reach 100 After Death of Woman
Nov 17 2023 // The death toll from the wildfire that devastated the historic Maui town of Lahaina last summer has risen to 100 after a 78-year-old woman injured in the disaster died last month, officials said. The victim was among those...
Magnitude 3.6 Earthquake Rattles Parts of Northern Illinois, Parts of 3 Other States
Nov 16 2023 // STANDARD, Ill. (AP) __ A magnitude 3.6 earthquake rattled northern Illinois and parts of three other states early Wednesday, awakening some residents and spurring reports to 911 about homes shaking, the U.S. Geological...
Low-Intensity Fires Reduce Wildfire Risk by 60%, Study Finds
Nov 16 2023 // There is no longer any question of how to prevent high-intensity, often catastrophic, wildfires that have become increasingly frequent across the Western U.S., according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University...
Hurricane Otis’ Insured Losses Estimated at $2.5B-$6B: Moody’s RMS, Verisk
Nov 15 2023 // Moody’s RMS, the risk modeling and solutions company, estimates private market insured losses from Hurricane Otis to range between US$2.5 billion and US$4.5 billion. On the other hand, Verisk puts insured losses at...
5.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Remote Area of West Texas
Nov 14 2023 // MENTONE, Texas (AP) – An earthquake struck a sparsely populated and remote area of West Texas last Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, and the temblor could be felt hundreds of miles away. The USGS reports...
Federal Court Splits North Carolina Hurricane Insurance Claims
Nov 14 2023 // A North Carolina investment firm and its property insurer have each won partial victories in a dispute over hurricane insurance claims that has been in court since 2019. A federal district court judge for Eastern North...
