Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Edison Says Wildfire Fund May Shield Balance Sheet From LA Fire Claims
Feb 28 2025 // California’s $21 billion wildfire fund may shield Edison International’s balance sheet if equipment owned by the company’s electric utility is found to have caused a deadly Los Angeles fire last month,...
ZestyAI: More Than $2 Trillion in US Homes at High Risk of Wildfires
Feb 28 2025 // While Western wildfires have dominated disaster news for decades, new analysis using artificial intelligence shows millions of homes across the country—even in the swampy Southeast—are at risk for wildfires. New data...
Texas Panhandle Town Grapples with Recovery One Year After Devastating Wildfire
Feb 27 2025 // Past the terracotta canyons and sloping hills in the Texas Panhandle is a colorful, small town center. A vibrant mural of the town’s name greets visitors, the yellow and blue paint from a historic motel can be seen...
Swiss Re Expects Hit of Less Than $700 Million From Los Angeles Wildfires
Feb 27 2025 // Reinsurance company Swiss Re said on Thursday that claims from wildfires in Los Angeles would be less than $700 million and would impact its first quarter results, the latest European reinsurer to disclose a hit from the...
Munich Re Faces $1.3 Billion in Claims From Los Angeles Wildfires
Feb 26 2025 // Germany’s Munich Re expects about 1.2 billion euros ($1.26 billion) in claims resulting from the Los Angeles wildfires, it said on Wednesday, representing the biggest loss reported so far by a single European...
How Trump’s Mass Layoffs Raise Wildfire Risk in the West, According to Fired Workers
Feb 25 2025 // The termination letters that ended the careers of thousands of U.S. Forest Service employees mean fewer people and less resources will be available to help prevent and fight wildfires, raising the specter of even more...
California Governor Asks Congress for $40B for LA Wildfire Relief
Feb 24 2025 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked Congress to approve nearly $40 billion in aid to help the Los Angeles area recover from January’s devastating wildfires, which he said could become the costliest natural...
California Wildfire Claims Ignite Industry-Wide Credibility Crisis
Feb 24 2025 // As someone who lost everything in a devastating fire–from cherished family photos to irreplaceable heirlooms–I understand firsthand the profound impact of both fire destruction and an insurer’s response....
Zurich Insurance Sees $200 Million LA Wildfire Loss
Feb 21 2025 // Zurich Insurance Group AG is expecting pretax losses of $200 million from the January California wildfires as the insurer reported a 5% gain in profit for 2024. Group operating profit rose to $7.75 billion in the year, the...
AM Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for Mercury and Subsidiaries Over LA Wildfires
Feb 20 2025 // AM Best revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of “a” (Excellent) for the members of...
Farmers Estimates $600M in Losses from LA Wildfires
Feb 19 2025 // Farmers said on Wednesday that it expects losses from the Los Angeles wildfires last month to reach an estimated $600 million. Insurance companies have so far paid out more than $6.9 billion for losses from the biggest two...
Scientists Racing to Discover Depth of Ocean Damage From LA Wildfires
Feb 19 2025 // On a recent Sunday, Tracy Quinn drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to assess damage wrought upon the coastline by the Palisades Fire. The water line was darkened by ash. Burnt remnants of washing machines and dryers and...
Trump’s Hiring Freeze Throws Wildfire Fighters Into Disarray
Feb 18 2025 // Federal firefighters have found their jobs on the chopping block as a result of US President Donald Trump’s executive orders, with a hiring freeze simultaneously blocking reinforcements in the aftermath of the Los...
Texas Braces for Freezing Weather With Wildfire and Flood Risks
Feb 18 2025 // Several varieties of extreme weather are forecast for Texas this week as state officials monitor rising wildfire risks in West Texas and possible flash flooding in East Texas before frigid cold settles in across the state...
California Wildfire Mitigation And Recovery Bill Package Introduced
Feb 14 2025 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and a group of state lawmakers are pushing a 10-bill legislative package designed to improve disaster preparedness and help protect wildfire survivors. The bills intended...
North Carolina Lawmakers Amend Hurricane Helene Recovery Measure
Feb 14 2025 // RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina House members advanced Wednesday a Republican package to boost state recovery funding after Hurricane Helene as committees fleshed out details on how best to spend another $500 million...
Insurers Have Now Paid Out Nearly $7B for LA Wildfires, Report Shows
Feb 13 2025 // Insurance companies have so far paid out more than $6.9 billion for losses from the biggest two of the Los Angeles-area wildfires that swept through the region and destroyed tens of thousands of homes last...
Mercury Expects to Lose $1.6B to $2B From LA Wildfires
Feb 13 2025 // Although Mercury Insurance Group expects gross losses from the 2025 California wildfires in the $1.6 billion-$2.0 billion range, potential subrogation and reinsurance recoveries will drop the ultimate bill down to $325...
Update: FEMA to Borrow $2B to Pay Flood Claims After Hurricanes Helene and Milton
Feb 13 2025 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it needs to borrow $2 billion from the U.S. Treasury to cover claims from National Flood Insurance Program policyholders. FEMA, administrator of NFIP, said it expects to pay out...
Insured Losses From Calgary Hailstorm Reach C$3.25B as 2nd Costliest Canada Disaster
Feb 12 2025 // The tally for Calgary’s record-breaking hailstorm last August continues to rise, with total insured losses now estimated to be C$3.25 billion (US$2.2 billion), according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, quoting...
