Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Southern California Edison Sued by City for Damaging Wildfire
Feb 13 2023 // A city claims in a lawsuit that Southern California Edison equipment ignited a damaging wildfire last fall. The lawsuit filed on behalf of the city of Hemet claims that the utility did not manage its electrical power lines...
Earthquake Recovery Continues on Northern California Coast
Feb 10 2023 // Humboldt County authorities have released the latest statistics on recovery from the December earthquake and aftershocks that struck the Northern California coast. Roughly 91 structures have been red-tagged as unsafe to...
Global Reinsurers to Bear Bulk of Losses From Turkey-Syria Earthquake: Fitch
Feb 9 2023 // Most insurance payouts due to the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria ultimately will be borne by global reinsurers, according to Fitch Ratings. “The vast majority of insured losses will be covered by reinsurance,...
Earthquake Update: More Than 20,000 Dead Across Turkey, Syria; Rescue Efforts Intensify
Feb 9 2023 // Thousands of foreign aid workers have arrived in Turkey and the first UN aid convoy has entered Syria after this week’s twin earthquakes. The World Bank announced a $1.78 billion relief package as well. The death...
Criminal Attorney Signs on to Represent Houston Hurricane Claim Filing Law Firm
Feb 8 2023 // Houston, Texas-based McClenny Moseley & Associates hired a criminal defense lawyer after being sanctioned last week by a federal judge in New Orleans for filing lawsuits on behalf of a homeowner it did not...
Hurricane Irma Deaths at Florida Nursing Home: Accident or Manslaughter?
Feb 8 2023 // A Florida nursing home administrator charged with causing the overheating deaths of nine patients after Hurricane Irma in 2017 went on trial Monday, with a prosecutor calling him a “captain who abandoned ship”...
Earthquakes Deliver Another Blow to Turkey’s Re/Insurance Industry: Reports
Feb 8 2023 // Two powerful earthquakes, which hit southeastern Turkey on Feb. 6, 2023, deliver another blow to the local re/insurance industry, according to commentaries from AM Best and GlobalData. While it is likely that international...
Thwarted Plot to Attack Baltimore Power Grid Part of Growing Domestic Terrorism: Feds
Feb 8 2023 // A Maryland woman spent months conspiring with a neo-Nazi leader based in Florida to plan an attack on Baltimore’s power grid, hoping to further their racist mission, law enforcement officials said Monday. The plan...
No Damage or Injuries Reported From Small Earthquake in Buffalo Suburb
Feb 7 2023 // A small earthquake rumbled through western New York early Monday, alarming people in a region unaccustomed to such shaking but apparently causing no significant damage. The U.S. Geological Survey preliminarily reported a...
Update: Powerful Earthquakes Hit Turkey and Syria With at Least 4,000 Killed
Feb 6 2023 // Rescue teams from overseas began deploying in Turkey on Tuesday after a pair of powerful earthquakes a day earlier killed at least 4,000 people in the country and neighboring Syria, leaving millions to suffer without power...
$930M to Curb Western U.S. Wildfires Crisis
Feb 6 2023 // The U.S. is directing $930 million toward reducing wildfire dangers in 10 western states by clearing trees and underbrush from national forests, the Biden administration announced in late January, as officials struggle to...
Kentucky Tornado Relief Payments Come Under Scrutiny
Feb 3 2023 // Some people unaffected by tornadoes that ravaged Kentucky in late 2021 were mistakenly sent payments from a relief fund funneling private donations into the region, the state treasurer’s office said Wednesday. State...
California Earthquake False Alarm Offers a Lesson for Crisis Communicators
Jan 31 2023 // An earthquake false alarm nearly four years ago can teach disaster and emergency planners – and any crisis communicators, including insurers – a thing or two about communicating to the public during and after a...
Filipino Workers Say Oil Company Abandoned Them in Hurricane Ida
Jan 30 2023 // NEW ORLEANS (AP) – As Hurricane Ida struck the Louisiana Gulf Coast in August 2021, Renato Decena and Rosel Hernandez watched the storm punch a hole in the roof of the bunkhouse where they were sheltered _ abandoned,...
Light Earthquake Confirmed in Southern California
Jan 26 2023 // A light earthquake centered offshore gave Southern California an early morning wake-up call Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. There were no reports of damage. The 2 a.m. quake occurred beneath the ocean 10.6...
Global Insured Losses From Natural Disasters Topped $130B in 2022 in 5th Costliest Year
Jan 26 2023 // Economic losses from natural disasters in 2022 were estimated at $313 billion, with an insurance price tag of approximately $132 billion, according to Aon. Roughly 42% of economic losses were covered by public and private...
Tornado Causes Damage East of Houston
Jan 26 2023 // PASADENA, Texas (AP) – A powerful storm system took aim at the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, spawning a tornado that downed utility poles and power lines, overturned vehicles and ripped roofs off homes and businesses in...
Attorney for La. Insurer Says Firm Working with Contractors to Find New Hurricane Claimants
Jan 25 2023 // An insurance defense attorney accuses the McClenny Moseley & Associates law firm of teaming up with restoration contractors to illegally acquire clients, which sometimes resulted in duplicate lawsuits being filed...
Entergy Louisiana Customers to Cover $1.5B for Hurricane Ida Repairs
Jan 23 2023 // METAIRIE, La. (AP) – About a million customers of an electric utility in Louisiana will cover more than $1.4 billion in repair costs related to Hurricane Ida. Entergy Louisiana said residential customers will see about...
$930M to Curb Western U.S. Wildfires Crisis
Jan 23 2023 // The U.S. is directing $930 million toward reducing wildfire dangers in 10 western states by clearing trees and underbrush from national forests, the Biden administration announced Thursday, as officials struggle to contain...
