Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Evacuations Lifted in Wildfire Along California-Nevada Border
Aug 27 2019 // Authorities say a fast-moving wildfire on rural land along the California-Nevada border burned one home before crews were able to slow its spread. Fire spokesman Adam Mayberry says the blaze about 25 miles north of Reno,...
Firefighters Make Progress on Alaska Wildfire
Aug 27 2019 // Firefighters are making progress on an Alaska wildfire that has claimed 51 homes. Nearly 450 firefighters working the fire about 70 miles north of Alaska’s largest city brought it to 46 percent containment Monday, up...
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner, State Farm at Odds Over Hurricane Deductibles
Aug 26 2019 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner James Donelon has issued a cease and desist order against State Farm in a dispute over hurricane deductibles before Hurricane Barry. The state Department of Insurance received a complaint...
Update: Tropical Storm Dorian Strengthens as It Heads Toward Barbados
Aug 26 2019 // Tropical Storm Dorian is gaining strength as it approaches the Lesser Antilles and is forecast to skirt Puerto Rico as a weak hurricane. The storm was about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east-southeast of Barbados as of 8 p.m....
Alaska Wildfire Threatening Community Businesses
Aug 26 2019 // A wildfire in south-central Alaska has threatened multiple businesses in a nearby community, officials said. At least 51 homes and three businesses have been destroyed in a wildfire burning north of Anchorage. Another 84...
Fire Station in Texas Latest Recovery From Hurricane Ike
Aug 23 2019 // Galveston, Texas has a new main fire station as recovery continues since Hurricane Ike swamped parts of the city in 2008. The Galveston County Daily News reports the $9.6 million Fire Station No. 1 was one of the last...
California Utility Wants Help Paying Wildfire Victims
Aug 23 2019 // A troubled California utility company is asking the state Legislature to let it borrow money without paying taxes so it can compensate victims of a devastating wildfire caused by its equipment. Pacific Gas & Electric...
Guy Carpenter Tapped for California Wildfire Fund Reinsurance Program
Aug 22 2019 // Guy Carpenter & Company LLC has been named the sole reinsurance intermediary for the newly formed California Wildfire Fund, which is currently being administered by the California Earthquake Authority. Guy Carpenter...
Wildfires Making Insurance Harder to Find, California Department of Insurance Says
Aug 21 2019 // Severe wildfire seasons have made it harder for homeowners to find insurance in high wildfire-risk areas, according to new data collected by the California Department of Insurance. The data released this week from the CDI...
Top 15 Earthquake Insurance Companies
Aug 21 2019 // Earthquake coverage is available mostly from private insurance companies. In California homeowners can also get coverage from the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), a privately funded, publicly managed organization....
Spain Reports Progress in Battling Canary Island Wildfire
Aug 21 2019 // The wind dropped overnight in the Canary Islands, allowing firefighters to make progress Tuesday against Spain’s biggest wildfire so far this year. Canary Islands President Angel Victor Torres said 16 water-dropping...
May Tornadoes Losses Among Highest Insured Losses in Ohio History
Aug 21 2019 // Insured losses from Memorial Day tornadoes that ravaged parts of Ohio will be among the largest in the state’s history. The Columbus Dispatch reports Ohio Insurance Institute data puts the total insured losses from...
Pacific Northwest Earthquake-Warning System Gets Funding Boost
Aug 21 2019 // The U.S. Geological Survey is greatly increasing funding for the region’s seismic network, putting it on track to send public alerts of impending earthquake shaking within the next two years. The Seattle Times...
Texas A&M Forest Service Activates Airtanker Base to Help Combat Wildfires
Aug 21 2019 // In response to rising wildfire activity across the state, the Texas A&M Forest Service is opening the Austin Airtanker Base at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Significant fire activity has increased recently,...
PG&E Will Face Jury Over Billions in Damages from Massive California Wildfire
Aug 20 2019 // Victims of the second-most destructive fire in California history will get a chance to try and persuade a jury that PG&E Corp. should pay them as much as $18 billion in damages. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali on...
Number of Wildfires Down in Louisiana Over 10-Year Period
Aug 20 2019 // The number of wildfires in Louisiana has dropped significantly over the past decade, agriculture and forestry officials say. According to records, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) firefighters...
PG&E Shares Dive on Risk of up to $18B in Wildfire Lawsuit Costs
Aug 19 2019 // PG&E Corp. shares plunged Monday after a judge ruled that a jury can determine whether it should pay as much as $18 billion in damages to wildfire victims. The California utility giant fell as much 28%, to $10.22, at...
Edison International to Face Trial Over Woolsey Wildfire Claim in April
Aug 19 2019 // The first trial to determine if Edison International’s Southern California utility is liable for damages from the Woolsey wildfire that tore through Malibu last year will begin on April 27, a judge said. California...
Flooded Mississippi River Still a Threat as Hurricane Season Heats Up
Aug 19 2019 // The river that drains much of the flood-soaked United States is still running far higher than normal, menacing New Orleans in multiple ways just as the hurricane season intensifies. For months now, a massive volume of...
Report: Re/Insurers Are Reconsidering Risk Appetite for California Wildfires
Aug 19 2019 // S&P Global Ratings says 2020 reinsurance pricing in the aftermath of California wildfires will likely rise as re/insurers are finding 2017-2018 losses from wildfires in that state to be higher than expected. The...
