Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
500K-Plus Californians Lose Power; Large Wildfire Rages
Oct 24 2019 // More than half a million people have lost power across California as part of a deliberate blackout designed to keep power lines from igniting wildfires. Meanwhile, a major blaze has already erupted. PG&E Corp. and...
Washington Tornado Uprooted Trees, Sending Them into Homes
Oct 24 2019 // The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down near Shelton, Wash. The tornado his on Friday night, with had winds up to 100 mph. The tornado started on land and traveled more than a half mile before moving...
Insured Losses from Japan’s Typhoon Hagibis Estimated at $8B-$16B: AIR
Oct 22 2019 // Insured losses from Typhoon Hagibis, which made landfall in Japan on Oct. 12, will be between 865 billion Japanese yen (US$8 billion) and JPY 1,730 billion (US$16 billion), with more than half of the losses due to inland...
No Fatalities Reported After Dallas Hit by Tornado
Oct 21 2019 // The City of Dallas said in a Twitter feed that no fatalities or serious injuries had been reported following a tornado that hit swept through northern part of the city on Sunday night causing widespread property damage,...
Tropical Storm Nestor Spawns Tornadoes in Florida Gulf but Spares Panhandle
Oct 21 2019 // Tropical Storm Nestor was downgraded Saturday after it spawned a tornado that damaged homes and a school in central Florida but spared an area of the Panhandle devastated one year ago by Hurricane Michael. The storm,...
Small Earthquake Confirmed Off Southern Oregon Coast
Oct 21 2019 // A 4.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of southern Oregon, The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The USGS mapped the earthquake about 96 miles off the coast of Port Orford, a small town in Curry County about 25...
26 Insurers Extend Time for 2017 California Wildfire Victims for Living Expenses
Oct 18 2019 // Twenty-six insurers have agreed to extend the time limits for 2017 wildfire survivors to access additional living expense benefits. The companies represent a majority of the total losses from the devastating 2017 wildfires...
National Hurricane Center Issues Tropical Storm Warning Along Gulf Coast
Oct 18 2019 // A disturbance in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico is likely to become a tropical storm that will hit the northern U.S. Gulf Coast with wind and rain, forecasters said Thursday. Moving off the eastern coast of Mexico, the...
PG&E Noteholders, California Wildfire Victims File Formal Reorganization Plan
Oct 18 2019 // Noteholders of PG&E Corp. and a committee for victims of the wildfires that pushed the power producer into bankruptcy filed a formal reorganization plan on Thursday for the company, proposing they get effectively all...
Typhoons Faxai, Hagibis Unlikely to Affect Stability of Japan’s Non-Life Insurers: AM Best
Oct 18 2019 // The recent mega-typhoons in Japan are unlikely to affect the financial stability of the country’s three major non-life insurers due to their appropriate catastrophe risk management and strong capitalization levels,...
Florida Officials Say Insurers Not Doing Enough to Settle Hurricane Michael Claims
Oct 17 2019 // It’s been just over a year since Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle, devastating the region as a Category 5 storm with 161-mph winds and causing more than $7.2 billion in estimated insured...
Officials: Deadly Los Angeles Wildfire Began Near Base of Electrical Tower
Oct 15 2019 // A deadly wind-driven wildfire that raged across the northern edge of Los Angeles last week started near the base of high-voltage transmission tower owned by electric utility Southern California Edison, company and fire...
Southeast Missouri Shaken by Magnitude 3.0 Earthquake
Oct 14 2019 // A small earthquake has been reported in southeastern Missouri. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 3.0 earthquake occurred just before 8 a.m. Saturday and was centered about 2.7 miles (4 kilometers) southwest of...
Hurricane Dorian Ties as Strongest Landfalling Atlantic Hurricane on Record: Aon
Oct 14 2019 // Hurricane Dorian made landfalls in the Bahamas, North Carolina, and Canada in early September, bringing total economic and insured losses in the billions, according to Aon’s monthly Global Catastrophe Recap...
Update: Typhoon Hagibis Rips Across Japan, Causing Flooding, Killing at Least 43
Oct 12 2019 // Japan is sending more than 110,000 people including its Self-Defense Forces to tackle rescue and cleanup operations in the wake of the most powerful typhoon to hit the country in decades, which left at least 43 people...
Wildfire Destroyed Dozens of Homes in Southern California
Oct 11 2019 // Burning trash dumped by a garbage truck caused a fire that by early Friday had destroyed dozens of homes in California’s Riverside County, fire officials said, as wildfires across the state led to power cuts for...
Hurricane Michael: One Year Later, Federal Aid for Recovery Totals Nearly $2B
Oct 10 2019 // Since Hurricane Michael made landfall Oct. 10, 2018, federal assistance for recovery in the 18 affected counties is nearly $1.9 billion, including FEMA grants, National Flood Insurance Program payments and U.S. Small...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Seeks Input for Actuarial & Underwriting Committee
Oct 10 2019 // Texas insurer of last resort for properties along the state’s coast is seeking input from the public in advance of a meeting of its Actuarial & Underwriting Committee. The Texas Windstorm Insurance...
Update: Super Typhoon Hagibis Tracks Toward Japan; Guy Carpenter, RMS Comment
Oct 10 2019 // Super Typhoon Hagabis has been a category 5 for much of the first half of this week, but fortunately is forecast to weaken to a category 3 typhoon when it makes landfall in Japan on Saturday morning, Oct. 12, said Guy...
Millions in Northern, Central California Lose Electricity to Mitigate Wildfire Risks
Oct 10 2019 // California utility giant PG&E Corp. expanded the biggest blackout that has ever been orchestrated to prevent wildfires with a second round of shutoffs in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The company told reporters late...
