Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Georgia to Overhaul Warning System Procedures After Tornado Siren Failure
Jun 3 2019 // Emergency officials near Georgia’s coast are investigating how to prevent future failures of an outdoor tornado siren system. The sirens were silent before a tornado passed through the Wilmington Island area east of...
Officials Assess Damage After Tornado Confirmed in Maryland
Jun 3 2019 // The National Weather Service says a tornado touched down in Howard County, Maryland. The Baltimore Sun reported Friday that weather service meteorologists plan to survey the area to assess the damage. There were reports of...
North Carolina School System Settles Tornado Damage Claims with Insurer for $10M
Jun 3 2019 // More than a year after a tornado struck, a North Carolina school system says it’s reached a $10 million settlement with its insurance company for damage to three schools. The News & Record of Greensboro reports...
Bankruptcy Judge Approves PG&E $105 Million Assistance Fund for Wildfire Victims
Jun 3 2019 // PG&E Corp. may set up a $105 million housing fund for victims of 2017 and 2018 wildfires in California, which set records for devastation and were blamed on the utility’s equipment, the judge overseeing the...
Forecasters Say Hawaii May Have Busy Hurricane Season
Jun 3 2019 // Hawaii and the Central Pacific could experience more storms than normal during this year’s hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted in late May that there will be five to eight...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Withdraws 10% Rate Increase Filing
Jun 3 2019 // By Stephanie K. Jones Texas’ property insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast voted at a May 24, 2019, meeting of its board of directors to withdraw a 10% rate increase filed last year that was...
FCC: Wireless Carriers Were Ill-Prepared for Hurricane Michael Outages
May 31 2019 // A Federal Communications Commission report says wireless carriers’ poor preparation and coordination lengthened communication outages in the Florida Panhandle after Hurricane Michael. The Panama City News Herald...
California Utility Regulator OKs PG&E’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan
May 30 2019 // A Wildfire Mitigation Plan submitted by Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday. The state Legislature in 2018 enacted Senate Bill 901 mandating action by the...
Unusual If Not Unprecedented: 500 Tornadoes in 30 Days
May 30 2019 // The U.S. has been rocked by 500 tornadoes in the past 30 days with a trapped jet stream in the atmosphere “stuck in neutral,” according to the U.S. Storm Prediction Center. In the past seven decades, only 2003,...
California Commissioner Wants Insurers to Extend Living Expense Coverage for 2017 Wildfire Survivors
May 29 2019 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Wednesday announced two new actions intended to assist survivors of the 2017 North Bay Fires who are facing unavoidable delays in rebuilding. The California Department of...
1 Dead After Tornadoes Leave Trail of Destruction Across Indiana, Ohio
May 29 2019 // A swarm of apparent tornadoes so tightly packed that one crossed the path carved by another tore across Indiana and Ohio overnight, smashing homes and blowing out windows. One person was killed and dozens were injured. The...
California Does Not Have a Wildfire Insurance Crisis
May 29 2019 // It’s understandable that wildfire is on the top of mind for California lawmakers this session. Coming on the heels of the 2017 wildfire season that saw $13.2 billion in insured losses, the fires last November that...
8 Tornadoes, Hail Hit Colorado’s Northeastern Plains
May 29 2019 // Severe thunderstorms produced eight weak tornadoes over Colorado’s northeastern plains while snow fell in parts of the mountains on the unofficial start of summer. The National Weather Service says no damage was...
Insurers Face Minimal Losses from Peru and Ecuador Earthquake: A.M. Best
May 29 2019 // A.M. Best said it does not foresee a major impact to the domestic insurance markets in Peru or Ecuador following a significant earthquake centered in Peru that also affected several provinces in neighboring Ecuador. On May...
AAA Survey: Floridians Concerned for Upcoming Hurricane Season
May 29 2019 // Floridians are becoming more concerned about hurricane season, after enduring four major storms in the past three years, including a category five last year, according to a survey from AAA. The AAA survey, conducted online...
Weekend Tornadoes Rake Oklahoma, Killing 2, Injuring 29
May 28 2019 // A tornado leveled a motel and tore through a mobile home park near Oklahoma City overnight, killing two people and injuring at least 29 others before a second twister raked a suburb of Tulsa more than 100 miles (160...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Withdraws 10% Rate Increase Filing
May 28 2019 // Texas’ property insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast voted at a May 24, 2019, meeting of its board of directors to withdraw a 10% rate increase filed last year that was subsequently put on...
Watchdog Report: North Carolina Delayed Spending Federal Hurricane Matthew Funds
May 24 2019 // Administrative mistakes and a lack of expertise caused delays in North Carolina’s spending of federal funds for Hurricane Matthew recovery, according to a report released Monday from the General Assembly’s...
Recovery Begins in Missouri’s Capital After Tornado Sweeps Area
May 24 2019 // A tornado tore apart buildings in Missouri’s capital city as part of an outbreak of severe weather across the state overnight that left at least three people dead and dozens injured. The National Weather Service...
Forecasters Say Hawaii May Have Busy Hurricane Season
May 24 2019 // Hawaii and the Central Pacific could experience more storms than normal during this year’s hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted Wednesday there will be five to eight named...
