Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Winds Kick up Fire Threat from California Wildfires
Dec 15 2017 // Dry, gusting winds are aggravating fire worries across much of central and western California, including those areas where infernos are still raging and places that were scorched in October, the U.S. Storm Prediction...
Farmers Reports $1.2B in Claims from Northern California Wildfires
Dec 15 2017 // Farmers Insurance reported it has received more than 4,000 claims from the Northern California wildfires to date at an estimated gross cost of $1.2 billion. With reinsurance, the Los Angeles-based carrier estimates its...
200 Homes Evacuated as South Dakota Wildfire Grows
Dec 14 2017 // Strong winds are fanning the flames of a growing wildfire in South Dakota, pushing the fire beyond the borders of the Custer State Park and prompting new evacuations. Custer County Emergency Management director Mike Carter...
Report: Nearly $60M in Texas Windstorm Insurer Hurricane Ike Claims Still Unpaid
Dec 13 2017 // The Houston Chronicle reports that several school districts, cities and other government agencies are still waiting for a Texas insurer to pay nearly $60 million in claims from Hurricane Ike, adding to more insurance...
Verisk: 96% of the Area in California Fire at High or Extreme Wildfire Risk
Dec 13 2017 // Most of the area within the massive Thomas fire in Southern California is at high or extreme wildfire risk, according to a Verisk report on Wednesday. The fire encompasses more than 230,500 acres, and while containment on...
Series of Small Earthquakes Rattle Northern Nevada
Dec 13 2017 // The Nevada Seismological Laboratory confirmed a series of small earthquakes rattling north Reno, Nev. Some 32 small earthquakes were reported being felt since Nov. 28. The largest detected had a magnitude of 1.9. Officials...
Wind Threat Remains as Crews Gain on Huge California Wildfire
Dec 13 2017 // After achieving increased containment on one of the biggest wildfires in California history, officials warned that communities remain at risk and the threat could increase as unpredictable winds whip up again. Red Flag...
California Commissioner Wants Halt to Moratoriums in Wildfire Areas
Dec 12 2017 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has issued a formal notice to insurers directing them to cease any and all moratoriums on auto insurance and reminding them that California law prohibits the practice. Jones...
Economist: Hurricane Harvey’s Impact Will Guide Future Development in Houston
Dec 11 2017 // A Houston business group said on Dec. 8 that Hurricane Harvey’s biggest long-term impact on the nation’s fourth-largest city likely will be on where and how new homes and structures are built. The results of...
It’ll Take Time for P/C Insurers’ Profits to Rebound After 2017 Storms, Wildfires: Fitch
Dec 11 2017 // U.S. property/casualty insurers will rebound in 2018 from the late-2017 onslaught of hurricanes and wildfires, but it will take a while to return to “significant underwriting profits,” Fitch Ratings predicted...
Report: 86K-plus Homes at Some Risk Level in Southern California Wildfires
Dec 8 2017 // A total of 86,242 homes in Ventura and Los Angeles counties with a combined reconstruction cost value of $27.7 billion are at some level of risk from the Thomas, Rye and Creek Wildfires, according to a CoreLogic report...
Los Angeles Wildfires Close Roads, Threaten Crops, Force Evacuations
Dec 7 2017 // Wildfires raging across Southern California have shut a major commuter artery in Los Angeles, suspended filming, wiped out more than $3 billion of market value for regional utility Edison International and are threatening...
AIR Worldwide Updates Hurricane Maria Loss Estimate
Dec 7 2017 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has updated its loss estimates for Hurricane Maria, reporting that insured losses in the Caribbean will be between $27 billion and $48 billion. Losses from Maria in Puerto Rico alone...
California Wildfire Claims Now Top $9.4B, Department of Insurance Says
Dec 6 2017 // California Commissioner Dave Jones announced on Wednesday that total of insured losses from the wildfires in California in October now top $9.4 billion in residential and commercial claims. The latest figure is near the...
RenaissanceRe: $90M Estimated Net Negative Impact from California Wildfires
Dec 6 2017 // RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. said it estimates that losses from the October 2017 California Wildfires will have a net negative impact of $90 million on its fourth quarter 2017 results of operations. The October 2017...
Another California Utility Loses Billions in Value as Wildfire Rages
Dec 6 2017 // Once again, thousands are fleeing a wildfire in California. And, once again, the worry on Wall Street is that a major electric utility might end up on the hook for the damages. Shares of Edison International plunged the...
Pool Re, UK’s Cranfield University Co-Fund Terrorism Risk Mgmt. & Resilience Professorship
Dec 6 2017 // Pool Re and Cranfield University announced the appointment of Professor Andrew Silke as the professor of Terrorism Risk Management and Resilience at Cranfield University. This is a new position that will be co-funded by...
U.S. Flood Program to Collect $1 Billion in Reinsurance for Hurricane Harvey Claims
Dec 6 2017 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is seeking to recover the full $1.042 billion of its reinsurance coverage to help pay the federal flood insurance program’s losses from Hurricane Harvey. Those paid...
La Nina Adds to Wildfire Threat in South Central, Plains States
Dec 4 2017 // Conditions are ripe for winter wildfires from the mid-South through the Great Plains thanks to a combination of weather factors, including the climate phenomenon known as La Nina, that have left a lot of dry growth. In...
California Seeking $4.4B in Federal Aid for Wildfires
Dec 4 2017 // California’s 53 U.S. House members are requesting $4.4 billion in federal aid to help the state recover from its deadliest wildfires ever. That’s down sharply from the $7.4 billion originally sought by Gov....
