Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Communities Reeling From Deadly Tornadoes in Texas and Oklahoma
Apr 22 2025 // A slow-moving, active storm system brought heavy rain, large hail and tornadoes to parts of Texas and Oklahoma and left three people dead as severe weather warnings Sunday continue to threaten parts of the south-central...
Global Natural Disasters Cost Insurers $53B in Q1, With Economic Losses of $83B
Apr 21 2025 // Global natural catastrophes had an insured price tag of more than $53 billion during the first quarter of 2025 – claims driven by California’s wildfires of approximately $38 billion, or 71% of total insured losses...
High Cost of Living Fears Made Worse by LA Wildfire in UCLA Survey
Apr 21 2025 // The high cost of living remains a main concern in America’s largest exacerbated by the January 2025 wildfires is one of the biggest worries bothering residents of Los Angeles County. A survey focused on the county,...
Revisiting California’s Wildfires: A Personal Journey
Apr 21 2025 // PART TWO OF A TWO-PART SERIES In this second article in a two-part series, Journalist Russ Banham endeavors to better understand the factors behind the devastating fires in Los Angeles County and the roles that public...
Wildfires and Lessons Learned
Apr 21 2025 // “I conceive that the great part of the miseries of mankind are brought upon them by false estimates they made of the value of things.” — Benjamin Franklin It seems difficult to watch a daily newscast that...
California Sets Aside $170M to Thin Vegetation, Forests to Help Prevent Wildfires
Apr 17 2025 // Gov. Gavin Newsom signed new legislation on Monday that will provide more than $170 million in state funding to help prevent wildfires while signing an order aimed at speeding up the work by easing environmental...
Wildfire Losses Increasing But Still Small Compared to Hurricanes: KCC
Apr 16 2025 // Wildfire losses in the U.S. are increasing, but the risk is still considerably smaller than hurricanes, according to a new KCC white paper. While we usually think of California and other western states—especially since...
Travelers Income Drops 65% on Catastrophe Losses, Primarily California Wildfires
Apr 16 2025 // The Travelers Cos. said first quarter 2024 fell 65% on an underwriting loss of $305 million. Travelers posted first quarter net income of about $395 million compared to about $1.1 billion during the first quarter of 2024....
2024 Saw Second Most Tornadoes on Record in the US
Apr 15 2025 // New analysis indicates there were 1796 confirmed tornadoes in 2024, the second highest on record, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. The busy tornado season was driven by an active April and May in the...
Southern California Edison Lays Out $925M Plan to Rebuild After LA Wildfires
Apr 15 2025 // Southern California Edison (SCE), a subsidiary of utility Edison International, said on Friday it had submitted an initial plan to rebuild the areas within its service territory that were devastated by the Los Angeles...
Hawaii Lawmakers Wrangle Bills to Rescue Utility Hit by Wildfire Suits
Apr 14 2025 // Hawaiian Electric Co. is making a final legislative push this month, asking lawmakers to help shore up its financial foundation, which crumbled after the 2023 Maui wildfire that killed 102 people and destroyed much of...
Bill That Tries to Address Wildfires in West Has Bipartisan Support
Apr 14 2025 // A bipartisan group of senators is supporting a bill designed to reduce wildfire risks and increase firefighting cooperation across state lines in the U.S. Western region. The Fix Our Forests Act is backed by senators from...
Amish Communities Quickly Repair Tornado Damage in Michigan and Indiana
Apr 11 2025 // No contractors, no repair estimates, no haggling with the insurance company: After a tornado struck an Amish community in Michigan, the work was underway even before the National Weather Service could assess the...
California’s Effort to Hold Oil Companies Liable for Natural Disasters Stalls
Apr 11 2025 // California lawmakers have blocked a bill to make oil and gas companies liable for damage to homes from natural disasters caused by climate change, warning it could raise gas prices. The bill would have allowed victims of...
People Moves: Markel Promotes Brooke to Senior Underwriter of War and Terrorism; BHSI Promotes Kidd to Newly Created Role of Head of Underwriting in Europe
Apr 10 2025 // Markel Promotes Brooke to Senior Underwriter of War and Terrorism Markel, the insurance operations within Markel Group Inc., announced that Matthew Brooke has been promoted to senior underwriter, War and Terrorism,...
Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Spews Fountains of Lava in Latest Eruption
Apr 10 2025 // Scientists were bracing for high lava fountains during the latest episode of an ongoing eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano. Lava fountains have reached heights of 1,000 feet (305 meters) during eruptive episodes in...
California Wildfires Had Little Impact on Reinsurers’ Risk Appetite During April Renewals
Apr 9 2025 // Property-catastrophe capacity remained adequate to meet demand during the April 1 renewals for US reinsurance buyers, despite the record losses from California’s January wildfires, according to Aon and Gallagher Re...
Death Toll From Los Angeles Wildfires Reaches 30
Apr 7 2025 // Nearly three months after two wildfires destroyed thousands of homes in the Los Angeles area, officials said the death toll from the blazes had reached 30. A team responded last week following a report of possible human...
Today’s Commercial Property Market in ‘Better Place’ Brokers Assess 4 Current Trends: Vacancies, Alternatives, Valuations, Wildfires
Apr 7 2025 // Commercial property insurance rates continue to fall for most accounts after most property insurers saw profitable books in 2024. That’s good news for insureds, commercial property brokers say, as clients begin to...
An Insurance Journalist’s Perspective on Southern California’a Wildfires
Apr 7 2025 // PART ONE OF A TWO-PART SERIES It was pitch black in the house and the power was off. The Santa Ana winds were howling. As planned, my wife, Jenny, gathered our two dogs and cat and scurried them into her car as I shuttled...
