Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Will Rising Earthquake Risks in Oklahoma Shake Up the Insurance Market?
Nov 14 2016 // The 5.0 magnitude earthquake that struck near the oil and gas storage hub of Cushing, Oklahoma, on Nov. 6 put the nation on alert to the vulnerability of the country’s oil reserves to the significant increase in...
Search is on For Suspects Behind Southeast Wildfires, 2 Arrested in Kentucky
Nov 14 2016 // A wannabe weatherman was jailed for arson after admitting he started a wildfire to draw attention to his selfie videos on Facebook, his town’s police chief said Friday. Meanwhile, a Georgia sheriff appealed for help...
Wildfires Rage Throughout Southeast States, Arson Suspected
Nov 14 2016 // Wildfires near the Georgia-North Carolina line are spewing smoke so thick that residents are being urged to wear special masks if they must do outdoor activities. The fires – many of them suspected arsons – have...
New Zealand Avoids Widespread Damage from Earthquake; AIR Comments
Nov 14 2016 // New Zealand was rocked by a powerful earthquake early Monday that killed two people and caused extensive damage to roads and businesses, but avoided the widespread destruction caused by a 2011 quake that killed 185 people....
Hurricane Matthew Could Cost US & Caribbean Economies $15B: Aon Benfield
Nov 10 2016 // Hurricane Matthew, which swept through parts of the Caribbean and United States, had total economic losses of up to US$15 billion, according to Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development...
Oklahoma Firm Partnering with NOAA on Hurricane Forecasting, Damage Assessment
Nov 9 2016 // Cherokee Nation Technologies has entered a partnership to support hurricane forecasting and damage assessment. The collaborative effort between Cherokee Nation along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration...
Oklahoma Agency to Limit More Disposal Wells After Oil Hub Earthquake
Nov 8 2016 // Oklahoma’s oil and gas regulator plans to shut some disposal wells and reduce the volume of others as its initial response to Sunday’s earthquake near the oil hub of Cushing. “Other plans are being...
Oklahoma’s Fracking-Linked Earthquakes Raise National Security, Energy Concerns
Nov 8 2016 // Sunday night’s 5.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Cushing, Okla., is the latest and, in some ways, the most troubling in a series of temblors that has rocked the Sooner State over the past few years. Not only did it...
2016 Wildfire Season Not Likely to Top Record-Setting 2015 Season
Nov 8 2016 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Trajectory Shows Fewer Fires and Fewer Total Acres Burned in 2016 In 2015, the amount of area consumed by wildfires in the U.S. topped 10 million acres for the first...
Removal of Hurricane Debris in Savannah, Georgia Could Go Into 2017
Nov 8 2016 // Southeast Georgia residents are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Matthew of debris removal that may last well into next year. The Savannah Morning News reports that city officials in Savannah are asking residents to...
Louisiana Ag Department: Wildfire Risk High in State
Nov 7 2016 // Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain is warning Louisiana residents that the state’s wildfire risk remains higher than normal because of dry conditions. The state agriculture department says 19 parishes have enacted...
Washington Governor Wants Coordinated Earthquake, Tsunami Response Plan
Nov 7 2016 // Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is directing several state agencies to work together to prepare for a coordinated plan in case of a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. Friday’s directive creates a subcabinet group of the...
1.8 Million Western U.S. Homes at Extreme or High Wildfire Risk, Report Shows
Nov 7 2016 // Data provider CoreLogic’s new annual Wildfire Risk report designates 1.8 million single-family homes across 13 Western states as being at “Extreme” or “High” risk of wildfire damage,...
Hurricane Matthew Leaves its Mark on Southeast
Nov 7 2016 // It’s been just over a month since Hurricane Matthew ravaged the Southeast coast but the insurance industry’s job of responding to the devastation and assessing the total cost of damage from the storm is far...
FEMA Extends Deadline for Hurricane Hermine NFIP Claims
Nov 7 2016 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has extended the deadline for National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders to file claims from Hurricane Hermine. “After productive discussions between...
Talbot Underwriting Launches $50M Consortium to Cover NBCR Terrorism
Nov 4 2016 // Talbot Underwriting Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Validus Holdings Ltd., announced the launch of a Lloyd’s led consortium for nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological (NBCR) terrorism. The facility will...
North Carolina Gov Wants Special Session on Hurricane Matthew Relief
Nov 3 2016 // North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said Tuesday he expects to call lawmakers to a special session next month on Hurricane Matthew relief for eastern North Carolina, looking to Congress for supplemental aid first and...
Georgia Orders Property Insurers to Report Hurricane Matthew Claims Data
Nov 2 2016 // The Georgia Department of Insurance is ordering all insurers operating in the state to report claims information related to Hurricane Matthew. The storm, which began its path through Georgia starting Oct. 7, is estimated...
Colonial Pipeline Explosion in Alabama Injures 7, Causes 2 Wildfires
Nov 2 2016 // An explosion along the Colonial Pipeline in rural Alabama injured at least seven workers Monday not far from where the line burst and leaked thousands of gallons of gasoline last month, authorities said. The blast, which...
Recent Kansas Tornadoes Caused $500K in Damage, Official Says
Oct 28 2016 // An official says two tornadoes that recently touched down in eastern Saline County, Kansas, caused an estimated $500,000 in damage. The Salina Journal reports that Emergency Management Director Hannah Stambaugh told county...
