Latest Natural Disasters Headlines

All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.

California Earthquake Authority Proposes to Lower Rates

Oct 23 2014 // The California Earthquake Authority on Thursday proposed an average 8 percent decrease in rates. CEA’s Advisory Panel recommended the rate decreases, along with additional coverage options in deductibles, discounts...

Early Insured Loss Estimates on Hurricane Gonzalo Up to $400M

Oct 23 2014 // Early estimates by catastrophe modeling firms indicate insured losses from Hurricane Gonzalo in Bermuda will come in between $200 and $400 million. EQECAT estimates $300 million in insured losses, about the scale caused by...

5.0M Earthquake Felt In Alaska’s Interior

Oct 22 2014 // Seismologists say a moderate earthquake struck Alaska and was felt in communities of the state’s interior. The Alaska Earthquake Center says the 5.0 magnitude earthquake occurred at 4:36 p.m. Monday. State...

New York’s Pace University Holds Disaster Preparedness Conference

Oct 21 2014 // Pace University in New York City held a conference Monday titled “Summit on Resilience: The Next Storm.” The event brought together corporate and foundation leaders and government representatives, providing a...

Remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo Bring Rain, Wind to Europe

Oct 21 2014 // The remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo battered Ireland and the United Kingdom with locally damaging winds and downpours on Monday night and Tuesday. Widespread wind gusts of 65 to 90 kph (40 to 55 mph) were reported across...

Jury Finds Texas Windstorm Insurer Adequately Paid City for Ike Claims

Oct 21 2014 // Texas’ wind and hail insurer of last resort in coastal areas announced that a judgment has been entered in its favor in a lawsuit brought by League City in Southeast Texas. The judgment signed on Oct. 16, 2014, by...

Aon Benfield Launches Arabian Earthquake Model

Oct 21 2014 // Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development unit, launched a catastrophe model to estimate the financial impact of earthquakes in the Arabian Peninsula. The demand for catastrophe modeling in the...

Ana Turns From Hawaii, Downgraded To Tropical Storm

Oct 20 2014 // Hawaii residents started to relax Sunday after days of keeping a cautious eye on Hurricane Ana, which was downgraded by late afternoon into a tropical storm. After being dangerously close for several days the closest Ana...

California Earthquake Authority to Sell $350M of Bonds

Oct 20 2014 // The California Earthquake Authority, the largest seismic insurer in the U.S., is selling $350 million in bonds to strengthen its ability to pay claims, after the state’s first death due to a quake in 11 years. The...

Bermuda Recovering from Hurricane Gonzalo Property Damage, Power Outages

Oct 19 2014 // Hurricane Gonzalo scored a direct hit on Bermuda Friday night into Saturday morning, pummeling the tiny island chain with rain and howling winds that downed trees and knocked out power but spared it catastrophic damage or...

Tropical Storm Ana Forecast to Impact Hawaii This Weekend

Oct 17 2014 // A Central Pacific Hurricane Center advisory shows Tropical Storm Ana is located 315 miles south-southwest of Hilo, Hawaii, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. While Ana is gradually strengthening, and may achieve...

Hurricane Gonzalo Threatens Bermuda With Flooding, Storm Surge

Oct 17 2014 // Gonzalo, classified as a major hurricane and bearing down on Bermuda with tree-snapping winds, is forecast to bring flooding and a life-threatening storm surge as it’s projected to be the worst storm to hit the...

Hurricane Gonzalo Bears Down on Bermuda

Oct 16 2014 // The last major hurricane to strike land anywhere in the Atlantic basin was Sandy in 2012. That may change tomorrow as Hurricane Gonzalo bears down on Bermuda. Gonzalo again became a Category 4 storm today, the first since...

RMIIA: Colorado Hailstorm Caused $213M in Insured Losses

Oct 15 2014 // Insurers say a hailstorm last month carried a hefty price tag. Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association spokeswoman Carole Walker said Monday the Sept. 29 storm pounded thousands of vehicles and roofs, causing an...

Tropical Storm Ana Eyes Hawaii; Hurricane Gonzalo Threatens Bermuda

Oct 15 2014 // Hurricane Gonzalo grew into a major storm that threatens Bermuda later this week, while half a world away Tropical Storm Ana may become the second system this year to sweep Hawaii’s Big Island. Gonzalo, with top...

Tornado Warning in Washington County Now Expired

Oct 13 2014 // The National Weather Service issued an emergency tornado warning for Pierce County, Wash. over the weekend though a tornado did not develop. The News Tribune reported the warning was issued shortly after noon on Saturday...

Scientists in New Mexico Predict Post-Wildfire Erosion Risks

Oct 13 2014 // It’s nearly impossible to predict when and where the next major wildfire will be and whether an ill-timed thunderstorm could result in tons of ash and charred debris being washed down the bare mountainsides once the...

4.3 Magnitude Earthquake Recorded in Oklahoma

Oct 13 2014 // The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded a 4.3 magnitude earthquake near Cushing in north-central Oklahoma. Cushing Emergency Management Director Bob Noltensmeyer says there are no injuries or major damage as a result of...

Atlantic Hurricane Season Could Still Surprise

Oct 12 2014 // The Atlantic hurricane season isn’t dead yet. As weather-watchers focus on Typhoon Vongfong in the Pacific and Cyclone Hudhud in the Bay of Bengal, a subtropical depression has formed south of Bermuda late last week,...

Atlantic Hurricanes Still Threaten to Brew

Oct 10 2014 // As weather-watchers focus on Typhoon Vongfong in the Pacific and Cyclone Hudhud in the Bay of Bengal, there are signs that the Atlantic may have a storm of its own, or more, in the next few weeks. A patch of showers and...