Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Louisiana Commissioner Directs Insurers to Talk to Policyholders as Hurricane Ida Claims Deadline Looms
Jul 21 2023 // A day after the Louisiana Supreme Court announced that it is lifting a stay on hurricane-damage lawsuits filed by McClenny Moseley & Associates, state Insurance Commissioner James Donelon on Thursday issued a directive...
Tropical Storm Calvin Passed Over Hawaii, Leaving Minor Flooding in Its Wake
Jul 21 2023 // Tropical Storm Calvin brought high surf, heavy rain and gusts to parts of Hawaii`s Big Island on Wednesday, only inflicting minor damage. By late morning, the storm had passed to the west and the National Weather Service...
Coastal Construction, Rising Replacement Values Contribute to Costly Hurricane Claims
Jul 21 2023 // Insured losses from hurricanes have risen steadily over just the past 15 years, with nine of the 10 costliest hurricanes in U.S. history occurring since 2005, according to the Insurance Information Institute...
Mayfield, Kentucky, Hit by Floods 18 Months After Devastating Tornado
Jul 20 2023 // Parts of Kentucky cannot seem to catch a break from extreme weather events. Some 18 months after a powerful tornado ripped up much of downtown Mayfield, in southwestern Kentucky, heavily damaging businesses, homes,...
Tornado Rips Apart Pfizer Plant, Injures 16 in North Carolina
Jul 20 2023 // Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. said on Wednesday its plant in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, which is one of the largest sterile injectable product facilities in the world, has suffered heavy damage from a tornado. A company...
Hurricanes Getting Costlier and Wetter, Triple I Report Finds
Jul 20 2023 // U.S. population growth in hurricane-prone states, coupled with the increasingly heavy rainfall which accompany these storms, has generated costlier insurance claim payouts for wind and flood-caused property damage,...
Containment of Massive Southern California Wildfire Grows
Jul 19 2023 // Fire crews built containment lines and patrolled for hot spots throughout the day on Wednesday to continue to keep a massive Southern California wildfire from growing. Containment on the Rabbit Fire grew to 55% with...
Alaska Volcano Eruption Eases After Massive Ash Cloud
Jul 19 2023 // An ongoing eruption of a remote volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands produced an ash cloud so large this week that warnings were sent to pilots about potentially dangerous conditions. An ash cloud with an initial...
Utility Investors Wary of Exposures After Buffet’s PacifiCorp Held Liable for Wildfires
Jul 19 2023 // Destructive wildfires are now an almost routine part of summer in the American West, and electrical utilities have likewise become used to having their power lines and equipment blamed for igniting the blazes. But a jury...
Firefighters Make Gains on Southern California Wildfire
Jul 17 2023 // Firefighters gained ground Monday against a large wildfire and three smaller blazes in the torrid interior of Southern California. The Rabbit Fire grew slightly overnight to more than 12 square miles but containment jumped...
Alaska Volcano Spews Ash Cloud High Enough to Draw Weather Service Warning for Pilots
Jul 17 2023 // An erupting volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands sent a towering cloud of ash into the air Friday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an inflight warning to pilots. The Shishaldin Volcano began erupting...
Canada’s Wildfires Burn Record 25 Million Acres With No End in Sight
Jul 17 2023 // Canadian wildfires have scorched more than 10 million hectares (25 million acres) this summer, an area about the size of Iceland, with no end to the burning expected anytime soon. About 900 active fires were reported as of...
Deadly Storms Across US Northeast Bring Floods, Tornado Alerts
Jul 17 2023 // A cluster of severe thunderstorms pounded the US Northeast including New York City on Sunday, unleashing deadly flooding in Pennsylvania, halting operations at several airports, and prompting tornado watches across New...
Update: Typhoon Talim Makes Landfall in Southern China; Flights and Trains Canceled
Jul 17 2023 // Typhoon Talim became the first typhoon to make landfall in China this year on Monday evening, prompting authorities to issue flood warnings, cancel flights and trains, and order people to stay at home. Talim, the fourth...
US Insurance Market Forecast to Withstand Losses From Large Hurricane This Year: Fitch Report
Jul 17 2023 // With ample capital, Fitch Ratings’ latest annual ‘U.S. Hurricane Season’ report indicates U.S. property and casualty (P/C) and reinsurers can absorb losses if a large hurricane makes landfall this...
Push to Lower Wildfire Risk Across West Stumbles in Places
Jul 17 2023 // Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees...
Tornado Touches Down Near Chicago`s O`Hare Airport
Jul 14 2023 // CHICAGO (AP) – A tornado touched down Wednesday evening near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, prompting passengers to take shelter and disrupting hundreds of flights. There were no immediate reports of...
Insurers Sue Energy Corporation Blamed for Helping Start Colorado Wildfire
Jul 12 2023 // Dozens of insurance companies are suing Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy to recoup money paid out to homes and businesses lost in Colorado`s most destructive wildfire in 2021. The lawsuit was filed Thursday, a few weeks after...
Wisconsin Wildfire Consumes Nearly 1,000 Acres, Forces Evacuations
Jul 12 2023 // MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A wildfire in central Wisconsin has consumed almost 1000 acres (405 hectares) and forced evacuations of scores of properties. State Department of Natural Resources officials said at a news...
Delos to Insurers Shedding Wildfire Risk: Send the Homes to Us
Jul 12 2023 // About 6 million homes in the U.S. are considered uninsurable due to wildfire risk. The models at Delos Insurance say about half of those homes are absolutely insurable. “Delos sees a lot more insurable homes in...
