Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Cotality: Over 33 Million Properties at Risk of Hurricanes, Creating ‘Liquidity Traps’
Jun 16 2025 // Cotality said it has identified more than 33.1 million residential properties from Texas to Maine with a combined reconstruction cost value of $11.7 trillion as being at least at moderate risk of sustaining damage from...
Global Reinsurers Stand Strong Amid Investment Volatility, Natural Disasters
Jun 16 2025 // The reinsurance industry has shown significant improvements in operating performance in recent years. Despite facing substantial insured natural catastrophe losses globally, reinsurers achieved robust earnings growth in...
Smoke in the Rearview: Lessons in Wildfire Preparedness from an Agency CEO’s Evacuation Experience
Jun 16 2025 // In 2024, my family and I were forced to evacuate our home due to an approaching wildfire. After two decades in the insurance industry helping countless clients prepare for disasters and the unexpected, nothing compares to...
Missouri DCI Estimates High Uninsured Rates in St. Louis Following Tornado
Jun 16 2025 // The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance released preliminary uninsured estimates for properties in the St. Louis in response to the F3 tornado that struck the region on May 16. DCI Department Director Angela...
California Commissioner Investigating State Farm’s Handling of LA Wildfire Claims
Jun 12 2025 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday said he has launched a formal investigation into State Farm’s handling of thousands of insurance claims from wildfire survivors affected by the Palisades and...
Florida Commission Accepts First Hurricane Models Under New Standards
Jun 12 2025 // The Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology has accepted new loss models from Karen Clark & Co. and Cotality, the first to meet the commission’s latest standards. KCC’s Version 5.0...
Oregon Wildfire Prompts Evacuations and Closes Interstate
Jun 12 2025 // A wildfire in Oregon prompted officials to issue evacuation orders for hundreds of homes and to close nearly 20 miles of an interstate in the Columbia River Gorge. Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the state’s Emergency...
Markets/Coverages: MGA Optio Launches $150M Political Violence & Terrorism Cover
Jun 12 2025 // Optio Group, the London-based, independent specialty MGA, announced the launch of new political violence and terrorism (PVT) binders, backed by 100% Lloyd’s of London capacity. The new product provides a US$150...
The Trump Administration Keeps Denying Disaster Preparedness Aid to States
Jun 12 2025 // The Trump administration is increasingly skipping a form of federal disaster aid that helps states better prepare for future storms, flooding and wildfires. The Federal Emergency Management Agency rejected requests for...
Trump Says FEMA Phaseout to Begin After Hurricane Season
Jun 12 2025 // President Donald Trump said his team will move forward with winding down much of the Federal Emergency Management Agency—but not until after a hurricane season that some projections show could be particularly...
China’s Resort Island Hainan Braces for First Typhoon of Season
Jun 11 2025 // Hainan Island is bracing for the first typhoon of the season in the western Pacific, with the storm expected to dump heavy rain across parts of southern China as the system nears the coast. The tropical depression —...
Wildfire Season Preview: Rest of 2025 Is High-Risk, May Follow LA Wildfires Paradigm
Jun 10 2025 // Following the “paradigm-shifting” Los Angeles wildfires in January, the 2024-2025 wildfire season will be remembered as a turning point for the insurance industry, and a warning that “wildfire is no...
Staff Vacancies Hit Texas Weather Offices as They Prepare for Hurricane Season
Jun 10 2025 // With hurricane season underway and an above-normal activity forecast, some National Weather Service offices like Houston — where as many as 44% of positions are vacant — are operating with staff shortages, prompting...
It Will Take 5 Months to Transport Hawaii Wildfire Debris to Massive Landfill
Jun 10 2025 // Fifty trucks will spend five months hauling Lahaina wildfire debris to a landfill in the center of Maui starting next Monday, Maui County said. There’s enough debris to fill five football fields five stories high....
Hurricane Season Considerations: Generator Edition
Jun 10 2025 // Last week, we answered the question; What do people need to know about hurricane season? In responding to that question, it occurred to me that there is more to the answer and I want to focus on the question of power. For...
Hedge Funds Face California Rebuke Over Role in Wildfire Claims
Jun 9 2025 // Hedge funds are facing pushback in California as their bets tied to insurance claims stemming from the Los Angeles wildfires are attacked as unethical. The transactions in focus are tied to so-called subrogation claims,...
Homeowners Suing USAA and AAA Insurers Over LA Wildfires
Jun 6 2025 // Some homeowners who lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires have filed lawsuits against three large insurers over claims payouts they say didn’t cover their losses. The lawsuits were filed in Los Angeles County...
Satellite Data Capturing Burned Acres Show Canada Wildfire Season off to Wild Start
Jun 6 2025 // While images of wildfires capture their ferocity, data can provide insight into how bad a fire season is. Such is the case with two graphics, powered by satellite data, that showcase a Canadian wildfire season off to a...
Canadian Wildfires Cause Unhealthy Air Quality in Midwest
Jun 4 2025 // Smoke from Canadian wildfires carried another day of poor air quality south of the border to the Midwest, where conditions in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan were rated “very unhealthy” on...
Texas Lawmakers Pass Legislation to Improve Wildfire Preparedness
Jun 3 2025 // Texas lawmakers approved a series of bills this year that aim to better prepare Texas for wildfires and to mitigate their damage. The legislation includes a study on wildfire risk zones, increasing funding for rural...
