Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wildfires Forces Texas Panhandle Residents to Shelter in Place
Feb 28 2024 // Officials have ordered nearly 5,000 residents in the Panhandle cities of Canadian, Fritch and Glazier to shelter in place Tuesday as four separate wildfires engulfed the region, burning more than 280,000 acres. Residents...
Magnitude 4.9 Earthquake Shook Idaho
Feb 28 2024 // An earthquake of 4.9 magnitude struck north of Boise, Idaho, reportedly causing no major damage or injuries, authorities confirmed. The quake happened at 10:25 a.m. on Monday and was centered about 6.2 miles north of...
Southern California Edison to Pay $80M to US Over 2017 Wildfire
Feb 27 2024 // Southern California Edison agreed to pay the United States $80 million to cover costs and damages incurred by the U.S. Forest Service from the 2017 Thomas wildfire in California’s Los Padres National Forecast, the...
Fidelis Insurance Holdings Sponsors New ‘Herbie Re’ Catastrophe Bond
Feb 23 2024 // Fidelis Insurance Holdings Ltd., the Bermuda insurance holding company, announced it has closed a new catastrophe bond via its “Herbie Re” program. This is the fifth series of notes issued by Herbie Re and will...
AccuWeather Warns of Potential ‘Super-Charged’ 2024 Hurricane Season
Feb 23 2024 // AccuWeather experts warn that the return La Niña and historically warm water across the Atlantic Ocean could contribute to a “super-charged” hurricane season in 2024. AccuWeather long-range forecasters say...
Workers’ Comp Rating Bureau Working on 2024 NAIC Terrorism Risk Insurance Data Call
Feb 23 2024 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau plans to submit to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) insurer-specific California workers’ comp terrorism exposure data, including...
NHC Unveils New Hurricane Forecast Maps for 2024, Showing More Inland Warnings
Feb 21 2024 // The familiar “cone of uncertainty” map, used for years by meteorologists to show a hurricane’s predicted path, is about to get an upgrade – at least temporarily, the National Hurricane Center announced...
Hub Launches High Net Worth Excess Wildfire Program in California
Feb 19 2024 // HUB International launched a new program to address the need for enhanced wildfire coverage of high value homes that will be offered exclusively by HUB Private Client to address the insurance and risk management needs of...
February Tornadoes in Wisconsin Caused $2.4M in Damage
Feb 16 2024 // EVANSVILLE, Wis. (AP) — The first ever tornadoes ever recorded in Wisconsin in the usually frigid month of February caused more than $2.4 million in damage, officials said Wednesday. The tornadoes that ripped through...
Powerful Winds Cause Destruction, Spark Wildfires in Australia’s State of Victoria
Feb 15 2024 // Powerful winds have killed a man and brought widespread destruction across Australia’s second-most populous state, leaving 530,000 homes and businesses without power and fanning fires that razed homes and injured...
Missouri DCI Highlights Cost, Lack of Earthquake Coverage in High-Risk Areas
Feb 15 2024 // The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI) issued an Earthquake Survey in December 2023 that shows a lack of understanding about risk and insurance coverage is a problem, while the cost and lack of available...
Summer-Like Conditions Lead to First Wisconsin Tornadoes in February
Feb 14 2024 // EVANSVILLE, Wis. (AP) — The first tornadoes ever recorded in Wisconsin in the usually frigid month of February tore through mostly rural areas on a day that broke records for warmth, setting up the perfect scenario for...
Iceland Plans to Buy Out Homeowners in Volcano-Struck Town
Feb 13 2024 // Iceland’s government has agreed to buy all residential properties in the fishing town of Grindavik, which has become uninhabitable after three volcanic eruptions rocked the region in the last two months. Grindavik...
What’s to Come in 2024: AI Expansion, More Catastrophes, Network Consolidation
Feb 13 2024 // No one can predict the future, but insurance professionals are likely the best qualified when it comes to predicting risk. For this special report, Insurance Journal magazine asked industry thought leaders their...
Father in Gender-Reveal That Sparked Fatal 2020 California Wildfire Pleads Guilty
Feb 13 2024 // A man whose family’s gender reveal photo shoot sparked a Southern California wildfire that killed a firefighter in 2020 has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors said. The El Dorado Fire erupted on...
Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake Struck Mauna Loa Volcano in Hawaii
Feb 12 2024 // A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the world’s largest active volcano on Friday — Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii — knocking items off shelves and cutting power in a nearby town but not immediately prompting...
The Odds of a Hurricane-Boosting La Niña This Year Are Rising
Feb 12 2024 // The odds of a La Niña weather pattern this year are rising, amplifying the risk of hurricanes in the Atlantic and drought in California and South America. There’s a 55% chance that La Niña, a cooling of the...
4.0 Earthquake Felt off Florida’s East Coast
Feb 9 2024 // Along with hurricanes and litigation, Floridians and their insurers can now add another potential concern: earthquakes. The National Weather Service reported that a 4.0 magnitude temblor, one of the largest recorded in the...
Two Years After Deadly Tornadoes, Some Kentucky Families Still Waiting for Housing
Feb 8 2024 // MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Ashley Prince and her family have been chasing “normal” for years now. Two years ago, the tornado that whipped through Mayfield peeled the roof off their rental property “like a...
Recent Earthquakes in Oklahoma Serve as a Reminder of Ongoing Risk
Feb 8 2024 // OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — After a dramatic spike in earthquakes in the early 2010s, state regulators in Oklahoma began taking steps to limit the injection of wastewater from oil and gas extraction deep into the ground. As a...
