Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wildfire Threats Make Utilities Uninsurable in US West
Jun 25 2024 // Trinity Public Utilities District’s power lines snake through the lower reaches of the Cascade Range, a rugged, remote and densely forested terrain in Northern California that has some of the highest wildfire risk in...
Four Minor Early Morning Earthquakes Hit Southern California
Jun 24 2024 // Four small earthquakes occurred in California in the early Monday morning hours, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck near Cobb at a depth of 1.1 miles, a M2.9 quake hit two miles...
Containment Grows on New Mexico Wildfires, as Rains and Cooler Weather Help
Jun 24 2024 // Containment has grown on a pair of New Mexico wildfires that destroyed thousands of structures and forced the evacuation of more than 8,000 people. The Salt and South Fork fires have burned more than 25,000 acres. The...
FEMA Is Ready for Hurricane and Wildfire Seasons, but Money a Concern
Jun 24 2024 // The head of the Homeland Security Department said Friday that the agency tasked with responding to disasters across the country is prepared as it goes into what is expected to be an intense hurricane and wildfire season...
Catastrophe Bonds Are Luring Retail Investors to High-Risk Debt
Jun 24 2024 // There was a time when investing in catastrophe bonds was the preserve of hedge funds and other sophisticated alternative asset managers. But after underpinning the best hedge fund strategy of 2023, the bonds are finding a...
Growing Wildfires in New Mexico Destroyed 1,400 Structures
Jun 20 2024 // A pair of wildfires in New Mexico continue to rage uncontained, destroying an estimated 1,400 structures, forcing the evacuation of more than 8,000 people, while rains also flooded parts of the state. The Salt and South...
Allstate Reports May Pretax Catastrophe Losses of $1.4B
Jun 20 2024 // Allstate Corp. on Thursday reported May pretax catastrophe losses of about $1.4 billion. The Northbrook, Illinois-based insurer said 14 events contributed to nearly $1.5 billion in catastrophe losses for May, with 70%...
Tropical Storm Alberto Strengthens as System Approaches Mexico
Jun 20 2024 // Tropical Storm Alberto is strengthening as the system neared the Gulf coast of Mexico, and is expected to dump heavy rain across the northeast of the country and into southern Texas. The center of Alberto is expected to...
Northern California Wildfire at 15K-Plus Acres, Containment Grows on Fire in South
Jun 19 2024 // A wildfire is raging through a large swath of western Sacramento Valley after igniting on Monday and spreading to 15,656 acres. Evacuations were ordered in rural areas around the Sites Fire in Colusa County, which is...
New Mexico Wildfires Spread to 20,000 Acres, Forcing Thousands to Evacuate
Jun 19 2024 // A pair of wildfires in New Mexico have spread to more than 20,000 acres, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and leaving one person dead. The South Fork and Salt fires have grown to more than 20,000 acres (16,335 for...
Tropical Storm Alberto to Bring Flooding to Coastal South Texas
Jun 19 2024 // Tropical storm Alberto has caused flooding and more than three feet of storm surge in parts of coastal south Texas but is not expected to strengthen to hurricane force, meteorologists say. Alberto is the first named storm...
New Mexico Town Ordered to Evacuate Due to Large, Uncontained Wildfire
Jun 18 2024 // Residents of a New Mexico town were ordered to flee their homes on Monday due to a fast-moving wildfire. The town of Ruidoso, with roughly 7,000 residents, was ordered to immediately evacuate from the South Fork and Salt...
Potential Tropical Storm in Southern Gulf of Mexico Gathers Strength
Jun 18 2024 // Tropical storm watches have been posted along the Texas and Mexican coasts as a low-pressure system gathers strength in Bay of Campeche at the southern end of the Gulf of Mexico and threatens heavy rain across Central...
Underwater Fault Could Devastate West Coast With Major Quake and Tsunami
Jun 18 2024 // New research is warning about an underwater fault that could devastate the West Coast with a major earthquake and tsunami. Seismologists have issued warnings that the Cascadia Subduction Zone, an offshore fault from...
Severe Storms Caused $722M in Catastrophe Losses in May: Progressive
Jun 17 2024 // Progressive on Friday said severe storms mostly in Texas and the Midwest caused about $722 million in net catastrophe losses to the insurer. In its monthly announcement of financial results on Friday, the Mayfield Village,...
Strong Winds Driving Southern California Wildfire
Jun 17 2024 // Strong winds drove a wildfire that forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 visitors to a recreation area and threatened nearby properties over the weekend. Flames burned through dry brush along Interstate 5 north of Los...
Potent Hurricane Weather Pattern Continues to Take Shape, Forecaster Says
Jun 17 2024 // The hurricane season continues to look like it will be a highly active one, as a potent and portentous weather pattern continues to take shape, an AccuWeather meteorologist told Claims Journal on Friday. “It...
Oregon Wineries and Vineyards Seek $100M from PacifiCorp for Wildfire Smoke Damage
Jun 17 2024 // Dozens of Oregon wineries and vineyards have sued PacifiCorp over the deadly 2020 wildfires that ravaged the state, alleging that the utility’s decision to not turn off power during the Labor Day windstorm...
Busy Hurricane Season Could Test North Carolina’s ‘Weakened’ Building Codes, Experts Say
Jun 17 2024 // The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, predicted to be unusually intense, officially began this week and it could soon bring the first test of a North Carolina law that some insurance experts have said weakens building codes...
Hurricane Season Ushered in With a Deluge in South Florida
Jun 14 2024 // Dangerous flooding from a tropical disturbance inundated much of southern Florida on Wednesday, blocking roads, floating vehicles and delaying the Florida Panthers on their way to Stanley Cup games in Canada against the...
