Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wildfire Threat Becomes Tool to Fight California Home Builders
Jul 18 2022 // Preston Brown knows the risk of wildfire that comes with living in the rural, chaparral-lined hills of San Diego County. He’s lived there for 21 years and evacuated twice. That’s why he fiercely opposed a plan...
Europe Battles Wildfires in Intense Heat That Scientists Blame on Climate Change
Jul 18 2022 // JERTE, Spain – Authorities across southern Europe battled on Sunday to control huge wildfires in countries including Spain, Greece and France, with hundreds of deaths blamed on soaring temperatures that scientists say...
Report: Quake-Triggered Tsunami Would Hit Seattle In Minutes
Jul 18 2022 // A new study from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources shows a tsunami triggered by a major earthquake beneath Puget Sound would arrive at Seattle shores sooner and reach farther inland than previously...
Yosemite Wildfire Moving Eastward Toward Sierra National Forest
Jul 15 2022 // A wildfire that threatened a grove of California’s giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park was burning eastward into the Sierra National Forest on Wednesday. The Washburn Fire is one of dozens of blazes chewing...
Atlantic Hurricane Season May Get Boost From Lingering La Nina
Jul 14 2022 // La Nina will probably stick around for at least several more months, potentially leading to more hurricanes and tropical storms across the Atlantic during the heart of the season. There’s now a 62% chance of cool...
California Firefighters Making Gains in Yosemite Wildfire
Jul 12 2022 // California firefighters were gaining ground in the battle against a wildfire that poses a threat to a grove of giant sequoias and a small community in Yosemite National Park. The Washburn Fire on the western flank of the...
California Insurance Commissioner Issues Year Moratorium on Cancellations, Non-Renewals Following Wildfires
Jul 12 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara ordered insurance companies to preserve residential insurance coverage for more than 85,000 policyholders affected by fires in Santa Barbara County and Monterey County after...
Rain Helps Slow Alaska Wildfire That Prompted Evacuations
Jul 12 2022 // Some rain helped firefighters battling an Alaska wildfire that prompted evacuations. About a half inch fell into early Monday, allowing crews to build more fire breaks to help control the wildfire started by lightning June...
Yosemite Wildfire Growing as California’s Wildfire Season Develops
Jul 11 2022 // A wildfire threatening the largest grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park more than doubled in size in a day, and firefighters were working in difficult terrain Sunday to protect the iconic trees and a small...
Quake-Triggered Tsunami Would Hit Seattle In Minutes, New Report Shows
Jul 11 2022 // A new study published by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources shows a tsunami triggered by a major earthquake beneath Puget Sound would arrive at Seattle shores sooner and reach farther inland than...
Favorable Weather Aids in Fight Against California Wildfire
Jul 7 2022 // Favorable weather early Wednesday aided the fight against a wildfire in California’s Gold Country that has forced evacuations in two counties. The Electra Fire had burned 6.4 square miles of rural terrain but it was...
California Governor Acting to Advance Wildfire Recovery
Jul 5 2022 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed states of emergency in Santa Barbara and Monterey counties on Friday to help the process of recovery from recent wildfires. The proclamations allow the California Department of...
Typhoon Sinks Ship Southwest of Hong Kong, Killing at Least 12 Crewmembers
Jul 5 2022 // Chinese search and rescue officials pulled 12 bodies on Monday from waters southwest of Hong Kong after an engineering vessel snapped in two as tropical storm Chaba passed through, state television said. Maritime...
Report: 72% of Gulf Coast Homes Have Roofs Susceptible to Hurricane Damage
Jul 4 2022 // Arturo released its inaugural report “Hurricane Exposure: The State of Gulf Homes” that analyzes more than 17 million homes across the South Central and Southeast United States ahead of a forecasted...
Who Needs Earthquake Coverage and Why
Jul 4 2022 // Natural disasters are events that create fear. When you add the flavor of how these events are reported, the fear is ratcheted up significantly, especially when you’re not accustomed to a particular event. For...
Tropical Storm Bonnie Forms Near Nicaragua in Caribbean
Jul 1 2022 // Tropical Storm Bonnie formed in the Caribbean east of Nicaragua, a dangerous system that threatens a potential humanitarian crisis but isn’t a major threat to oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico. With winds...
Midyear Prop-Catastrophe Reinsurance Capacity Down for 1st Time in Decades: Aon
Jul 1 2022 // For the first time since the devastating U.S. hurricanes of 2004 and 2005, property-catastrophe capacity contracted during the June/July reinsurance renewal period, Aon said in a new report released yesterday. While the...
Northern California Wildfire Threatens 500 Buildings
Jun 30 2022 // A wildfire that erupted in Northern California forced evacuations as it threatened about 500 homes and other buildings, authorities said. The Rices Fire erupted at around 2 p.m. near the Yuba River in Nevada County and had...
More Federal Wildfire Recovery Aid Available For New Mexico
Jun 29 2022 // U.S. President Joe Biden authorized an increase in funding for debris removal and other emergency measures being taken as a result of a historic wildfire season in New Mexico that stemmed partly from missteps by federal...
Louisiana Launches $463M Project to Elevate Hurricane Evacuation Route
Jun 27 2022 // Louisiana state leaders have broken ground for a $463 million project that will elevate 8.3 miles of La. 1, one of the state’s hurricane evacuation routes. The groundbreaking held Friday is for work that will be done...
