Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insured Price Tag for Europe Windstorm Hendrik-Ignatz (Aurore) Estimated at €311M
Dec 3 2021 // Initial insured losses for extratropical windstorm “Hendrik-Ignatz,” also known as “Aurore,” are estimated at €311 million ($352 million), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based...
14 Insurers Pressing Lawsuit vs. Park Service After Gatlinburg Wildfires
Dec 2 2021 // Fourteen insurance companies are pressing ahead with a lawsuit against the federal government, alleging that the National Park Service did little to stop 2016 wildfires that destroyed dozens of homes and businesses in and...
M3.0 Earthquake Confirmed in Southern Utah
Nov 30 2021 // A minor earthquake struck parts of southern Utah, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The quake struck on Friday morning, had a preliminary magnitude of 3.0 and was centered about 7 miles west of Panguitch, the USGS...
Some Lessons Learned from Wildfire That Nearly Destroyed Tahoe
Nov 30 2021 // The devastation starts on the western slope. Many of the cabins that once lined the highway between here and Sacramento are now gone. Instead, brick and stone chimneys stand sentinel, visible through blackened toothpick...
Oklahoma High Court Rules National American Off Hook in Earthquake Lawsuits
Nov 29 2021 // The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled last week that an earth-movement exclusion precludes insurance coverage for an oil and gas company facing several lawsuits accusing its operations of causing earthquakes. National American...
Insurtech Startup Kettle Raises $25M to Expand Wildfire Reinsurance Protection
Nov 24 2021 // Kettle, the San Francisco-based reinsurance startup that uses artificial intelligence to better protect people from the growing wildfire risks of climate change, announced it has been reinsuring homes during the 2021...
Louisiana Kicks Off $11 Million Housing Program for Hurricane Laura
Nov 24 2021 // Nearly 15 months after Hurricane Laura struck, Louisiana is kicking off $11.3 million in housing repair and rebuilding programs for the southwestern city of Lake Charles while it waits for hundreds of millions in promised...
Deadline Nears for FEMA Aid for Hurricane Ida
Nov 22 2021 // Louisiana residents impacted by Hurricane Ida’s destruction in August have a week remaining to seek individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The deadline for individuals and families to...
People Moves: SiriusPoint Appoints Bernina Re’s Kull as CRO; Hiscox Names Breeze Interim CFO; Tysers’ Simpson Leads BMS’ Terrorism, Political Violence Team
Nov 18 2021 // This edition of International People Moves details appointments at re/insurer SiriusPoint, insurer Hiscox and broker BMS. A summary of these new hires follows here. SiriusPoint Appoints Bernina Re’s Kull as...
4.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southeast Missouri
Nov 18 2021 // A 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck southeast Missouri late Wednesday, Nov. 17, according to the United States Geological Survey earthquake map. The earthquake hit northwest of Poplar Bluff, a town with a population of...
Rare November Tornadoes Hit Connecticut, Rhode Island
Nov 16 2021 // Three tornadoes that hit Rhode Island and southeast Connecticut this weekend were the first since at least 1950 to strike the area in November, the National Weather Service said Sunday. The service confirmed the three...
Louisiana Apartment Complex Still Reeling From Laura Damaged by Tornado
Nov 15 2021 // Rising after a hard knock can be wrenching, but for Claudette Price _ who has just endured her fourth punch _ accepting defeat is not an option. In the three years she has been the leasing manager for the Claire Gardens...
Former Governor Focuses on Saving California Forests from Wildfires
Nov 15 2021 // As smoke lingered in the air amid another destructive California wildfire season, former Gov. Jerry Brown invited a group to his ranch for an urgent conversation: What more could be done to save California’s forests...
Report: Wildfires Have California in ‘Heightened State of Alert’
Nov 10 2021 // California, which has seen its eight largest recorded wildfires since 2017, is in a “heightened state of alert,” according to a new report that calls for urgent policy actions. The report was released on...
California Remembers 3rd Anniversary of Wildfire That Killed 85, Destroyed Thousands of Homes
Nov 10 2021 // Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday marked the third anniversary of California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire by announcing that nearly 100,000 damaged trees have been removed and debris cleaned up from some...
2020 Louisiana Hurricane Season Costs Insurers At Least $10.6 Billion
Nov 9 2021 // Insurance companies are on track to pay at least $10.6 billion to cover Louisiana claims for damage caused by Hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta, according to Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon. Donelon released the latest...
Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Losses Continued in Q3 on Catastrophes, Pandemic
Nov 8 2021 // Overall net income fell at giant Berkshire Hathaway in the third quarter from $30.1 billion a year ago to $10.3 billion this third quarter, reflecting losses on insurance underwriting as well as the continuing effects of...
PG&E Spending $125M for Igniting Massive California Wildfire
Nov 5 2021 // Pacific Gas & Electric has reached a $125 million settlement agreement with California regulators over the destructive Kincade fire, which was ignited in 2019 by the utility’s equipment in a remote area of Sonoma...
Reports from U.S.-based Group Will Examine Impacts of Climate Change on Terrorism
Nov 4 2021 // A new global partnership with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism will focus on the impact of climate change on terrorism. START, which is based at the University of Maryland, with...
31 October Tornadoes Breaks Oklahoma Monthly Record
Nov 4 2021 // A total of 31 tornadoes last month was a record-high for October in Oklahoma dating to 1950, according to the National Weather Service. The previous high for October, the fifth most active month for tornadoes, was 27 in...
