Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Utility Says New Drone Can Speed Hurricane Recovery
Aug 19 2022 // Florida’s primary energy provider is ready to launch a powerful new technology, just ahead of the busiest weeks of the Atlantic hurricane season: a new fixed-wing drone designed fly into tropical storm force winds...
Insured Losses From February’s European Windstorms Estimated at €3.7B: PERILS
Aug 19 2022 // Insured losses for the European windstorm series, which affected the British Isles and continental Europe in February 2022, are estimated at €3.739 billion (US$3.8 billion), according to PERILS, the independent...
2022 North Atlantic Hurricane Season Halftime Report: The Quiet Before the Storm?
Aug 17 2022 // With a few weeks to go until the North Atlantic Basin enters its most active period, now is a good time to recap recent activity, review updated seasonal forecasts, and look ahead to what may be in store for the remainder...
FBI: Firm Chaired by Former Florida House Speaker Billed County for Hurricane Cleanup
Aug 16 2022 // A Florida company with a former House speaker as a top executive allegedly charged local government millions of dollars for Hurricane Michael cleanup that it never performed, according to an FBI affidavit that was released...
California Insurance Commissioner Orders Moratorium on Cancellations, Non-Renewals Following Wildfires
Aug 15 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has ordered insurers to preserve residential insurance coverage for 8,500 affected homes following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency declaration as wildfires in Siskiyou...
Lingering La Niña Weather Phenomenon Boosts Threat of More Atlantic Hurricanes
Aug 15 2022 // The odds of La Niña hanging around for a few more months are climbing, bolstering chances of more storms as the Atlantic hurricane season reaches its peak. There’s an 80% chance the waters across the equatorial...
6 Steps to Prevent Hurricane Damage to Solar Installations
Aug 15 2022 // This post is part of a series sponsored by IAT Insurance Group. Solar installations have increased by 33% annually over the last decade. This can be attributed to federal policies such as the Solar Investment Tax Credit....
Wildfires Burn, Farmers Struggle as Another Heatwave Bakes Western Europe
Aug 12 2022 // European nations sent firefighting teams to help France tackle a “monster” wildfire on Thursday, while forest blazes also raged in Spain and Portugal and the head of the European Space Agency urged immediate...
Coastal Washington Tribe Builds Tsunami Refuge Tower
Aug 11 2022 // There’s a new option to escape a tsunami for people on the southwest coast of Washington. The Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe dedicated a 50-foot tall evacuation tower in Tokeland, Washington, the Northwest News Network...
Wildfires Rage in France, Destroying Homes, Forcing Evacuation of Residents
Aug 11 2022 // Wildfires tore through the Gironde region of southwestern France on Wednesday, destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of 10,000 residents, some of whom had clambered onto rooftops as the flames got...
California’s Largest Wildfire Now 60% Contained
Aug 10 2022 // California’s largest wildfire so far this year has so far burned more than 60,000 acres, but it is now 60% contained. The McKinney Fire broke out on July 29 in an unpopulated area in Klamath National Forest. The fire...
2 New Mexico Counties Were Added to Wildfire Disaster Declaration
Aug 9 2022 // Two more New Mexico counties were added to a federal disaster declaration issued in response to the state’s historic wildfire season. State officials said that Los Alamos and Sandoval counties will now be eligible...
Climate Migration: California Wildfire Pushes Family to Vermont ‘Climate Haven’
Aug 9 2022 // PROCTOR, Vt. (AP) — Weeks after surviving one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history, the Holden family just wanted a new home. The family of seven couldn’t find anything nearby to...
U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Virtual Currency Mixer Tornado Cash
Aug 8 2022 // The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash, accusing it of helping hackers, including from North Korea, to launder proceeds from their cyber crimes. A senior Treasury Department...
Oregon’s Wildfire Risk Map Emerges as Climate Flashpoint
Aug 8 2022 // A new map in Oregon that rated the wildfire risk of every tax lot in the state – labeling nearly 80,000 structures as high-risk – generated so much pushback from angry homeowners that officials abruptly retracted it,...
North Texas Wildfires Continue to Erupt
Aug 5 2022 // One firefighter was injured and two others were treated for heat exhaustion while fighting a wildfire in North Texas that burned almost half a square mile Wednesday, officials said. The fire near Tolar, about 40 miles (65...
CSU Team Slightly Lowers Forecast for Still Above-Average Hurricane Season
Aug 5 2022 // The hurricane research team at Colorado State University has slightly lowered its outlook for the Atlantic hurricane season but is still calling for above-average action. The CSU Tropical Meteorology Project team is now...
California’s Largest Wildfire Got Very Little Help from Rainfall
Aug 4 2022 // California’s largest wildfire so far this year has so far charred nearly 90 square miles, getting only a little help from rainfall in the area this week. The wildfire, which is now listed as 10% contained, broke out...
Utah Man Accused of Causing Wildfire by Burning Spider
Aug 4 2022 // A Utah man has been arrested on accusations he started a wildfire while trying to burn a spider with his lighter. Cory Allan Martin, 26, told deputies that he spotted the spider Monday while he was in a hiking area in the...
Slow Recovery From Bama Twister Could be Harbinger for Hurricane-Prone South
Aug 4 2022 // There’s not much in Greene County, a place that stands out even in impoverished west Alabama for its neediness. So the April tornado that settled down upon a housing community full of seniors and low-income families...
