Latest Catastrophe Headlines

All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Progress Made on Nebraska Wildfires, But High Winds Threaten Efforts

Apr 28 2022 // Fire crews took advantage of a break in the weather in their battle to contain large fires in the West and Plains states, but fear the return of stronger winds Tuesday could spread the flames further. A southwestern...

Kentucky Tornado Survivors Rebuilding With Help of Others

Apr 25 2022 // Sundays at the Bullock home in rural Kentucky were once filled with lasting memories: big family dinners, cornhole, basketball and karaoke. Those gatherings ended the night of Dec. 10, when a massive tornado obliterated...

1 Dead, At Least 3 Hurt in Nebraska Wildfires

Apr 25 2022 // Wind-driven wildfires sweeping through parts of Nebraska contributed to the death of one person and injured at least three firefighters, authorities said Sunday. The person who died was in Red Willow County, in the...

Emergency Declaration for Multiple New Mexico Wildfires

Apr 25 2022 // New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed emergency declarations as 20 wildfires continued to burn Sunday in nearly half of the state’s drought-stricken 33 counties. One wildfire in northern New Mexico that...

Insurer Travelers’ Profit Beats on Lower Catastrophe Losses

Apr 19 2022 // Property and casualty insurer Travelers Companies Inc. reported a 48% jump in quarterly profit that beat analysts’ estimates on Tuesday, as lower catastrophe-related claims cushioned a hit from investment losses. The...

Lake Charles, Louisiana Starts Program for 2020 Hurricane Home Repairs

Apr 19 2022 // Registration has started for a new program to help low- and moderate-income Lake Charles residents fix 2020 hurricane damage to their homes, and Mayor Nic Hunter says he expects it to fill up fast. “We’ve...

Kin Closes $175M Private Placement Cat Bond Transaction

Apr 19 2022 // Kin Insurance, a direct-to-consumer, technology-based platform, announced it had closed a $175 million private placement catastrophe bond transaction with a newly established reinsurer. The multi-year arrangement with...

Earthquakes Recorded Near Long-Dormant Alaska Volcano

Apr 18 2022 // Hundreds of small earthquakes have been reported near a volcano in southeast Alaska believed to have been dormant for at least 800 years, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed The cause of the quakes under Mount Edgecumbe,...

Lawsuit Alleges Power Line Sparked Colorado Wildfire

Apr 18 2022 // The first lawsuit filed in connection with a wildfire that destroyed over 1,000 homes and other buildings in suburban Denver claims that sparks from a power line started December’s blaze. The lawsuit filed against...

Tornado Confirmed in North-Central Iowa

Apr 14 2022 // A tornado hit near Gilmore City in rural north-central Iowa as a strong line of storms moved across the state overnight, the National Weather Service confirmed Wednesday. The tornado was confirmed by a trained spotter...

Blizzard in North Dakota, Possible Tornado in SE Minnesota

Apr 14 2022 // A possible tornado tore up a small Minnesota town and a blizzard forced the closure of the North Dakota Capitol, schools and roads, as spring storms wreaked havoc across the Upper Midwest. The National Weather Service said...

23 Injured in Texas Storms; More Tornadoes Forecast in US

Apr 14 2022 // Nearly two dozen people were injured when tornadoes swept through central Texas as part of a storm system that was expected to spawn more twisters and damaging winds Wednesday. The storms caused widespread damage Tuesday...

13 Tornadoes Destroyed 14 Homes in South Carolina

Apr 14 2022 // Severe storms that moved across South Carolina earlier this week caused at least 13 tornadoes and hail the size of baseballs, emergency officials said. Fourteen homes were destroyed by the tornadoes as they moved through...

This Year’s Hurricane Season Likely to Be Wetter, Just Like 2020, Study Finds

Apr 13 2022 // Climate change made the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season noticeably wetter, and it will likely make this season rainier, too, scientists said. Human-caused climate change made the entire season drop about 5% more rain....

New Mexico Wildfires Gained Ground Amid Dry, Windy Conditions

Apr 13 2022 // It’s a simple recipe that requires only a couple ingredients, and New Mexico has them all. Strong winds, low humidity and dry conditions that stem from two decades of persistent drought combined this week for more...

Officials: Nebraska Wildfire About Half Contained

Apr 12 2022 // A wildfire in southern Nebraska that destroyed some homes and produced thick smoke that led to the traffic death of an area fire chief is about half contained, state officials said. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency...

California’s PG&E Avoids Criminal Charges in Settlements Over 2 Major Wildfires

Apr 12 2022 // California utility PG&E Corp. has reached settlement agreements with district attorneys representing Northern California counties to avoid prosecution over two major wildfires, with the company agreeing to pay $55...

Typhoon Megi Triggers Landslides in Philippines, Killing at Least 25 People

Apr 12 2022 // At least 25 people were killed and several more missing after Typhoon Megi triggered landslides and flooded many areas in central and southern Philippines. Twenty-two persons died in mudslides in Baybay City in Leyte...

NWS: EF-3 Stronger of 2 Tornadoes to Hit Arkansas in Late March

Apr 8 2022 // A second, weak, tornado struck Arkansas last week as severe storms rolled across the Deep South, according to the National Weather Service in Little Rock. On March 30, an EF-1 tornado with winds of about 100 mph (161 kph)...

New Lloyd’s Insurer Inigo Issues Inaugural Catastrophe Bond

Apr 8 2022 // Inigo Ltd., the new Lloyd’s insurer, has entered the catastrophe bond market for the first time, less than 18 months after the firm began writing its portfolio of specialty insurance and reinsurance. Montoya Re,...