Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Japan’s Powerful Earthquake Estimated to Cost Insurers $2 Billion-$4 Billion: Verisk
Mar 24 2022 // The powerful earthquake that jolted Japan’s northeast coast last week is expected to cause insured property losses between $2 billion and $4 billion, modeling firm Verisk said on Thursday. About $400 million to $820...
Tornado Strikes New Orleans as Storms Move Into Deep South
Mar 24 2022 // A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. There were no...
Crews Make Progress in Containing Texas Wildfire
Mar 23 2022 // Firefighting crews were making progress containing a massive Texas wildfire that was blamed for last week’s death of a deputy, officials said. The Eastland Complex has burned about 85 square miles (220 square...
New Orleans Tornado Leaves 1 Dead, Causes Damage to Lower Ninth Ward
Mar 23 2022 // A tornado reached east New Orleans Tuesday evening, leaving at least one person dead and causing significant damage to the Lower Ninth Ward. St. Bernard Parish Sheriff James Pohlmann confirmed that at least one person was...
Update: Japan Warns of Blackouts After Earthquake Causes Major Power Shortage
Mar 22 2022 // Japanese turned off neon signs, dimmed their lights and dialed down thermostats on Tuesday after the government issued an urgent call to save energy to avoid blackouts after an earthquake last week caused a serious power...
Multiple Tornados Hit Texas; Severe Storm Warning Still in Effect For South Central Region
Mar 22 2022 // Multiple tornadoes were reported in central Texas Monday March 21, causing “devastating” property damage according to Gov. Greg Abbott. A tornado touched ground in Red Rock, about 30 miles southeast of Austin,...
Norway’s Equinor Shuts Oil Platform as Precaution After Earthquake in North Sea
Mar 21 2022 // Norway’s Equinor has shut its Snorre B oil platform as a precautionary measure following an earthquake in the North Sea, although no damage has been reported so far, the company said on Monday. It was not yet clear...
Experts Warn Central U.S. Needs to be Ready For Next Earthquake
Mar 21 2022 // Experts have warned for decades that a large swath of the central U.S. is at high risk for a devastating earthquake. They know that overcoming complacency is among their biggest hurdles. Hundreds of emergency managers,...
Actuaries: Climate Change, WUI Building Led to Worsening Wildfires in U.S. and California
Mar 17 2022 // Increasingly large and dangerous wildfires are being driven by the effects of climate change and more building in the wildland-urban interface, and while that notion may not be entirely new, the scope of the increase laid...
Update: Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Hits Near Japan’s Fukushima
Mar 16 2022 // A magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck northern Japan near Fukushima prefecture late on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring dozens, as well as disrupting power and some factories. About 2,000 buildings were still without...
Chemical Analysis Shows Effects of Wildfire Smoke on Grapes and Wines in Western U.S.
Mar 16 2022 // NEWSWISE – As wildfire season in the West grows in length and severity, it is taking a toll on the wine industry through the effects of wildfire smoke on the quality of wine grapes. Volatile compounds in the smoke from...
M5.1 Earthquake Confirmed in South-Central Alaska
Mar 14 2022 // A moderate earthquake has been recorded in Alaska, the Alaska Earthquake Center confirmed. The Saturday morning quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 and was felt throughout the south-central part of the state,...
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner, Lawmakers Introduce Catastrophe Reform Legislative Package
Mar 11 2022 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, Senate Insurance Committee Chair Kirk Talbot, and House Insurance Committee Chair Mike Huval introduced six bills on March 10 that form a catastrophe reform legislative package...
TWIA Board to Meet on March 22 to Decide on Reinsurance for 2022 Hurricane Season
Mar 10 2022 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Board of Directors will hold an interim meeting on March 22 at 1:30 p.m. CT to determine TWIA‘s catastrophe funding and reinsurance needs for the 2022 hurricane season. The...
HUD: Texas Agency Discriminated in Hurricane Harvey Flood Relief Funding
Mar 10 2022 // Texas’ administration of flood relief money from Hurricane Harvey broke federal law by discriminating against Black and Hispanic residents in the Houston area, according to a decision by the federal housing agency...
Iowa Tornadoes Deadliest Since 2008; Storm Caused Estimated $1 Billion in Damage
Mar 9 2022 // Four of the seven people killed in devastating storms that tore through central Iowa were members of the same family who had sought shelter inside a home that was razed by a powerful tornado, authorities said. Two...
Kansas Wildfire Kills 1, Destroys Several Homes
Mar 8 2022 // One person was found dead March 6 as firefighters worked to contain a wildfire that burned 12,000 acres in south-central Kansas. Reno County Emergency Management officials said one person who had been reported missing...
Experts Warn Central U.S. Needs to be Ready For Next Earthquake
Mar 8 2022 // Experts have warned for decades that a large swath of the central U.S. is at high risk for a devastating earthquake. They know that overcoming complacency is among their biggest hurdles. Hundreds of emergency managers,...
Nevada Utility to Inspect Power Lines Near 2020 Reno Wildfire
Mar 7 2022 // Nevada’s largest utility plans to inspect power lines near a Reno neighborhood where a 2020 wildfire destroyed five homes and damaged two dozen others, a blaze that investigators blamed on arching power lines in gale...
Florida Panhandle Wildfire Forces Evac of Areas Still Recovering from Hurricane Michael
Mar 7 2022 // Hundreds of residents near Panama City, Florida, were forced to evacuate from a wildfire that destroyed at least two homes and damaged others in an area still recovering from Hurricane Michael in 2018. Local news sites...
