Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Investigators Narrow Search for Origin of Massive Colorado Wildfire
Jan 4 2022 // Investigators looking for the cause of the Colorado wildfire that destroyed nearly 1,000 homes have narrowed their search to a sparsely populated neighborhood near Boulder where a passer-by captured video of a burning shed...
2 Still Missing in Colorado Wildfire; Cause Under Investigation
Jan 4 2022 // Search teams looked for two missing people in the smoldering debris from a massive Colorado wildfire while people who escaped the flames sorted through the charred remnants of their homes to find what was...
COVID-19 Claims of $44B Are 3rd Largest Catastrophe Loss: Howden
Jan 4 2022 // Insured losses of $44 billion from COVID-19 so far represent the third largest cost to insurers of any catastrophe, behind Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 attacks, insurance broker Howden said on Tuesday. However, initial...
Climate Change, New Construction Mean More Destructive Wildfires in West
Jan 3 2022 // The winter grassland fire that blew up along Colorado’s Front Range was rare, experts say, but similar events will be more common in the coming years as climate change warms the planet – sucking the moisture out of...
Judge Holds Skanska Negligent for Barge Damage During Florida Hurricane
Dec 30 2021 // A federal judge has found that Skanksa USA, part of one of the largest construction companies in the world, failed to secure its barges before a 2020 Florida hurricane hit. The ruling opens the door to hundreds of lawsuits...
More Minor Earthquakes Shake Parts of South Carolina
Dec 30 2021 // Six more minor earthquakes were reported in South Carolina this week, potentially raising new demand for earthquake insurance. The U.S. Geological Survey said that Wednesday’s 2.3 magnitude earthquake hit around 4:12...
Machine Learning Improves Lightning Prediction, Leading to Insight on a Key Wildfire Spark
Dec 29 2021 // Lightning’s destructive potential was showcased in 2020 when it sparked the massive California Lightning Complex fires, but it remains hard to predict. According to a new study led by the University of Washington,...
Western Kansas Ranches Face Long Recovery after Wildfires
Dec 28 2021 // Ranchers in western Kansas have begun to recover from the deadly wildfires that torched their land earlier this month, but they acknowledge it will be a long process. Two men died and the Kansas Forest Service estimates...
NWS Says December Storm Spawned 8 Tornadoes Across Wisconsin
Dec 28 2021 // The National Weather Service has confirmed a rare December wind storm spawned eight tornadoes across west-central Wisconsin. .The Dec. 15 storm swept across multiple states. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the...
Earthquake Confirmed in Submerged Volcano South of Hawaii
Dec 28 2021 // A magnitude-4.9 earthquake struck a submerged volcano south of Hawaii’s Big Island last week, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory confirmed. said the temblor hit at 1:32 a.m. about 26 miles southeast of Naalehu, at a...
Federal Relief Funding Available in Five Arkansas Counties Following Tornadoes
Dec 27 2021 // President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in Arkansas, making federal relief funding available in five north eastern counties hit by tornadoes that ripped through the Midwest and South this month. The declaration...
As Strongest Storm to Hit Philippines in 2021, Typhoon Rai ‘Exceeded All Predictions’
Dec 22 2021 // SINGAPORE – The rapid intensification that turned this week’s Typhoon Rai into the strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year surpassed all predictions, forecasters said, leaving nearly 400 people dead and...
Active 2021 Hurricane Season Revealed ‘Unsettling’ Trends: AIR Worldwide
Dec 22 2021 // The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season was the third most active on record and the sixth consecutive year of above-average hurricane activity. Still, the overall season was mostly in line with the updated 30-year average,...
Tornadoes Have Pushed Insurers’ Weather Claims Above $105B for 2021
Dec 21 2021 // Devastation from tornadoes that slammed parts of the United States this month will push the insurance industry’s 2021 bill for weather-related claims well above the predicted $105 billion, industry experts said, and...
Southern California Edison Faces $550M in Penalties for 5 Wildfires
Dec 20 2021 // California regulators approved a settlement placing more than half a billion dollars in fines and penalties on the utility Southern California Edison for its role in five wildfires in 2017 and 2018. The penalties relate to...
Typhoon Rai Leaves Trail of Destruction in Southeast Asia, Killing More Than 200
Dec 20 2021 // Severe weather disruptions hit Malaysia and the Philippines, leaving a trail of destruction among nations most prone to natural disasters. Typhoon Rai, a super typhoon before slamming into the Philippines on Thursday, left...
Kansas Wildfires Kill Two
Dec 20 2021 // Two men have died from injuries suffered in wildfires that have burned hundreds of thousands of acres across Kansas last week, authorities said Friday, Dec. 17. Richard Shimanek, 84, a farmer and rancher who lived near...
‘Keep Delivering’: Amazon Tornado Tragedy Raises Emergency Safety Training Questions
Dec 17 2021 // The messages between an Amazon.com Inc. delivery driver and her boss began about 80 minutes before a tornado struck one of the company’s warehouses in Edwardsville, Illinois, on Dec. 10, killing six workers. The...
Missouri Insurance Specialists to Offer Assistance Following Tornado
Dec 16 2021 // Customer insurance specialists from the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance will participate in resource centers to assist customers who were affected by the recent tornado. A Multi-Agency Resource Centers will...
More Tornadoes in Midwest, Great Plains Leave One Dead and 500,000 in the Dark
Dec 16 2021 // Dec 16, 2021 — A powerful storm that spawned tornadoes across the Midwest and Great Plains killed at least one person, ripped trees from the ground and knocked out power to more than 500,000 homes and businesses. Winds...
