Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
M4 Earthquake Confirmed in Southeastern California
Aug 24 2021 // An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.0 shook an agricultural area of southeastern California early Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The quake struck at 7:57 a.m. south of the Salton Sea, about 7...
Mulch Eyed as Erosion Control Following Colorado Wildfires
Aug 24 2021 // An aerial landscaping team has taken flight in the mountains west of Fort Collins, Colo. Its landing site sits in a broad field at the base of Poudre Canyon. Every few minutes, a helicopter arrives to lift a net loaded...
New Wildfires Break Out on Greece’s Evia Island
Aug 24 2021 // ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Greece’s fire department scrambled firefighting aircraft and ground forces as at least two new blazes broke out in areas already scarred by wildfires this summer, with strong winds...
Hurricane Laura Hit Louisiana a Year Ago but Recovery Is Ongoing
Aug 24 2021 // Hurricane Laura made landfall in Southwest Louisiana nearly a year ago but local officials and state insurance regulators say the area still a long way to go to recover. Laura, which made landfall on August 27, 2020,...
Greece Wildfire Destroys Jobs of Pine Resin Collectors
Aug 23 2021 // AGDINES, Greece (AP) – For generations, residents in the north of the Greek island of Evia have made their living from the dense pine forests surrounding their villages. Tapping the ubiquitous Aleppo pines for their...
Catastrophic Flooding Takes 22 Lives in Tennessee; More People Missing
Aug 23 2021 // Catastrophic flooding in Middle Tennessee left at least 22 dead and dozens missing Saturday as rains washed away homes and rural roads, authorities said. Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told news outlets more than 20...
Hurricane Grace Crosses Mexico, Killing at Least 8 People
Aug 23 2021 // Hurricane Grace crossed through Mexico on Saturday, leaving at least eight people dead, causing floods and power cuts to more than half a million customers, before losing force as it swept toward the country’s...
Forest Service: Lightning Caused Minnesota Wildfire
Aug 23 2021 // A wildfire in the Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota has grown to 6 1/4 square miles (16 square kilometers), but U.S. Forest Service officials said on Aug. 19 that it grew little overnight. The Forest...
State Fund Offering Credit Extension to Policyholders Impacted by California Wildfires
Aug 20 2021 // California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund is offering a 30-day credit extension to policyholders affected by wildfires currently burning in Northern California counties declared states of emergency by Gov.Gavin...
California Wildfire Season Setting a Record, More Damage Expected
Aug 20 2021 // Smoke from California’s wildfires choked people on the East Coast. Flames wiped out a Gold Rush-era town. The acreage burned would dwarf the state of Rhode Island. Images of homes engulfed in flames and mountains...
Nevada Senator Wants Ideas to Address Wildfire Smoke
Aug 20 2021 // Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is urging firefighters, scientists, teachers and moms to help form new strategies to deal with increasingly unhealthy air quality in Nevada caused by wildfires that continue to worsen and no...
Tropical Storm Henri Could Strike New York, New England as Hurricane Starting Sunday
Aug 20 2021 // Tropical Storm Henri is set to grow into a hurricane before slamming the U.S. Northeast anywhere from Long Island to Massachusetts, bringing heavy rain, a flooding storm surge and thrashing winds to the region starting...
California Commissioner Issues Non-Renewal Moratorium to Aid Policyholders Affected by Wildfires
Aug 19 2021 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies from non-renewing or cancelling residential property insurance policies. The action is intended to...
Wildfire Grows to 5 Square Miles in Northeastern Minnesota
Aug 19 2021 // A wildfire in the Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota has grown to 5 square miles (13 square kilometers) as hot, dry and windy conditions persist, officials said. U.S. Forest Service and other crews have...
California Wildfires Are Exhausting 10,000-Strong Army Fighting Them
Aug 19 2021 // There are over 10,000 firefighters battling unprecedented blazes in California, but that isn’t enough, and the state is having a hard time finding more as flames rage across the western U.S. and Canada. Twelve major...
Parametric Catastrophe Insurer CCRIF to Make Record Payout of $40M for Haiti Quake
Aug 19 2021 // CCRIF SPC, the Cayman Islands-based parametric catastrophe facility, will pay approximately US$40 million to the government of Haiti, following the devastating magnitude 7.2 earthquake, which struck the Caribbean island on...
Why Haiti Is Prone to Deadly Earthquakes
Aug 19 2021 // Earthquakes have been wreaking havoc in Haiti since at least the 18th century, when the city of Port-au-Prince was destroyed twice in 19 years. Saturday’s powerful quake killed hundreds and injured thousands more....
North Carolina Gov. Cooper Issues State of Emergency After Tropical Storm Fred Causes Historic Flooding
Aug 18 2021 // North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has issued a State of Emergency in response to Tropical Storm Fred, which caused severe flood in the western part of the state. Approximately 30 people are currently in missing in Haywood...
Dozens of Homes Evacuated as Minnesota Wildfire Spreads
Aug 18 2021 // Dozens of residences have been evacuated as a wildfire in northeastern Minnesota continues to spread, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The fire in the Superior National Forest near Greenwood Lake had expanded to about...
Catastrophe Bond Market Breaks New Record with $8.5 Billion of Securities Issued
Aug 18 2021 // Catastrophe bonds broke a record during the first half of the year with about $8.5 billion of new securities issued, according to a report from Swiss Re AG. The insurance-linked securities market could end up with more...
