Latest Catastrophe Headlines
All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Viewpoint: Is California Serious About Addressing the Wildfire Risk? Not So Much.
Jul 27 2021 // Recent state budget actions by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature make a strong argument that the state is not serious about addressing the state’s immense wildfire risk. Unquestionably,...
Firefighters Injured While Fighting Montana Wildfire
Jul 26 2021 // Five firefighters were injured when a thunderstorm and swirling winds in central Montana blew a lightning-caused wildfire back on them, federal officials said. All five remained in medical facilities and were still being...
California’s Largest Wildfire Torches Homes as Blazes Lash West
Jul 26 2021 // Flames racing through rugged terrain in Northern California destroyed multiple homes over the weeked as the state’s largest wildfire intensified and numerous other blazes battered the U.S. West. The Dixie fire, which...
Update: China’s Financial Hub of Shanghai at Virtual Standstill as Typhoon Makes Landfall
Jul 26 2021 // Typhoon In-Fa, the powerful storm battering regions around Shanghai, has forced some of the world’s biggest shipping ports to halt operations until at least Tuesday. All of Shanghai’s ports and some in...
5% Rate Increase Recommended for Texas Windstorm Insurer
Jul 22 2021 // The Actuarial & Underwriting Committee for the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) has recommended that the association’s board vote at its Aug. 3 meeting to file for a 5% rate increase for residential...
PG&E in California’s Will Pay to Bury Power Lines to Prevent Wildfires
Jul 22 2021 // California power company Pacific Gas and Electric said on Wednesday it would bury 10,000 miles of power lines in high-risk fire zones as a safety measure after its equipment caused multiple destructive wildfires over...
PG&E Says Equipment Possibly Linked to Big California Wildfire
Jul 21 2021 // Pacific Gas & Electric reported to California utility regulators that its equipment may have been involved in the start of a fire burning in the Sierra Nevada that is threatening hundreds of homes. PG&E said in a...
In the Face of a Severe California Wildfire Season, is The Oft-Used ‘Mitigation’ Word Too Little Too Late?
Jul 20 2021 // It may have been around 2017 when a true sense of urgency donned on insurers, public officials, residents and regulators in wildfire-prone California, as fires destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures in the state,...
M5.1 Earthquake Confirmed off Northern California Coast
Jul 20 2021 // A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck off the Northern California coast late Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The earthquake just before midnight was about 12 kilometers west of Petrolia in Humboldt County and...
Solar Industry, Owners Warned to Take Steps to Mitigate Wildfire Risk
Jul 20 2021 // Noting that wildfire is a growing source of loss for both wind and solar power producers and insurers, one of the insurers is urging the U.S. solar industry to act to mitigate wildfire risk over the coming months or face...
Travelers’ Q2 Profit Boosted by Higher Premiums, Lower Catastrophe Losses
Jul 20 2021 // U.S. property and casualty insurer Travelers Cos .Inc. delivered an unusually large beat of second-quarter profit expectations on Tuesday, helped by higher premiums, lower catastrophe losses and a surge in returns from...
26 Tornadoes Swept Iowa on July 14, Preliminary Data Shows
Jul 19 2021 // Preliminary data shows more than two dozen tornadoes tore across Iowa on July 14, according to the National Weather Service. The service said in a tweet that it appears 26 tornadoes touched down. If that number holds true,...
Lake Charles Mayor Seeks More Hurricane Aid from Washington
Jul 19 2021 // The mayor of a southwest Louisiana city recovering from back-to-back blows from Hurricanes Laura and Delta is in Washington hoping to persuade federal officials to steer more aid to the region where rebuilding is...
Oregon Wildfire Burns More than 476 Square Miles
Jul 19 2021 // Erratic winds and dry lightning added to the dangers for crews battling the nation’s largest wildfire over the weekend in parched Oregon forests, just one of dozens burning across several Western states. The...
Takeaways from Our Conversation on The Impact of California Wildfires on Cannabis Insurance
Jul 19 2021 // Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv The California wildfire season is shaping up to be an ugly one, with a worsening drought and soaring temperatures in the Western U.S. Wildfires are already blazing across numerous states. As...
No Injuries but Iowa Tornadoes Damage Buildings, Overturn Vehicles
Jul 16 2021 // No deaths or injuries were immediately reported from tornadoes that tore through central and eastern Iowa, but many found damaged buildings, shredded trees and overturned vehicles in the path of the storms, officials...
Elsa-Related Tornado Causes $1 Million in Damage in Port Royal, S.C.
Jul 16 2021 // A tornado spawned as Tropical Storm Elsa moved inland across South Carolina caused about $1 million damage to buildings in the Beaufort County town of Port Royal, officials said. At least 44 buildings in the town of 13,000...
Largest Wildfire in Oregon Prompts New Evacuations
Jul 16 2021 // Firefighters are scrambling to control a raging wildfire in southeastern Oregon that’s spreading miles a day in windy conditions, one of numerous conflagrations across the U.S. West that are straining...
Germany Reels from Flood ‘Catastrophe’; Insurers Expect Costly Claims for 2021
Jul 16 2021 // Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged swift help backed by “all the power of the state” for people affected by devastating flooding in western Germany, where at least 42 people have died and dozens are...
Western Wildfires Threatening Parched Tribal Lands
Jul 15 2021 // Fierce wildfires in the northwest are threatening American Indian tribal lands that already are struggling to conserve water and preserve traditional hunting grounds in the face of a Western drought. Blazes in Oregon and...
