Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Supreme Court Could Use TransUnion ‘Terrorist List’ Case to Curb Class Actions

Mar 31 2021 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday signaled it could narrow the scope of a class action lawsuit against TransUnion in which thousands of people sought damages after the credit reporting company flagged their names as...

Vermont State Agency Offers to Assist Residents After Rare Tornado

Mar 31 2021 // State officials in Vermont say they’re ready to assist residents with insurance claims as they cleanup and rebuild following Friday’s tornado, which injured at least two people. The state Department of...

South Dakota Wildfires: 400 Homes Evacuated; Mount Rushmore Closed

Mar 30 2021 // Three separate wildfires in the Black Hills of South Dakota have forced evacuations of more than 400 homes northwest of Rapid City and shut down Mount Rushmore, authorities said. A fire that started near Schroeder Road in...

Damaged Homes, Injuries, 1 Death, in East Texas Tornado

Mar 30 2021 // One person was killed after severe weather, including a tornado, caused damage in several communities in East Texas, authorities said. Widespread destruction across Panola County was reported, including damaged homes and...

Tornado Outbreak from ‘Super Cell’ Storms Cause Damage Across Deep South

Mar 29 2021 // Tornadoes and severe storms tore through the Deep South, killing at least five people as strong winds splintered trees, wrecked homes and downed power lines. Multiple twisters sprang from a “super cell” of...

Tornado Touches Down in Vermont, Injuring at Least Two

Mar 29 2021 // A tornado with an estimated wind speed of 110 mph touched down in Vermont on Friday afternoon, injuring at least two people. A statement from the National Weather Service in Burlington, Vermont, says the tornado threw a...

State of Emergency Issued in Alabama After Tornadoes Sweep Region

Mar 26 2021 // Alabama Gov. Kay issued a state of emergency yesterday after numerous tornadoes caused damage and deaths across the state. Ivey said on Twitter Friday morning that crews would be out assessing the damage and getting...

Forecasters Warn Severe Storms Could Spawn Tornadoes in South

Mar 25 2021 // Forecasters are predicting another outbreak of severe storms in several southern states on Thursday, with the potential for strong tornadoes that carve up the ground for miles. The greatest threat, into Thursday evening,...

California Wildfire Sparked When Tree Hit Power Line, Report Shows

Mar 24 2021 // A Northern California wildfire that killed four people and destroyed more than 200 buildings last year was sparked when tree branches came into contact with Pacific Gas & Electric power lines, officials said in a...

Lloyd’s Launches Parametric Earthquake Insurance Policy in New Zealand

Mar 24 2021 // Lloyd’s has launched a parametric earthquake insurance policy in New Zealand, in partnership with start-up Bounce Insurance, which uses cutting-edge technology and real-time data to automatically pay customers within...

Texas Windstorm Insurer Plans for $4B in Funding for Hurricane Season

Mar 24 2021 // Texas’ wind and hail insurer of last resort for properties in the state’s coastal counties has determined it needs $4.03 billion in funding to prepare for this year’s hurricane season. The board of...

FEMA Allocates Additional $22M for Hurricane Laura Recovery in Louisiana

Mar 23 2021 // Nearly $22 million in additional funding is now available from FEMA to assist in recovery from Hurricane Laura in Louisiana. FEMA said that damage from Laura was so severe that it crossed the threshold of FEMA’s...

Texas Forest Service: Southern Plains Wildfire Outbreak Possible this Spring

Mar 23 2021 // Texas A&M Forest Service and the National Weather Service have identified an extremely dangerous fire weather phenomena known as a Southern Plains Wildfire Outbreak, or SPWO, and are watching for it to occur in...

World’s 1st Catastrophe Bond for Volcanic Eruptions Aims to Improve Disaster Relief

Mar 23 2021 // The Danish Red Cross is offering the world’s first catastrophe bond for volcanic eruptions, which is designed to improve the provision and efficiency of humanitarian relief after eruptions of 10 volcanoes across...

California County Adding Artificial Intelligence for Wildfires

Mar 23 2021 // Sonoma County officials say they will add artificial intelligence technology to help fight wildfires with a 24-7 monitor to track fire outbreaks. The technology will be added to the county’s network of wildfire...

Southeast Storms Spawned EF2 Tornadoes in Alabama, Miss., EF1 in Georgia

Mar 22 2021 // At least 10 tornadoes struck Alabama and Mississippi this week during a severe weather outbreak that could have been worse if temperatures hadn’t remained relatively low, forecasters said. Teams from the National...

Wisconsin Issues Wildfire Warning After 30-Plus Weekend Blazes

Mar 22 2021 // Wisconsin authorities are warning residents about weather conditions after more than 30 wildfires were reported throughout the state on March 20. Much of the state is under a burn ban due to forecasts of low relative...

TigerRisk Strengthens Global View of Catastrophe Risk With Next-Generation RMS High-Definition Models

Mar 22 2021 // TigerRisk adopts the full RMS global models suite NEWARK, Calif. – March 17, 2021 – RMS®, the world’s leading catastrophe risk solutions company, and TigerRisk Partners, the leading risk, capital, and strategic...

Insurance Council of Australia Declares Catastrophe for Parts of New South Wales

Mar 22 2021 // The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared a Catastrophe for large parts of New South Wales, a state in southeast Australia, following the devastating storms and flooding of the last few days. The ICA’s...

Florida Man Sentenced to 3 Years for Lying About Hurricane Irma Damage

Mar 22 2021 // A Florida man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for lying about damage caused by Hurricane Irma. Steven Rembert, 49, of Orange County, was sentenced Monday in Orlando federal court, according to court...