Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Death Toll Climbs in China’s Worst Earthquake in Nearly a Decade
Dec 20 2023 // The death toll from China’s worst earthquake since 2014 rose to more than 130 as the government sent a top official to oversee recovery efforts. Some 113 people were killed in mostly rural areas of Gansu province and...
Expert: ‘Active Year Worldwide’ for Rapid Hurricane Intensification
Dec 19 2023 // While only three hurricanes made landfall in the United States this year, rapidly intensifying hurricanes in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans charted near the top of record lists in 2023. Each of the year’s major...
Child Survives After Tennessee Tornado Threw Him into a Tree
Dec 19 2023 // CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A 4-month-old boy has survived after a tornado in Tennessee sucked him up from his family`s mobile home, which was demolished in the storm. Sydney Moore told WSMV-TV that when the tornado...
Initial Insured Losses for Windstorm Ciarán (aka Emir) Estimated at €1.9B: PERILS
Dec 18 2023 // Initial industry losses for extratropical windstorm Ciarán, also known as Emir, are estimated at €1.9 billion (US$2.1 billion), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization that provides industry-wide...
Hurricane Season May be Over, but High Winds Still Lashing South Florida
Dec 18 2023 // FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — It’s beginning to look at lot like … hurricane season — at least across much of South Florida, where it’s been windy and rainy for two days and the forecast...
New Research Shows Renters Are Hit the Hardest When a Hurricane Strikes
Dec 15 2023 // Newswise — With a severe shortage of affordable housing in the United States, renters living along the East and Gulf coasts are uniquely vulnerable to hurricane disasters. Two new studies based on data from 2009 to 2018...
Warmer Winters Could Mean More Tornadoes in December, Like Those in NC, TN
Dec 14 2023 // Residents of Garner, North Carolina, have spent the week cleaning up after an F1 tornado damaged more than 20 homes and left four of them uninhabitable. The Raleigh News & Observer reported that warmer winters already...
Markets/Coverages: MGA Optio and Insurer Partner AmFirst to Offer Political Violence & Terrorism Cover
Dec 12 2023 // Optio Group, the London-based specialty managing general agent (MGA), announced it has entered into an agreement with a new insurer partner to provide underwriting capacity for political violence and terrorism (PVT)...
Typhoon That Hit China’s Ports Provides Wakeup Call for Climate Risk to Markets
Dec 12 2023 // As Typhoon Doksuri aimed toward mainland China, major southeast ports were forced to turn away dozens of vessels for days. The storm, supercharged by the warm July waters of the Pacific, delivered Beijing’s worst...
Report: Kentucky Fund Made $239,000 in Erroneous Tornado Relief Payments
Dec 7 2023 // FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A report released Tuesday by state officials on the disbursement of Kentucky`s tornado relief fund found that it sent out about $239, 000 in mistaken payments. The review of the fund by State...
Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake Felt Widely Across Big Island of Hawaii
Dec 6 2023 // A magnitude 5.1 earthquake on the Big Island of Hawaii was felt widely, but there were no reports of damage or injury, officials said. The earthquake hit at 5:54 p.m.on Monday near the Kilauea volcano at a depth of 1 mile...
Hailstorm Claims Risk Undermining Solar Energy, Insurer Says
Dec 6 2023 // Solar farms around the world are under threat due to costly hailstorm-related claims, according to renewable energy underwriter GCube Insurance. Hail was the costliest category for insurance claims by the renewables...
NOAA: 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season Ranks 4th for Most-Named Storms
Dec 5 2023 // Ending on Nov. 30, the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season saw 20 named storms, ranking fourth for the most-named storms in a year since 1950, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said. Seven storms were...
Climate Change, Natural Disasters Sent Texas Homeowners Insurance Rates Skyrocketing in 2023
Dec 1 2023 // Insurance companies across Texas have dramatically increased home insurance rates this year, state filings show, as climate change spooks executives and inflation pushes up costs to rebuild after natural disasters. Texas...
Oregon Regulator to Investigate Pacificorp’s Request to Limit Wildfire Liability
Nov 30 2023 // Oregon’s utility regulator this week said it would investigate a petition by PacifiCorp to limit its liability from future wildfire-related lawsuits, delaying a decision on the power provider’s request by as...
People Moves: Markel Appoints Howden’s Woodhouse for War and Terrorism Team; Costero Brokers Taps Marsh’s Olley as Cyber Divisional Director
Nov 29 2023 // This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Markel and Costero Brokers. A summary of these new hires follows here. Markel Appoints Howden’s Woodhouse for War and Terrorism Team Markel, the...
Maui Wildfire Survivors Camp Pushing Mayor to Convert Vacation Rentals into Housing
Nov 28 2023 // A group of Lahaina wildfire survivors is vowing to camp on a popular resort beach until the mayor uses his emergency powers to shut down unpermitted vacation rentals and make the properties available for residents in...
FBI Closes Probe of Car Wreck at Niagara Falls Bridge, No Indication of Terrorism
Nov 27 2023 // FBThe FBI has ended its investigation of a fiery car wreck that killed two people at a border checkpoint in Niagara Falls after finding no evidence that it was a terror attack, easing a period of high tensions as Americans...
Alabama Begins $13.6M Rebuild of Pier Damaged in Hurricane Sally
Nov 27 2023 // GULF SHORES, Ala. (AP) — Hurricane Sally wiped out a 200-foot (61-meter) section of the Gulf State Park Fishing Pier on the Alabama coast in September 2020 just as it was about to reopen after a $2.4 million rebuild...
Wildfires Prompt North Carolina, Tennessee Campgrounds to Evacuate; West Virginia Blaze Contained
Nov 22 2023 // Wildfires prompted campgrounds in North Carolina and Tennessee to evacuate starting Sunday while firefighters prepared for high winds and low humidity on Monday, though officials hoped for some help from expected rain. The...
