Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Governor Promises Help After Killer Tornado Devastates Alabama Town
Jan 28 2021 // James Scott has never lived anywhere other than a two-story house on hilly Darlene Drive north of Birmingham. Home will never be the same after a tornado smashed the structure into pieces, killed another teen and left the...
Louisiana Governor Seeking $3B in Hurricane Aid From White House
Jan 27 2021 // Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is asking President Joe Biden for $3 billion to help Louisiana with its ongoing recovery from the 2020 hurricanes, saying that he’s filed a request with the new White House similar to...
FEMA OKs More than $1B for Hurricanes Delta, Laura Recovery in Louisiana
Jan 26 2021 // FEMA has approved more than $1 billion in federal disaster assistance, long-term disaster loans and flood insurance claims since Hurricanes Laura and Delta hit the state in 2020. Laura made landfall in Louisiana in late...
Flood Lessons Learned from the 2020 Hurricane Season
Jan 25 2021 // The grim statistical tally of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season highlighted a dramatic year, one that saw the most active such season in recorded history. Last year, there were 30 named storms and 13 hurricanes, of which...
Texas Windstorm Insurer’s Rate Hike Request Denied
Jan 25 2021 // Texas regulators in early January rejected a request for a 5% rate increase by the state’s insurer of last resort for wind and hail for properties along the Texas coast. The Texas Department of Insurance denied the...
If the Nashville Bombing is Considered a “Terrorist” Act, Does that Trigger the Terrorism Exclusion?
Jan 22 2021 // A Christmas Day explosion rocked Nashville, Tennessee. Officials believe 63-year-old Anthony Q. Warner is responsible for the blast that damaged several buildings, injured three people and reportedly killed Warner. Various...
Jumpstart Parametric Earthquake Firm on Move in West
Jan 22 2021 // Jumpstart Insurance Solutions Inc. is on the move in the earthquake-prone West – and the company is now working with insurance agents. Jumpstart, a licensed surplus lines insurance broker using Lloyd’s capacity,...
Corps Could Pay $2.1B Louisiana for Hurricane Protection System
Jan 20 2021 // The Army Corps of Engineers is getting nearly $12.5 million to help build a Louisiana hurricane protection system and could pay $2.1 billion of the expected cost, officials said. Three Republicans in Louisiana’s...
Liberty Specialty Markets Launches German Terrorism Insurance Coverage
Jan 20 2021 // Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, has launched new terrorism insurance coverage in the German market, effective immediately. Since LSM entered the market in 2018, business written...
Hurricane-Force Winds Caused Extensive Damage in North Dakota
Jan 19 2021 // A weather system packing hurricane-force wind gusts has caused extensive damage and power outages in western and central North Dakota. The National Weather Service reported wind gusts of 77 mph at Garrison, 81 mph in...
How Climate Change May Affect Hurricane Risk and Losses: AIR, Brookings, AXIS
Jan 19 2021 // By 2050, climate change-related weather events will have a meaningful impact on future hurricane losses, increasing them by 20% or more and in some cases doubling them, even without any increase in the concentration of...
Indonesia Earthquake Leaves Thousands Homeless, Killing at Least 84 People
Jan 19 2021 // MAMUJU, Indonesia (AP) – Aid was reaching the thousands of people left homeless and struggling after an earthquake that killed at least 84 people on an Indonesian island where rescuers intensified their work Monday to...
FEMA Urges Hurricane Zeta Victims in Louisiana to File for Assistance
Jan 14 2021 // Louisianans who suffered damage from Hurricane Zeta in Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard and Terrebonne parishes should register for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible, FEMA says. The...
Agent Standards Among Texas Windstorm Insurer’s Legislative Proposals
Jan 12 2021 // In its recently published report to the legislature, the windstorm insurer of last resort for properties along the Texas coast has proposed several operational changes, including one that would allow it to develop...
Tornado in Houston Suburb Damages Apartment Complex, Displaces 100s
Jan 11 2021 // A tornado swept through a portion of a city in suburban Houston, displacing about 500 people from a damaged apartment complex, officials said on Jan. 7. A strong storm swept through Texas City around 6 p.m. on Jan. 6,...
Texas Denies Windstorm Insurer’s Rate Hike Request
Jan 11 2021 // Texas regulators have denied a request for a 5% rate increase by the state’s insurer of last resort for wind and hail for properties along the Texas coast. The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) has rejected the...
Nashville Businesses Await FBI Decision On if Bombing Was Terrorist Act
Jan 8 2021 // The FBI investigation into whether the Nashville bombing was a terrorist act has sparked criticism about a possible racial double standard and drawn questions from downtown business owners whose insurance coverage could be...
Study Shows Impact of Property Protections on Texas Windstorm Insurer Rates
Jan 7 2021 // A report prepared by Willis Towers Watson showing the potential impact of increased coastal building standards on premium rates for Texas’ property insurer of last resort for coastal counties is now available for...
Hurricane Delta Disaster Declaration in Louisiana Expanded
Jan 6 2021 // Two Louisiana parishes have been added to the federal disaster declaration for Hurricane Delta. Survivors in Allen and Iberia parishes are now eligible for federal disaster assistance for uninsured and underinsured damage...
Mississippi Disaster Request Approved for Hurricane Zeta
Jan 6 2021 // The Trump administration has approved Gov. Tate Reeves’ request for federal help following Hurricane Zeta. President Donald Trump declared the disaster on New Year’s Eve, ordering federal aid to help South...
