Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Lawsuit Says Compensation Delayed for Victims of Worst Wildfire in New Mexico History
Jan 22 2024 // A new lawsuit has been filed against the Federal Emergency Management Agency, alleging compensation has been delayed for victims of the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history. FEMA is responsible for...
2024 Oregon Consumer Laws Include Protections for Homeowners Dealing with Wildfire
Jan 22 2024 // Consumer protections for homeowners dealing with wildfire-related issues, property contents coverage, personal data protection and prescription drugs are set to go into effect in 2024. The Oregon Division of Financial...
Wildfire Prevention, Helping Maui Recover Top Agenda for Hawaii Lawmakers
Jan 16 2024 // Hawaii lawmakers convened this week for the first time since the burning of historic Lahaina awakened the state to the deadly and costly threat posed by wildfires in an age of climate change. The tragedy refocused the...
Australia’s Usual Summer of Wildfires Is Now Being Soaked by Prolonged Wet Weather
Jan 12 2024 // Australians bracing for a return of scorching heat and wildfires are instead battling a prolonged deluge of rain across the country’s east that’s inundated homes and damaged crops from sugar to wheat. Vast...
Texas Regulators Suspend Well Permits to Address Rising Earthquake Frequency
Jan 11 2024 // The state’s oil and gas regulatory agency last month suspended nearly two dozen permits that let companies inject saltwater water into the ground, a routine industry practice that regulators said has contributed to...
Tornadoes Rip Homes, Businesses in Florida Panhandle
Jan 9 2024 // Multiple tornadoes and high winds were reported across the South early Tuesday, including Panama City, Florida, where storms caused significant damage to homes and businesses and forced rescues of stranded...
Insured Price Tag for Natural Disasters Was $95B in 2023 With Economic Cost of $250B
Jan 9 2024 // Natural catastrophes in 2023 caused global economic losses of US$250 billion, with insurers and reinsurers paying US$95 billion of that amount, according to Munich Re. Last year’s insured losses of US$95 billion are...
Houston Yet to Allocate $200 Million in Federal Relief Funds to Hurricane Harvey Victims
Jan 8 2024 // More than six years after Hurricane Harvey flooded thousands of homes and killed more than 80 people on the Texas Coast, the city of Houston has yet to allocate $200 million in federal relief funds to victims, according to...
Lawsuit Says Compensation Delayed for Victims of Worst Wildfire in New Mexico History
Jan 8 2024 // A new lawsuit has been filed against the Federal Emergency Management Agency, alleging compensation has been delayed for victims of the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history. FEMA is responsible for...
The Sentry Tees Off PGA Tour as First Major Sporting Event in Maui Since Wildfires
Jan 5 2024 // The 2024 PGA Tour teed off Thursday with the opening round of The Sentry, the first major sporting event to be held on the island of Maui since the devastating Lahaina wildfires in August. Sentry Insurance, the...
Japan Earthquake Casts Cloud Over Push to Restart Nuclear Plants
Jan 5 2024 // The powerful earthquake that hit Japan’s western coast on New Year’s Day has underscored the country’s exposure to natural disasters, casting fresh doubt over a push to bring its nuclear capacity back...
Small Earthquake Shakes Maryland Suburbs
Jan 4 2024 // A small earthquake shook the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., early Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 2.3 happened around 12:51 a.m. It was centered nearly 2...
Maui Needs Tourists. Can They Visit Without Compounding Wildfire Trauma?
Jan 3 2024 // The restaurant where Katie Austin was a server burned in the wildfire that devastated Hawaii`s historic town of Lahaina this summer. Two months later, as travelers began to trickle back to nearby beach resorts, she went to...
Turkey Earthquake Tops 2023 Insurance Industry Losses Outside US: CRESTA
Jan 2 2024 // The largest non-US natural catastrophe in 2023 was the Kahramanmaras Earthquake Sequence in Turkey on Feb. 6, which generated an industry loss of US$5.8 billion, the largest ever cat loss for the Turkish insurance market,...
2024 Oregon Consumer Laws Include Protections for Homeowners Dealing with Wildfire
Dec 29 2023 // Consumer protections for homeowners dealing with wildfire-related issues, property contents coverage, personal data protection and prescription drugs are set to go into effect in 2024. The Oregon Division of Financial...
Hawaii Fire Shows Wildfires Pose Particular Threat to Elderly and Other Vulnerable Individuals
Dec 28 2023 // Sharlene Rabang and her calico cat fled the wildfire that destroyed her town on Maui and arrived at a family home on another Hawaii island after a 24-hour odyssey that included sleeping in a car. Dazed, coughing and weak,...
7th Person in Tennessee Dies from Tornado
Dec 22 2023 // NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A seventh person in Tennessee has died from injuries she suffered during a string of powerful storms earlier this month that whipped up destructive tornadoes, according to police. Penny...
China Earthquake Update: 137 People Killed, 12 Still Missing, 207,000 Homes Wrecked
Dec 21 2023 // A dozen people were still missing on Thursday after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck northwestern Gansu province late Monday, and netizens questioned the speed at which rescue operations had ended. Chinese media reported...
Allianz Sponsors Catastrophe Bond for European Windstorm Risks
Dec 20 2023 // Allianz has sponsored a new catastrophe bond which will provide the group with multi-year risk transfer capacity of €250 million to protect itself against European windstorms. Allianz entered into a three-year...
Hawaii Governor’s First Budget After Maui Wildfire Includes Funds for Recovery and Fire Prevention
Dec 20 2023 // Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said he was requesting $425 million from lawmakers during the next fiscal year to help Maui recover from August’s wildfires, and millions more to reduce the risk of wildfires statewide. The...
