Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
No Damage or Injuries Reported From Small Earthquake in Buffalo Suburb
Feb 7 2023 // A small earthquake rumbled through western New York early Monday, alarming people in a region unaccustomed to such shaking but apparently causing no significant damage. The U.S. Geological Survey preliminarily reported a...
Update: Powerful Earthquakes Hit Turkey and Syria With at Least 4,000 Killed
Feb 6 2023 // Rescue teams from overseas began deploying in Turkey on Tuesday after a pair of powerful earthquakes a day earlier killed at least 4,000 people in the country and neighboring Syria, leaving millions to suffer without power...
$930M to Curb Western U.S. Wildfires Crisis
Feb 6 2023 // The U.S. is directing $930 million toward reducing wildfire dangers in 10 western states by clearing trees and underbrush from national forests, the Biden administration announced in late January, as officials struggle to...
Kentucky Tornado Relief Payments Come Under Scrutiny
Feb 3 2023 // Some people unaffected by tornadoes that ravaged Kentucky in late 2021 were mistakenly sent payments from a relief fund funneling private donations into the region, the state treasurer’s office said Wednesday. State...
California Earthquake False Alarm Offers a Lesson for Crisis Communicators
Jan 31 2023 // An earthquake false alarm nearly four years ago can teach disaster and emergency planners – and any crisis communicators, including insurers – a thing or two about communicating to the public during and after a...
Filipino Workers Say Oil Company Abandoned Them in Hurricane Ida
Jan 30 2023 // NEW ORLEANS (AP) – As Hurricane Ida struck the Louisiana Gulf Coast in August 2021, Renato Decena and Rosel Hernandez watched the storm punch a hole in the roof of the bunkhouse where they were sheltered _ abandoned,...
Light Earthquake Confirmed in Southern California
Jan 26 2023 // A light earthquake centered offshore gave Southern California an early morning wake-up call Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. There were no reports of damage. The 2 a.m. quake occurred beneath the ocean 10.6...
Global Insured Losses From Natural Disasters Topped $130B in 2022 in 5th Costliest Year
Jan 26 2023 // Economic losses from natural disasters in 2022 were estimated at $313 billion, with an insurance price tag of approximately $132 billion, according to Aon. Roughly 42% of economic losses were covered by public and private...
Tornado Causes Damage East of Houston
Jan 26 2023 // PASADENA, Texas (AP) – A powerful storm system took aim at the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, spawning a tornado that downed utility poles and power lines, overturned vehicles and ripped roofs off homes and businesses in...
Attorney for La. Insurer Says Firm Working with Contractors to Find New Hurricane Claimants
Jan 25 2023 // An insurance defense attorney accuses the McClenny Moseley & Associates law firm of teaming up with restoration contractors to illegally acquire clients, which sometimes resulted in duplicate lawsuits being filed...
Entergy Louisiana Customers to Cover $1.5B for Hurricane Ida Repairs
Jan 23 2023 // METAIRIE, La. (AP) – About a million customers of an electric utility in Louisiana will cover more than $1.4 billion in repair costs related to Hurricane Ida. Entergy Louisiana said residential customers will see about...
$930M to Curb Western U.S. Wildfires Crisis
Jan 23 2023 // The U.S. is directing $930 million toward reducing wildfire dangers in 10 western states by clearing trees and underbrush from national forests, the Biden administration announced Thursday, as officials struggle to contain...
Insurers Agree to Extend ALE Coverage for Colorado Wildfire Survivors
Jan 19 2023 // Insurers agreed to a request from the Colorado Division of Insurance to extend additional living expenses coverage for Marshall Fire survivors. Homeowners’ insurance companies have agreed to extend coverage for up to...
Disaster Assistance Funds Available for Georgia Housing and Repairs After Tornadoes
Jan 19 2023 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency says that disaster assistance has been made available to Georgia in areas struck by a tornado outbreak across the South on Thursday. In an announcement Tuesday, FEMA said that...
AM Best Downgrades California Earthquake Authority Credit Ratings
Jan 18 2023 // AM Best downgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to B++ (Good) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “bbb+” (Good) from “a-” (Excellent) of California...
Alabama Survivors Hid in Tubs, Shipping Containers as Tornado Tore Through Homes
Jan 17 2023 // An Alabama engine mechanic took refuge in a shipping container as a tornado decimated his shop and killed two of his neighbors along its destructive path across Alabama and Georgia. The harrowing stories of David Hollon...
7 Deaths, Severe Damage in Alabama as Tornadoes Rip Across the Southeast
Jan 13 2023 // At least seven people were killed in central Alabama and more are missing after tornadoes and severe storms left a swath of damage across parts of the South. Local news reports said that a large tornado ripped through...
New Mexico Delegation Seeks Changes to Wildfire Aid Rules
Jan 11 2023 // New Mexico’s congressional delegation says the U.S. government should make changes to rules proposed for processing damage claims stemming from a historic wildfire sparked by forest managers. The delegation sent a...
New Louisiana Laws Require Hurricane Mediation Program, Catastrophe Response Plan
Jan 10 2023 // Louisiana lawmakers passed several bills last legislative session in response to insurers’ handling of recent natural disasters, five of which went into effect Jan. 1, 2023. The legislation resulted from a shaken...
Hurricanes and Floods Bring $120B in 2022 Insurance Losses: Munich Re
Jan 10 2023 // Hurricane Ian in the United States and floods and Australia helped to make 2022 one of the costliest years on record for natural disasters, Munich Re said on Tuesday, warning that climate change was making storms more...
