Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
PG&E in California’s Will Pay to Bury Power Lines to Prevent Wildfires
Jul 22 2021 // California power company Pacific Gas and Electric said on Wednesday it would bury 10,000 miles of power lines in high-risk fire zones as a safety measure after its equipment caused multiple destructive wildfires over...
First Half Insured Losses From Natural Disasters Reach 10-Year High
Jul 21 2021 // Insured losses from natural disasters hit a 10-year high of $42 billion in the first half of 2021, with the biggest loss related to extreme cold in the United States in February, insurance broker Aon said on...
PG&E Says Equipment Possibly Linked to Big California Wildfire
Jul 21 2021 // Pacific Gas & Electric reported to California utility regulators that its equipment may have been involved in the start of a fire burning in the Sierra Nevada that is threatening hundreds of homes. PG&E said in a...
In the Face of a Severe California Wildfire Season, is The Oft-Used ‘Mitigation’ Word Too Little Too Late?
Jul 20 2021 // It may have been around 2017 when a true sense of urgency donned on insurers, public officials, residents and regulators in wildfire-prone California, as fires destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures in the state,...
M5.1 Earthquake Confirmed off Northern California Coast
Jul 20 2021 // A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck off the Northern California coast late Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The earthquake just before midnight was about 12 kilometers west of Petrolia in Humboldt County and...
Solar Industry, Owners Warned to Take Steps to Mitigate Wildfire Risk
Jul 20 2021 // Noting that wildfire is a growing source of loss for both wind and solar power producers and insurers, one of the insurers is urging the U.S. solar industry to act to mitigate wildfire risk over the coming months or face...
26 Tornadoes Swept Iowa on July 14, Preliminary Data Shows
Jul 19 2021 // Preliminary data shows more than two dozen tornadoes tore across Iowa on July 14, according to the National Weather Service. The service said in a tweet that it appears 26 tornadoes touched down. If that number holds true,...
Lake Charles Mayor Seeks More Hurricane Aid from Washington
Jul 19 2021 // The mayor of a southwest Louisiana city recovering from back-to-back blows from Hurricanes Laura and Delta is in Washington hoping to persuade federal officials to steer more aid to the region where rebuilding is...
Oregon Wildfire Burns More than 476 Square Miles
Jul 19 2021 // Erratic winds and dry lightning added to the dangers for crews battling the nation’s largest wildfire over the weekend in parched Oregon forests, just one of dozens burning across several Western states. The...
Takeaways from Our Conversation on The Impact of California Wildfires on Cannabis Insurance
Jul 19 2021 // Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv The California wildfire season is shaping up to be an ugly one, with a worsening drought and soaring temperatures in the Western U.S. Wildfires are already blazing across numerous states. As...
No Injuries but Iowa Tornadoes Damage Buildings, Overturn Vehicles
Jul 16 2021 // No deaths or injuries were immediately reported from tornadoes that tore through central and eastern Iowa, but many found damaged buildings, shredded trees and overturned vehicles in the path of the storms, officials...
Elsa-Related Tornado Causes $1 Million in Damage in Port Royal, S.C.
Jul 16 2021 // A tornado spawned as Tropical Storm Elsa moved inland across South Carolina caused about $1 million damage to buildings in the Beaufort County town of Port Royal, officials said. At least 44 buildings in the town of 13,000...
Largest Wildfire in Oregon Prompts New Evacuations
Jul 16 2021 // Firefighters are scrambling to control a raging wildfire in southeastern Oregon that’s spreading miles a day in windy conditions, one of numerous conflagrations across the U.S. West that are straining...
Western Wildfires Threatening Parched Tribal Lands
Jul 15 2021 // Fierce wildfires in the northwest are threatening American Indian tribal lands that already are struggling to conserve water and preserve traditional hunting grounds in the face of a Western drought. Blazes in Oregon and...
Pandemic Part of a Perfect Storm for Insurers, Homeowners Bracing for Bad Wildfire Season
Jul 14 2021 // A perfect storm appears to brewing for homeowners and property insurers in the drought-plagued, wildfire-riddled U.S. West – and as odd as it may sound, the trouble may have begun with the pandemic. Property insurance...
Hurricane Elsa Insured Loss Estimated To Be $290 Million
Jul 14 2021 // Total estimated insured losses on land from Hurricane Elsa will be around $290 million. About $240 million of that was from wind and storm surge in the U.S., while the Caribbean islands suffered about $50 million,...
Lake Charles Building Still Empty Months after Hurricane Laura
Jul 14 2021 // The Capital One Tower, a 22-story building that has stood tall over Lake Charles for nearly 40 years is still empty nearly a year after Hurricane Laura’s 150-mph winds knocked out windows up and down the building...
Cal/OSHA: Protect Workers from Unhealthy Air due to Wildfire Smoke
Jul 13 2021 // Cal/OSHA is cautioning California employers to be prepared to protect workers from unhealthy air due to wildfire smoke. When workers are at risk form unhealthy air from wildfires, California’s protection from...
Wildfires Burning Homes, Land Across 10 States in West
Jul 13 2021 // Wildfires that torched homes and forced thousands to evacuate burned across 10 parched Western states, and the largest, in Oregon, threatened a portion of California’s power supply. Nearly 60 wildfires tore through...
Report: Uptake of Earthquake Insurance in Missouri Drops to Historic Low
Jul 13 2021 // New report from Missouri insurance regulators shows earthquake coverage plummeting amid sharply escalating insurance premiums. The new Earthquake Insurance Market Report from the Missouri Department of Commerce and...
