Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Pledges to Protect Homeowners from Insurer Withdrawals Due to Wildfires
Nov 2 2020 // California’s insurance commissioner in late October pledged to step up efforts to protect the state’s residents from wildfires and address a pullback of private insurers from the state’s riskiest...
Louisiana Issues Insurer Data Call for Hurricane Delta Damage Claims
Oct 30 2020 // Property/casualty insurance companies in Louisiana, including those that write private and/or excess flood coverage, as well as surplus lines insurers, have been directed to report claims data arising from Hurricane Delta...
Scientists Want New Framework for Understanding California Wildfire Costs, Risks
Oct 29 2020 // A new report out shows challenges current fire management policies in California, proposes a new framework for understanding the total cost of wildfire in the state and suggests that health impacts from smoke my represent...
Utility in California Slow to Pull Plug Before Wildfire Erupted
Oct 29 2020 // Correction: In an earlier version of this story, the Associated Press misspelled the last name of Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy. Facing extreme wildfire conditions this week that included...
New Storm Takes Aim at Philippines, Just Days After Devastation of Typhoon Molave
Oct 29 2020 // The Philippines is bracing for a new storm that will hit the Southeast Asian nation this weekend, days after Typhoon Molave left at least 16 people dead and thousands in evacuation sites. Goni, which developed into a...
Typhoon Molave Slams Vietnam, Killing at Least 16: News Report
Oct 29 2020 // Typhoon Molave hit Vietnam’s central coastline and northern Central Highlands with winds of up to 133 kilometers per hour on Wednesday, triggering landslides in Quang Nam province, VnExpress news website reported,...
Hurricane Zeta Slams Louisiana With High Winds, Storm Surge
Oct 28 2020 // Oct 28 06:10 PM. Hurricane Zeta smashed into Louisiana on Wednesday with 110-mile-per-hour (175 kph) winds and what government trackers called “a life-threatening storm surge,” the third hurricane to hit the...
Correction: Southern California Edison Says Equipment May Have Sparked Wildfire
Oct 28 2020 // Southern California Edison said its equipment may have sparked a fast-moving wildfire that forced evacuation orders for some 100,000 people and seriously injured two firefighters on Monday as powerful winds across the...
Typhoon Molave Heads to Vietnam After Killing at Least 9 People in Philippines
Oct 27 2020 // Typhoon Molave killed at least nine people and left 13 others missing in the Philippines, according to disaster-response officials, before heading over to the South China Sea on its way to Vietnam. The storm affected more...
UPDATE: Tropical Storm Zeta Makes Landfall in Mexico, Threatens U.S. Gulf Coast
Oct 27 2020 // Zeta will move into the Gulf of Mexico in the next few hours after making landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula, then regain strength as it heads north toward Louisiana and likely comes ashore Wednesday. Now a tropical storm...
Some Alaskans Beyond Danger Received Tsunami Warning
Oct 26 2020 // Some Alaska residents received tsunami warnings on their cellphones following an earthquake earlier this week, including customers in the Anchorage area who were outside the potential danger zone. There was no concern over...
BP Evacuates Staff from 4 Gulf of Mexico Oil Platforms as Tropical Storm Zeta Intensifies
Oct 26 2020 // BP on Sunday said it has begun to evacuate four offshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil platforms and secure facilities as Tropical Storm Zeta sprang up in the Caribbean Sea. The 27th named storm of this year’s Atlantic...
Scientists Identify Nuclear Plants Facing Highest Risks From Earthquakes
Oct 26 2020 // The U.S. nuclear power reactors facing the highest risks of a meltdown from earthquakes are not in tremor-prone California, but states including South Carolina and Missouri, an analysis of government data published on...
Swiss Re Capital Markets Places $775M Cat Bond for California Earthquake Authority
Oct 23 2020 // Swiss Re Capital Markets has successfully structured and placed the issuance of USD $775 million of insurance-linked securities by Ursa Re II Ltd. to be used for the protection of the California Earthquake Authority. CEA...
Hurricane Epsilon Bypasses Bermuda and Heads into North Atlantic
Oct 23 2020 // Bermuda has been spared the worst of Hurricane Epsilon, which passed 200 miles to the east of the island and is heading , according to a report from Weather Underground. However, Epsilon’s large size, at times,...
Washington Developing Wildfire Smoke Worker-Safety Rules
Oct 23 2020 // The Washington Department of Labor & Industries is developing new workplace safety and health rules regarding wildfire smoke. The L&I announced the move this week in response to an increasing number of acres burned...
Monitor: PG&E in California Prioritized Targets Over Reducing Wildfire Risk
Oct 22 2020 // PG&E Corp. prioritized meeting inspection targets over meaningful reduction of wildfire risk, according to a monitor overseeing the utility’s program of trimming trees and vegetation that pose a threat of...
Hurricane Epsilon, 10th of Season, Expected to Approach Bermuda Tonight
Oct 22 2020 // Hurricane Epsilon, the 10th of this very busy Atlantic season, was moving toward Bermuda on Wednesday. Epsilon is expected to make its closest approach to the island on Thursday night, and there is a risk of a direct...
More than 6,500 Still in Louisiana Shelters After Hurricanes
Oct 21 2020 // More than 6,500 people are still in temporary shelters after back-to-back hurricanes hit Louisiana, according to the state, but some are being told to leave. The Department of Children and Family Services said about 6,430...
New Mercury Insurance Programs Target California Homeowners’ Wildfire Risk
Oct 21 2020 // Mercury Insurance has launched two new programs designed to help Californians better protect their homes and families if they live in areas prone to wildfires. Homeowners who take one or more steps to either harden their...
