2017 catastrophes News

British Columbia Wildfires Continue to Rage, Torching 1,235-Plus Square Miles

British Columbia is extending a state of emergency for two more weeks as wildfires sweeping across the province’s interior show no sign of slowing. Premier John Horgan said Wednesday that his government’s first priority is to support the more than …

Catastrophes Cost Insurers $22B in 1H 2017; Economic Losses Totaled $53B: Aon

Global insured losses from natural disasters during the first half of 2017 are estimated at US$22 billion with 76 percent of these losses generated by U.S. events, according to a report issued by Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development …

British Columbia Wildfires Expected to Worsen; Nearly 40,000 People Evacuated

Fast-moving wildfires in British Columbia have forced nearly 40,000 people to leave their homes and residents are flooding into crowded evacuation centers amid a provincial state of emergency. Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced Monday that Ottawa was deploying …

Natural Disaster Claims Drop 40% to $19.5B in 1st Half of 2017: Munich Re

Insurers paid out around $19.5 billion for natural disaster claims in the first half of 2017, almost 40 percent less than the year-earlier payout of $32 billion, reinsurer Munich Re said on Tuesday. In addition, some $21.5 billion of losses …

Insured Losses from Central Alberta Storm Estimated at US$23.7M

A severe storm that swept through central Alberta during the third week of June has resulted in more than C$30 million (US$23.7 million) in insured damage, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), which quoted a report from Catastrophe …

British Columbia’s Wildfires Threaten Lumber Supplies, Force Mine Closures

Wildfires sweeping across British Columbia, the world’s biggest exporter of softwood lumber, sent timber prices surging and forced the closure of two copper mines in the western Canadian province. More than 375 fires have swept across the province, burning forests, …

300-Plus Canadian Wildfires Force Closures of Lumber Mills, Natural Gas Facility

More than 300 wildfires in British Columbia have forced Canadian lumber mills and an Enbridge Inc. natural gas compressor station to shut as hot, dry weather fans blazes across swaths of western Canada and the U.S. Enbridge said Tuesday [July …

June Catastrophes Cost Global Economy $5 Billion; U.S. Storms Dominate: Aon

Floods and storms cost the global economy more than $5 billion in June, with most of those losses generated in the United States, according to an Aon catastrophe report. In the U.S., large hail, tornadoes, straight-line winds and isolated flash …

Insured Loss Estimates for Cyclone Debbie Rise to US$1.1B: PERILS

The estimate for the property insurance market’s loss for tropical cyclone Debbie has risen to A$1.4 billion (US$1.1 billion) from an initial estimate of A$1.12 billion, according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization that provides industry-wide catastrophe insurance data. Cyclone …

U.S. Storms in May to Cost Insurers $3B; Economic Costs Total $4B: Aon Report

Total aggregated economic losses from severe weather in the U.S. during May was set to exceed US$4.0 billion, while public and private insurers face a combined payout approaching an estimated US$3.0 billion, according to Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model …