2019 catastrophes News

Firefighters Gain Upper Hand over New Zealand Wildfires; Evacuees Return Home

About 3,000 people who fled as a wildfire threatened a New Zealand town were allowed to return home Monday [Feb. 11] as firefighting conditions improved. Another 400 residents living in valleys near the fire aren’t yet able to return, although …

Brazil Miner Vale Knew Its Tailings Dam Had Higher Risk of Collapse: Reuters

Vale SA , the world’s largest iron ore miner, knew last year that the dam in Brazil that collapsed in January and killed at least 165 people had a heightened risk of rupturing, according to an internal document seen by …

January’s U.S. Storms, Australia Floods Bring Economic Damages Near $2B: Aon

Multiple winter storms and extreme cold led to 45 deaths and cost the U.S. economy $1 billion during January, according to Aon’s Global Catastrophe Recap – January 2019. The report listed the winter storm events in the U.S. during the …

Audit of Burst Brazil Tailings Dam Raised Concerns over Drainage, Monitoring

A report commissioned by Brazilian miner Vale SA last year, to look into the stability of a tailings dam that ruptured on Jan. 25, certified it as sound but raised concerns over its drainage and monitoring systems. The report by …

Brazil’s Burst Dam Disasters Blamed on Cheap Storage of Mining Waste

The deadly collapse of a Vale SA tailings dam in Brazil is serving as a wake-up call for an industry that regularly cuts costs by storing mining waste in the cheapest possible way. The slurry of ground rock and effluents …

Brazil Dam Disaster Could Delay Settlement for 2015’s Samarco Mine Disaster

Brazil’s deadly tailings dam collapse is likely to complicate a settlement for a similar disaster less than four years ago at the Samarco iron ore mine, owned jointly by Vale SA and BHP Group, investors said on Tuesday [Jan. 29]. …

Allianz Has Reinsurance Exposure to Vale Dam Disaster: Sources

German insurer Allianz may have to cover some of the costs of the dam collapse at Vale’s Corrego do Feijao mine in Brazil, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Allianz’s Global Corporate & Specialty division (AGCS) leads a …

Brazil Weighs Management Overhaul at Vale After Mine Disaster; Death Toll Rises

Brazil’s government weighed pushing for a management overhaul at iron ore miner Vale SA on Monday as grief over the hundreds feared killed by a dam burst turned into anger, with prosecutors, politicians and victims’ families calling for punishment. By …

Collapsed Brazil Mining Dam Kills at Least 58, in Echoes of 2015 Disaster

Brazilian rescuers searched into the night on Sunday for hundreds of people missing after a burst mining dam triggered a deadly mudslide, as the death toll rose to 58 and was expected to keep climbing more than two days after …

Failure to Mitigate Climate Change, Cyber Attacks Are Top Global Threats: WEF

The failure to tackle climate change and extreme weather events are the most threatening global risks this year, according to the World Economic Forum. Inability to mitigate or adapt to climate change leapfrogged several places on the list as the …