2021 natural catastrophes News

‘Storm of Century’ Halts Traffic at Canada’s Biggest Port, Adding to Supply Chain Woes

Traffic at Canada’s largest port has been cut off by what local officials are calling the storm of the century, the latest snag to hit the North American supply chain. Days of torrential rain have pelted British Columbia, triggering floods …

Canadian Storms Force Shut-Down of Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline

OTTAWA/CALGARY, Alberta – Canada’s Trans Mountain oil pipeline has been shut down temporarily because of rainstorms pounding parts of the province of British Columbia, the operating company said in a statement on Monday. The Canadian government-owned pipeline ships 300,000 barrels …

U.S. Severe Weather Insured Losses Surpassed $20B After Rough October: Aon

Annual U.S. severe weather insured losses for 2021 are jumping above $20 billion after a rough October, even before the year is complete, according to a new Aon report. “October is typically considered a ‘second season’ for severe weather in …

Big Europe Reinsurers See Strong 9M Earnings Despite High Natural Disaster Losses

All four major European reinsurers reported a strong improvement in earnings for the nine months, compared to the same period last year, according to a report from Fitch Ratings. Sharply lower non-life, coronavirus-related claims, strong premium growth and resilient investment …

Insurer Hiscox Sets Aside $150M for Hurricane Ida, European Flood Losses

Hiscox has set aside $150 million to cover losses linked to Hurricane Ida and floods in Europe, the insurer said, above analysts’ expectations, while it reported strong premiums written this year thanks to rising rates. The Lloyd’s of London insurer …

Severe South Australia Storms Declared a Catastrophe by Insurance Council

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared an insurance catastrophe for parts of South Australia, which were hit by significant hail, rain, and strong winds over the past 24 hours. Insurers have received more than 12,000 claims so far …

Reinsurance Price Increases Support Improving Outlook for Sector: Fitch

Reinsurers’ plans to continue raising premium rates during the January 2022 renewals are likely to contribute to stronger profitability and an improving sector outlook, according to Fitch Ratings. Fitch said it expects double-digit percentage premium rate rises for property catastrophe …

Parametric Insurer CCRIF Strengthens Belize Warning Systems for Extreme Weather

Parametric catastrophe insurer CCRIF continues to strengthen Belize’s early warning systems for rainfall and climate forecasting with a new grant of US$43,140. This grant brings CCRIF’s Belize contributions to US$143,000, which began helping the country purchase and install automatic weather …

Southern Ontario Storms in September Cause Insured Damages of C$105M

Storms that hit southern Ontario on Sept. 7 and Sept. 22 caused C$105 million (US$84.9 million) in insured damage, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), which quoted initial estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ). These storms …

Munich Re, Hannover Re Expect Rising Prices After Floods in Germany

German reinsurance companies Munich Re and Hannover Rueck said on Monday they expect rising prices for their business in Europe next year, citing mid-July floods in central Europe, inflation and the coronavirus pandemic. The floods in July alone caused damage …