damage News

RMS Says Insured Losses from 2020 Western U.S. Wildfires $7-$13B

RMS estimates insured losses from the record-breaking western U.S. wildfires this season will be between $7 and $13 billion. These losses reflect estimates as of Dec. 1. The ignition of the highly damaging Glass Fire and additional spread of the …

California Wildfire Survivors Urged to Call FEMA Helpline by Dec. 16

People with losses due to the California wildfires in Fresno, Los Angeles, Madera, Mendocino, Napa, San Bernardino, San Diego, Shasta, Siskiyou and Sonoma counties have just five days left to register for federal aid. These counties are included in federal …

Analysts Say Cat Models Would Encourage Wildfire Mitigation Measures

Predictive modelers told California regulators on Thursday that the state’s antiquated rules for calculating wildfire risk when setting property insurance rates discourage innovative mitigation measures that could ultimately reduce losses. Nancy P. Watkins, a principal and consulting actuary for Milliman, …

Alaska Officials: Landslide Danger Remains After Storm

Officials in southeast Alaska have repeated warnings about possible landslide danger in the community of Haines, where two people remain missing after a large slide last week. Torrential rain across much of the region caused havoc in many communities, including …

Homes Destroyed in Multiple Alaska Mudslides

Homes are believed to have been destroyed and at least two people are unaccounted for after multiple mudslides in the Alaska community of Haines on Wednesday, authorities said. The largest slide, about 600 feet wide, hit early Wednesday afternoon and …

Wind Whips up Wildfire in California Canyons, Residents Flee

Powerful gusts pushed flames from a wildfire through Southern California canyons on Thursday, one of several blazes that burned near homes and forced residents to flee amid elevated fire risk for most of the region that prompted utilities to cut …

2 Moderate Quakes Confirmed Around Aleutian Communities in Alaska

Two sizable earthquakes in the North Pacific on Tuesday shook several communities in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska but there were no immediate reports of damage, the Alaska Earthquake Center confirmed. The center reported a magnitude 6.3 earthquake was recorded …

Hawaii Gets Through 2020 Hurricane Season Sans Major Impact

The 2020 hurricane season set records with the number of storms in Atlantic Ocean regions, but Hawaii escaped largely unscathed in the season that has now drawn to a close. The Central Pacific basin area experienced only an early tropical …

Oregon Man Arrested After Tesla Crashes, Sends Batteries Flying

An Oregon man crashed a Tesla while going about 100 mph, destroying the vehicle, a power pole and starting a fire when some of the hundreds of batteries from the vehicle broke windows and landed in residences, police said. Dylan …

Reno Fire Department Says Wildfire Destroyed 5 Homes, Damaged 24

Authorities now say five homes were destroyed and 26 damaged by a wind-driven wildfire that roared through a Reno, Nev., neighborhood. Of the homes damaged Tuesday, three were heavily damaged and 21 had minor damage due to the fire, which …