Floods News

Torrential Rain Triggers Floods in France; Seine Rises to Highest Level in 34 Years

Paris’s Seine River rose to its highest level in more than 34 years, disrupting train traffic and prompting the Louvre museum to shut to move some its artwork from flood-prone storage areas. As torrential rains lashed France over the last …

Update: Flash Floods Hit SE Germany, Killing at Least 8; AIR Worldwide Comments

Torrential rain, thunderstorms and flash floods that have inundated towns in southeastern Germany in recent days took the death toll to at least eight as forecasters warned of continuing severe weather spreading northward and westward into France. Five people drowned …

Canada ‘Needs to Do More’ to Mitigate Climate Disasters Such as Wildfires, Flood

The Canadian government needs to do more to mitigate climate disasters such as floods and wildfires, a top green watchdog said on Tuesday as the Alberta town of Fort McMurray struggled to recover from a huge inferno. Environment Commissioner Julie …

More than 200 Homes Damaged in Wyoming Flooding

Officials say four homes were destroyed and 200 more were damaged by flooding in Wyoming. The Ranger reported that the American Red Cross says flood waters in the Wind River Basin destroyed the Fremont County homes in early May. The …

Flood Damage from UK’s Winter Storms to Cost Insurers $2 Billion: ABI

Flood damage in Britain from winter storms has resulted in claims for more than 15,000 homes and businesses and is likely to lead to pay-outs of 1.3 billion pounds ($1.9 billion), the Association of British Insurers estimates. Three winter storms …

Climate Records Keep Shattering with Hottest April in 12th Record-Setting Month

The number of climate records broken in the last few years is stunning. But here’s a new measure of misery: Not only did we just experience the hottest April in 137 years of record keeping, but it was the 12th …

Costly Alberta Wildfires to Hit Q2 Results; Insurers Are Resilient: Ratings Reports

While the wildfires raging through northern Alberta and the city of Fort McMurray could bring one of the largest catastrophe losses in Canadian history, property insurers are resilient, according to A.M. Best and Moody’s in separate reports. The fire has …

Alberta Wildfire Insured Losses Could Total $7.3B, Covering Area Bigger Than NYC

The wildfires ravaging Canada’s oil hub in northern Alberta have rapidly spread to an area bigger than New York city, prompting the air lift of more than 8,000 evacuees as firefighters seek to salvage critical infrastructure. The inferno around Fort …

Natural Disaster Losses Hit Five-Year High in April: Aon Catastrophe Report

The global economy suffered the worst April natural disaster losses for five years, according to Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team. Earthquakes, convective storms and flooding contributed to the worldwide devastation, said Impact Forecasting, noting that a significant …

Alberta Wildfire Could Become Canada’s Costliest Natural Catastrophe

A wildfire in the Alberta city of Fort McMurray is set to become the costliest ever Canadian natural disaster for insurers, with 1,600 buildings destroyed and another 19,000 under threat, analysts and industry sources say. The bill for insurers is …