natural catastrophes News

Hong Kong’s Floods to Hit Insurers’ Earnings, Could Pressure Reinsurance Renewals

The recent devastating floods following Super Typhoon Saola in Hong Kong and other parts of China may add further pressure to the upcoming reinsurance renewals in January, according to an AM Best commentary. The overall impact of the rainstorm is …

US Already Sets Record for Yearly Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters

The deadly firestorm in Hawaii and Hurricane Idalia’s watery storm surge helped push the United States to a record for the number of weather disasters that cost $1 billion or more. And there’s still four months to go on what’s …

Morocco Survivors Seek Aid as Earthquake Death Toll Passes 2,100

Survivors of Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in more than six decades struggled to find food, water and shelter on Sunday as the search for the missing continued in remote villages and the death toll of more than 2,100 seemed likely to …

Hong Kong Sees Heaviest Rainfall on Record; Insurance Claims Could Exceed $100M

Hong Kong’s heaviest rainstorm since records began in 1884 flooded the financial hub’s streets and sent torrents of water rushing through subway stations, bringing much of the city to a standstill and forcing the stock market to scrap trading on …

Hong Kong Braces for Biggest Typhoon Since 2018

Hong Kong was starting to feel the impact of Super Typhoon Saola as winds reached hurricane force and rain lashed the city. The government said it will raise the No. 9 storm signal — the second highest — at 6:20 …

Slovenia Estimates €7 Billion Price Tag for Reconstruction After Floods

Rebuilding from this month’s floods in Slovenia will cost €7 billion ($7.6 billion) over the next five years, Prime Minister Robert Golob said. The government is preparing new legislation to serve as a road map for reconstruction after the worst …

Super Typhoon Saola Lashes Taiwan Before Heading to Hong Kong

Super Typhoon Saola pummeled the south of Taiwan early Wednesday with strong winds and heavy rain, shutting offices and canceling some flights before heading to Hong Kong. Authorities in Taiwan, where no typhoon has made landfall since 2019, closed offices …

Dutch Insurer NN Says Extreme Weather May Make Further Premium Hikes Unavoidable

Dutch insurer NN Group NV may increase premiums further as extreme weather patterns become more prevalent, Chief Executive Officer David Knibbe said. While NN benefited from benign weather conditions in the first half of the year, the July storm in …

More Than 600 Firefighters, Water-Dropping Planes Struggle to Control Greece Wildfires

More than 600 firefighters, including reinforcements from several European countries and backed by a fleet of water-dropping planes and helicopters, were battling three major wildfires in Greece Sunday, two of which have been raging for days. A massive blaze in …

Nova Scotia Floods Cost Insurers More Than C$170 Million

An atmospheric river event that led to significant flooding in parts of Nova Scotia on July 23, 2023, is estimated to have caused over C$170 million (US$125.5 million) in insured damage, according to initial estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification …