natural catastrophes News

Slovenia Hit by Worst Floods in More Than a Decade, Killing Several People

Several people were killed in Slovenia as the southern European nation was hit by some of the worst flooding in more the decade, with rapidly rising waters submerging towns in the country’s north. The Slovenian Environment Agency declared the highest …

Global Natural Disasters Cost Insurers $43B in H1, Surpassing 10-Yr Average: Munich Re

Natural disasters during the first half of 2023 cost insurers an estimated US$43 billion with an overall economic price tag of $110 billion, according to Munich Re. These insured losses were slightly lower than the US$47 billion reported for the …

Update: Typhoon Doksuri Roars Into China, Destroying Power Lines, Closing Factories

Typhoon Doksuri swept into southern China on Friday, unleashing heavy rain and violent gusts of wind that whipped power lines and sparked fires, uprooted trees, and ripped off part of a stadium roof. The typhoon is the most powerful to …

Update: Greece Fights Almost 200 Wildfires as Wind Raises Risk in Mediterranean

Greece is fighting almost 200 wildfires as strengthening winds put a sting in the tail of the Mediterranean’s fading heat wave. More villages in mainland Greece were evacuated on Thursday as blazes threatened, while two people died in Velestino. A …

Typhoon-Prone Philippines Seeks New Insurance After Lapse of Catastrophe Bond

The Philippines, recovering from damage wrought by Typhoon Doksuri, is seeking a new insurance plan as protection against future calamities after its catastrophe bond lapsed. “We no longer have a cat bond,” National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon said in reply …

Super Typhoon Doksuri Hits Philippines, Heads to China, Taiwan

Philippine authorities on Tuesday evacuated hundreds of people in coastal communities as super typhoon Doksuri intensified in strength, pummeling the north with strong winds and heavy rains before it heads toward Taiwan and China. The southeast Asian nation canceled flights …

Wildfires Rage Across Greece With Record Heat Forecast for Italy

Wildfires are raging across Greece after about 19,000 people were evacuated from the island of Rhodes over the weekend, while record temperatures are forecast for Sardinia. Over the past 24 hours, 162 fires have been reported across Greece amid high …

Typhoon Doksuri Gains Power as It Threatens Philippines, Taiwan

Doksuri has strengthened further and may intensify into a super typhoon before a possible landfall in northern Philippines en route to Taiwan. The typhoon is moving westward “slowly” with maximum winds of 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour and gusts …

Coastal Construction, Rising Replacement Values Contribute to Costly Hurricane Claims

Insured losses from hurricanes have risen steadily over just the past 15 years, with nine of the 10 costliest hurricanes in U.S. history occurring since 2005, according to the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I). U.S. population growth in hurricane-prone states, coupled …

The Hanover Insurance Group Estimates Q2 Catastrophe Losses of $262 Million

The Hanover Insurance Group Inc. announced a preliminary estimate for second quarter catastrophe losses of approximately $262 million, before taxes, or 18.5 points of net earned premium. Second quarter catastrophe losses stemmed from 19 convective storms across multiple states, with …