natural catastrophes News

The U.S. Leads the World in Weather Catastrophes – Here’s Why

The United States is Earth’s punching bag for nasty weather. Blame geography for the U.S. getting hit by stronger, costlier, more varied and frequent extreme weather than anywhere on the planet, several experts said. Two oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, …

FEMA Index Offers Closer Look at Social Risks in Disaster Resilience

The free digital tool that the US government gives communities to help evaluate local risks from 18 natural hazards is getting a makeover. The Federal Emergency Management Agency introduced the National Risk Index last summer. Aimed primarily at planners and …

Typhoon-Prone Philippines to Launch Insurance Plan for Infrastructure Losses

The Philippines is readying an insurance plan that will protect the Southeast Asian nation from infrastructure losses caused by natural disasters, seeking to better respond to climate change risks. The government will put in place a national indemnity insurance program …

Natural Catastrophes Cost Insurers $125 Billion in 2022: Swiss Re

Natural disasters in 2022 brought global economic losses of US$275 billion, of which insurance covered 45%, or US$125 billion, according to Swiss Re’s latest sigma report. Claims from Hurricane Ian in Florida, record breaking losses from hailstorms in France, floods …

Insured Losses From N. Zealand Floods Estimated at US$1.02B, With Profit Hit Expected

The initial insured losses for the recent floods in the North Island of New Zealand are estimated at NZ$1.65 billion ($1.02 billion), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization that provides industry-wide catastrophe insurance data. Losses incurred so far in …

La Nina Is Gone. These Were the Deadly Storms During its Run

La Nina seemed to treat Louisiana and the rest of the Southeast United States like a punching bag. Its three-year barrage of body blows has come to an end, but left behind a lot of scars from hurricanes and tornadoes …

Turkey’s Southeast Exodus After Deadly Earthquake Puts Manufacturing at Risk

Mehmet Alkan, a shoe-sole manufacturer in Turkey’s earthquake-hit south, doesn’t know what will become of his company after some of his 220 employees died and half fled, reflecting the difficult transformation ahead for industry in the region. Forty of his …

Cyclone Freddy Sets New Record as World’s Longest-Lasting Tropical Storm

A tropical cyclone churning off the coast of Madagascar and expected to make landfall for a second time in Mozambique on Saturday — packing winds of as much as 190 kilometers (118 miles) per hour — appears to have smashed …

Yellen Warns Climate Change Could Trigger Asset Value Losses, Harming Economy

Climate change is already having a major economic and financial impact on the United States and may trigger asset value losses in coming years that could cascade through the U.S. financial system, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will warn on Tuesday. …

Before Fatal Quake Collapse, Turkish Building Skirted Code, Thanks to Erdogan Policy

MALATYA, Turkey (Reuters) — The Trend Garden Residence, an upscale serviced apartment building in the Turkish city of Malatya, boasted a gym, freshly-furnished rooms and a roof-top cafeteria. But when a powerful earthquake jolted the city in the early hours …