wildfires News

‘Average’ Would Describe Wyoming Wildfire Season, Forester Says

Wyoming firefighters put out a typical number of wildfires in 2015 despite a surge in blazes nationwide. The Casper Star-Tribune reported that Wyoming state forester Bill Crapser says the state’s weather helped. According to Crapser, Wyoming’s spring was wetter than …

‘Couldn’t Stand the Weather’ Sums Up South Central News in 2015

If you scan the song/album list of the late, great Texas blues guitar powerhouse, Stevie Ray Vaughan, you’ll get an inkling of what the major stories from Insurance Journal’s South Central region in 2015 were about: the weather and its …

Wisconsin Fire Outlook Towers Being Taken Out of Commission

Dozens of towers built mainly in the 1930s and 1940s for spotting forest fires in Wisconsin are being taken out of commission. The cost to maintain, repair or replace the 72 towers currently used throughout the state no longer makes …

Swiss Re 2015 Economic Cat Loss Initial Estimates = $85Bn; $32Bn Insured

Swiss Re’s latest sigma report preliminarily estimates that total economic losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters will reach approximately $85 billion in 2015. Insured losses, however, were just $32 billion. In total, approximately 26,000 people lost their lives in …

Report: Southeast States Unprepared for Future Risks from Climate Change

Many states across the country, particularly in the Southeast, are unprepared to face the risks posed from extreme heat, drought, wildfires, inland flooding, coastal flooding and other extreme weather events, according to a new report card from the States at …

Scant U.S. Insurance Presence at Paris Summit, Says Ceres

You’d think just about everyone who’s anyone attended the massive climate change summit in Paris ending this week. The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21, drew an estimated 50,000 attendees to discuss ways to reduce Mankind’s carbon footprint, …

States Graded ‘A’ to ‘F’ for Extreme Weather Preparedness

Many states across the country are unprepared to face the risks posed extreme heat, drought, wildfires, inland flooding, coastal flooding and other extreme weather events, according to a new report card. Only a small number of states – Alaska, California, …

Report: Texas Failing in Assessing, Preparing for Climate Threats

Texas is failing in assessing and preparing for environmental threats posed by climate change, according to a new report. A recently released study by Climate Central and ICF International, States At Risk: America’s Preparedness Report Card, found that Texas is …

El Nin᷈o Talk Growing Louder Amid Southern California Storms

A whopper of a winter appears to be brewing for the Western U.S. and more conversations are turning to preparations for what could be one of the strongest El Nin᷈os on record. Strong rains throughout much of California and snow …

Paper Fingers Climate Change for California Wildfires

There was a bit of hesitation from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist Stephanie C. Herring when she was asked questions about the increased risk and the implications of that risk for the insurance industry posed by climate change. Hesitation …