Latest Catastrophe Headlines

All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.

North Macedonia Seeks EU Assistance as Wildfires Burn Across the Balkans

Aug 1 2024 // SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia said it was seeking further assistance from the European Union Tuesday to combat wildfires that continue to burn out of control in heatwave temperatures and have crossed the...

Verisk’s PCS Classifies CrowdStrike Incident as a Cyber Catastrophe

Jul 31 2024 // Verisk’s Property Claim Services unit confirmed reports it has designated the recent global information technology outage as a cyber catastrophe event.With the designation, PCS Global Cyber believes what has come to...

600-Square-Mile-Plus Wildfire in California Now State’s Fifth Largest on Record

Jul 31 2024 // The Park Fire near Chico, California, at 609 square miles is now the fifth largest wildfire in history, destroying 277 structures and damaging 29, according to CalFire.The fire covers four counties—Butte, Plumas, Shasta,...

French Farmers Facing ‘Catastrophic’ Harvest Seek State Help

Jul 31 2024 // French farmers are calling on the government to provide financial aid as there’s a high risk that this year’s wheat harvest will be the lowest in at least a decade because of heavy rains.Three weeks into the...

Damaging West Texas Earthquakes Likely Caused by Oil and Gas Activity: USGS

Jul 31 2024 // Damaging earthquakes that rocked West Texas in recent days were likely caused by oil and gas activity in an area that has weathered tremors for decades, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.A sequence that began in 2021...

Wildfire Smoke May Be Worse for Your Brain Than Other Air Pollution, Study Says

Jul 31 2024 // Wildfire smoke may be worse for brain health than other types of air pollution, according to new research linking it to an increased risk of dementia.The findings, reported Monday at the Alzheimer’s Association...

Firefighters Increase Containment on California Wildfire Now at 599 Square Miles

Jul 30 2024 // Containment has increased on a fire that exploded in size and in a few days became California’s sixth largest wildfire, destroying hundreds of structures.The Park Fire near Chico, California, has burned 383,619...

Typhoon Remnants Bring Rains, Floods That Kill Four in China

Jul 30 2024 // Record rainfall and widespread flooding killed four people in China’s southern province of Hunan, with roads in rural areas damaged and access to electricity and the internet disrupted, state media said on...

Rebuilding Rome: Upstate New York City Looking Forward After Destructive Tornado

Jul 30 2024 // A tornado that hit this small, upstate city tore off rooftops, leveled brick buildings and toppled the steeples of two historic churches. No one was killed, but the twister left a debris-strewn scar through downtown and...

California Wildfire Grows to 575 Square Miles, Destroying at Least 100 Structures

Jul 29 2024 // At least 100 structures have been destroyed and roughly 4,200 more are being threatened by the Park Fire, near Chico, California, which has burned 368,256 acres and now touches four counties.Containment on the Park Fire,...

Wildfire in Jasper National Park Could Burn for Months, Canadian Official Says

Jul 29 2024 // JASPER, Alberta (AP) — A wildfire that has destroyed hundreds of structures in the town of Jasper is the largest blaze recorded in Jasper National Park in a century and could still be burning months from now, a Parks...

Texas Earthquakes Prompt Oil Regulator to Inspect Disposal Wells

Jul 29 2024 // The Texas oil regulator said it’s investigating after several earthquakes hit the Permian Basin last week.Extremely salty water that naturally comes out of oil wells is discarded by injecting the slurry back into the...

Hurricane Beryl Death Toll Grows to At Least 36, Including Those Who Lost Power

Jul 29 2024 // HOUSTON (AP) — The number of Texas deaths after Hurricane Beryl came ashore and knocked out power to millions of residents climbed to at least 36 on Thursday as officials confirmed more people who died in homes that were...

California Wildfire Continues to Spread Rapidly to 164K Acres

Jul 26 2024 // A massive wildfire in Northern California has destroyed an undetermined number of buildings and is threatening thousands or properties, prompting thousands of evacuations orders, as it continued to rage on Friday...

Typhoon Gaemi Lashes Southeast China After Pounding Taiwan, Flooding Philippines

Jul 26 2024 // Typhoon Gaemi lashed towns on China’s coastal Fujian province on Friday with heavy rains and strong winds as the most powerful storm to hit the country this year began its widely watched trek into the populous...

Devastating Wildfire Burns Down Almost 50% of Western Canadian Tourist Town

Jul 26 2024 // A raging wildfire has devastated the western Canadian tourist town of Jasper, potentially destroying up to 50% of structures, and firefighters were trying Thursday to save as many buildings as possible, authorities...

Typhoon Gaemi Aims for China, Leaves Vessels Capsized

Jul 25 2024 // Authorities in Taiwan raced to find crew missing from a ship that capsized in bad weather after Typhoon Gaemi ripped through the region before losing strength as it heads toward China.Nine Myanmar nationals were missing...

Hurricanes Get the Headlines But Inland Flooding Tops the Disaster List

Jul 25 2024 // Floyd County keeps flooding and the federal government keeps coming to the rescue.In July 2022, at least 40 people died and 300 homes were damaged when the eastern Kentucky county flooded. It was the 13th time in 12 years...

Canadian Wildfires Threaten Oil Output, Prompt Evacuations

Jul 24 2024 // Wildfires in Canada’s energy-producing Alberta province are threatening almost 10% of the region’s oil production and forcing the evacuation of one of the country’s largest national parks during the peak...

Deadly Typhoon Gaemi Floods Philippines, Shuts Taiwan

Jul 24 2024 // Typhoon Gaemi claimed the lives of at least four people and forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands in the Philippines, where parts of Manila are flooded even as the storm moves towards Taiwan.Packing sustained...