Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Natural Disasters in Past Decade Broke Records for Economic, Insured Losses: Aon

Jan 22 2020 // The past decade broke new records in terms of economic damages and insured losses, according to Aon’s latest catastrophe report.The costs to global economies reached US$2.98 trillion between 2010 and 2019, which was...

North Carolina Awarded $281M for Hurricane Damage by Army Corps

Jan 22 2020 // The Army Corps of Engineers will award $281 million to a North Carolina city and county heavily impacted by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence.The Corps will release $237 million to Surf City/ North Topsail Beach and $44.5...

Earthquake Felt in Eastern Tennessee, Kentucky

Jan 22 2020 // A small earthquake hit East Tennessee on Monday, officials said.The U.S. Geological Survey said a magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck near Fincastle, Tennessee in Campbell County. A USGS map showed it was felt around East...

Feds Charge 2 Florida Women with Hurricane Irma Disaster Assistance Fraud

Jan 21 2020 // Two Florida women have been accused of lying about damage caused by Hurricane Irma in separate cases, federal prosecutors announced last week.Indictments were returned charging Bernita Willette Carswell, 36, of...

Sonoma County Looking to Sue PG&E for Damages From Wildfire

Jan 21 2020 // A county in Northern California wine country is exploring plans to sue a utility over a massive wildfire last fall that combined with rolling power shutoffs caused losses of $725 million.The Sonoma County Board of...

Hurricane Dorian’s Bahamas Storm Toll: $3.4 Billion in Damages, 3 Years of Rebuilding

Jan 17 2020 // The Bahamas may need to tap international debt markets as it confronts the steep cost of recovering from the most destructive hurricane ever to hit the islands.The government will probably borrow about $500 million in...

Judge Presses PG&E on How It Will Protect Wildfire Victims’ Funds Given FEMA Demand

Jan 17 2020 // PG&E Corp. needs to explain how it will keep a promise to pay fire victims $13.5 billion in the face of a demand from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a cut of that money, a bankruptcy judge said...

Japan Firms Have Done Little to Build Resilience Against Increasing Floods: Reuters Poll

Jan 17 2020 // Japanese companies have contingency plans for the floods that increasingly drench this island nation, but most have done little to fortify facilities, relying instead on insurance and securing alternative supply sources, a...

Alabama School District Closes School Damaged by EF-2 Tornado

Jan 16 2020 // A north Alabama school district is closing some of its schools this week after a tornado caused heavy damage at an elementary school, the superintendent said. A twister that forecasters determined was an EF-2 with winds up...

Alaska School District Weighing Cost of Earthquake Relief

Jan 16 2020 // Negotiations between the Anchorage School District in Alaska and the federal government over earthquake damage relief could result in the district turning down millions in funds, an official said.The negotiations over...

Florida Legislative Session 2020: Insurance Bills to Watch

Jan 16 2020 // The Florida insurance industry will be focused on several key issues this session, including reform for auto glass (windshield) assignment of benefits (AOB) abuse, reforms to the state’s legal system, as well as...

Critics Say Puerto Rico Needs a Proactive Emergency Plan

Jan 15 2020 // More than two years ago, Hurricane Maria revealed that Puerto Rico was utterly unprepared for a powerful hurricane despite its location in one of the world’s most storm-vulnerable regions.Now, a flurry of earthquakes...

Philippine Volcano Erupts, Forcing Evacuation of Thousands of Residents

Jan 14 2020 // A lock-down is being implemented by police in three towns in the Philippines near an erupting volcano, 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of capital Manila, to prevent residents from returning home as heavy ash fall and...

FEMA Administrator: We Want California Wildfire Costs From PG&E, Not Victims

Jan 13 2020 // A regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday said FEMA is going after California utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric for $3.9 billion owed the government due to wildfires that PG&E was...

7 Confirmed Tornadoes in Phoenix Metro Area Last Year

Jan 13 2020 // The National Weather Service reports there were seven confirmed tornadoes in Arizona’s Maricopa and Pinal counties last year, the most in nearly five decades.Meteorologists say last year’s total is second only...

Judge: Survivors of Tennessee Wildfire Can Sue National Park Service

Jan 13 2020 // Survivors of a historically deadly Tennessee wildfire that killed 14 people can sue the National Park Service for failing to warn them of the danger, a federal judge has ruled.The fire began in the Great Smoky Mountains...

January 2020 Reinsurance Renewals Varied Significantly, Brokers Say

Jan 13 2020 // The January 2020 reinsurance renewals saw significant variation in pricing and capacity depending on geography, line of business, cedents’ loss record and client relationships, according to two reports published by...

Puerto Rico Hit with Second Earthquake on Southern Coast; 4,000 People in Shelters

Jan 12 2020 // A magnitude 5.9 quake shook Puerto Rico on Saturday (January 11) causing millions of dollars of damage along the island’s southern coast, where previous recent quakes have toppled homes and schools.The U.S....

Australia’s Bushfires Could Surpass 2009’s Costly Season; Analysts, Insurers Comment

Jan 10 2020 // Australia’s bushfire season has months to run and could easily surpass the most costly fire season, 2009’s Black Saturday fires in Victoria, which had a price tag of an estimated A$4.4 billion (US$3 billion),...

Carpenter’s Global Property Catastrophe Index Rises by 5% in January Renewals

Jan 10 2020 // Pricing corrections in the property catastrophe reinsurance market over the last few years have been localized and mitigated to some extent by sufficient levels of capacity, according to Guy Carpenter in its January...