Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

PG&E Gains on $13.5B Settlement With California Wildfire Victims

Dec 9 2019 // PG&E Corp. surged on the strength of a Friday announcement it had secured a $13.5 billion settlement with victims of wildfires ignited by its power lines, a step toward resolving the biggest utility bankruptcy in U.S....

5 Dead, Others Missing After Volcano Erupts in New Zealand

Dec 9 2019 // New Zealand police said early on Tuesday they did not expect to find any more survivors from a volcanic eruption that killed at least five people, injured up to 20 and left an unknown number unaccounted for.The volcano,...

Industry Representative Puts Fire Insurance Availability at Feet of Commissioner

Dec 6 2019 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara will have to choose whether he wants insurers to charge higher rates or to stop writing homeowners insurance in fire-prone areas, an industry representative said following new...

Crawford & Co. Appoints Westling as VP, U.S. Catastrophe Operations in Dallas

Dec 6 2019 // Claims services provider Crawford & Company has appointed Maureen Westling vice president of U.S. Catastrophe Services Operations. She is based in Dallas.In the newly created role, Westling will be responsible for the...

California Commissioner Calls for Statewide Non-Renewal Moratorium, More Measures to Protect Wildfire Victims

Dec 5 2019 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing policyholders, a move he says will help at least 800,000 homes in wildfire disaster...

PG&E Nearing $13.5B Deal With California Wildfire Victims

Dec 5 2019 // Bankrupt California power producer PG&E Corp. is close to finalizing terms for a $13.5 billion payout to victims of wildfires triggered by its power lines, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with...

After Oil Field Attacks, Saudi Aramco Seeks Terrorism Insurance from London Market

Dec 4 2019 // Saudi Aramco is looking to buy insurance against war and terror attacks after a damaging drone and missile attack on some of its oil facilities in September, two sources told Reuters.Aramco, the world’s largest oil...

Death Toll from Typhoon Kammuri Rises as Storm Passes South of Manila in Philippines

Dec 4 2019 // The death toll from Typhoon Kammuri rose to 17 people after destroying houses and displacing hundreds of thousands on its path across the Philippines.As it neared its exit, tropical cyclone wind signals have been lifted as...

Factors that Contribute to Prolonged Recovery after California Wildfires

Dec 4 2019 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic.As strong winds further exasperate the prime weather conditions for wildfires in California, efforts to save lives and property are a foremost priority of emergency...

Missouri Buying Earthquake Simulator to Increase Awareness of New Madrid Risk

Dec 4 2019 // Missouri emergency management officials are buying a $200,000 machine that will simulate an earthquake to prepare residents for a big temblor in a region where one of the most powerful earthquakes east of the Rocky...

Earthquake Rattles Prague, Oklahoma, Site of Past 5.7 Temblor

Dec 4 2019 // The U.S. Geological Survey has reported a magnitude 3.8 earthquake in Oklahoma near Prague, where a magnitude 5.7 quake struck eight years ago.Prague City Manager Jim Greff says there are no reports of injury or damage...

Insurers Pay $4.1M in Claims During Recent Hurricane Michael Claims Villages

Dec 3 2019 // Claims villages hosted by the Florida Department of Financial Services since August 2019 have led to the resolution of $4.1 million in insurance claims for nearly 750 residents impacted by Hurricane Michael, according to a...

Probe Finds PG&E Failed to Inspect Transmission Lines That Caused 2018 Wildfire

Dec 3 2019 // Bankrupt California power producer PG&E Corp. did not properly inspect and replace transmission lines before a faulty wire sparked a wildfire that killed more than 80 people in 2018, a probe by a state regulator has...

Was It an Act of War? That’s Merck Cyber Attack’s $1.3 Billion Insurance Question.

Dec 3 2019 // By the time Deb Dellapena arrived for work at Merck & Co.’s 90-acre campus north of Philadelphia, there was a handwritten sign on the door: The computers are down.It was worse than it seemed. Some employees who...

Typhoon Kammuri Hits Philippines, Killing at Least 3, Displacing 500,000 More

Dec 3 2019 // The Philippines reopened its main airport late Tuesday as Typhoon Kammuri heads to the South China Sea, leaving at least three people dead and displacing half a million more.Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s...

Pre-Thanksgiving Tornadoes Strike Parts of Mississippi

Dec 2 2019 // Residents in northeast Louisiana and central Mississippi were cutting up fallen pine trees and assessing damage Wednesday after tornadoes hit the region.Officials in Mississippi said eight to 10 houses were damaged in...

PG&E Says Blackouts Limited California Fires Despite One Likely Failure

Dec 2 2019 // The nation’s largest utility said Friday that its distribution lines haven’t sparked any major wildfires since it began shutting off power to Northern California customers during periods of high fire...

Magnitude 4.5 Earthquake Confirmed on Southern Oregon Coast

Dec 2 2019 // A small earthquake hit Port Orford on the southern Oregon coast, shaking the small community. The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck at about 5:45 p.m. Friday, with its epicenter about two...

365 Days: The Flood Insurance Guru Goes Big on Education, Mitigation

Dec 2 2019 // If it weren’t for Hurricane Katrina, Chris Greene might not have become an expert in all things flood related.Greene, a Georgia-based independent flood insurance agent, and founder and owner of The Flood Insurance...

5% Rate Hike Recommended for Texas Windstorm Insurer

Dec 2 2019 // When the board of directors of Texas’ property insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the Texas coast meets in December, its members will be considering a recommendation by the organization’s actuarial...