Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Powerful Typhoon Mitag Lashes South Korea, Leaving 9 Dead

Oct 4 2019 // A powerful typhoon has lashed southern South Korea, with authorities saying Thursday that the storm left nine people dead and five others missing and knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes.Typhoon Mitag brought...

Nippon Steel to Shut Typhoon-Damaged Kimitsu Plant until End of December

Oct 4 2019 // Japan’s biggest steelmaker, Nippon Steel Corp., said on Thursday one of the two steelmaking plants at its Kimitsu Steel Works will be shut until the end of December, to repair a chimney that collapsed in a typhoon...

Hurricane Lorenzo Lashes Azores, Causing Minor Damage, with Ireland as Next Stop

Oct 3 2019 // Hurricane Lorenzo powered across the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, lashing the Azores Islands with heavy rains, powerful winds and high waves but causing only minor damage, according to authorities.The Azores Civil...

11 Earthquakes Recently Recorded in Kansas’ Jewell County

Oct 2 2019 // The Kansas Geological Survey reports 11 earthquakes were recorded in a northern Kansas county last weekend.The agency’s data shows the cluster of quakes struck north and east of Randall in Jewell County Saturday and...

Texas Mutual Commits $5M to Help Tropical Storm Imelda-Impacted Policyholders

Oct 2 2019 // Austin-based workers’ compensation carrier, Texas Mutual Insurance Co., is offering a grant of $5 million for policyholders affected by Tropical Storm Imelda. The grant is intended to support the recovery of business...

Update: Hurricane Lorenzo Loses Power but Swells in Size as It Heads Toward Ireland

Oct 2 2019 // Hurricane Lorenzo, the largest storm ever to roam the Eastern Atlantic, is forecast to strike the heart of Ireland’s west coast within days carrying tropical-strength winds, driving rain and a huge storm surge.Once a...

11 South Carolina Counties to Receive Federal Aid for Hurricane Dorian Damage

Oct 2 2019 // President Donald Trump has issued a declaration approving specific federal assistance for South Carolina areas affected by early September’s Hurricane Dorian.The White House on Monday ordered that federal aid be used...

Tornado, Hail, Snow Sweep Through California

Oct 1 2019 // The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado touched down in a California field as thunderstorms swept through the central part of the state.Cellphone video posted online shows the towering vortex spinning...

Typhoon Mitag Lashes Eastern China, Heads to South Korea

Oct 1 2019 // After lashing parts of Taiwan and Japan’s southernmost Ryukyu Islands on Monday, Typhoon Mitag is passing eastern China today and then takes aim at South Korea and the remainder of Japan later this week, according to...

AGCS Names Kang as Head of Reinsurance and Catastrophe Risk Management

Oct 1 2019 // Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS), the corporate insurance carrier of Allianz Group, has appointed Hyeji Kang as global head of Reinsurance and Catastrophe Risk Management, effective Oct. 1, 2019.She will...

Wildfire Risk in Georgia Increasing Amid Southern Drought

Oct 1 2019 // The ongoing drought has made outdoor burning in Georgia more dangerous than previous years, state officials said.In the past three months, the Georgia Forestry Commission says firefighters have responded to – on average...

Council Recommends $4B Plan to Safeguard Oregon from Wildfires

Sep 30 2019 // A task force created by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown says climate change, overstocked forests and understaffed fire teams have placed Oregonians in extreme risk, necessitating a multi-billion-dollar program to safeguard the...

Insured Losses from Typhoon Faxai Estimated at US$5 Billion to US$9 Billion: RMS

Sep 30 2019 // RMS, the Newark, Calif.-based risk modeling and analytics firm, has estimated that the insured loss from Typhoon Faxai will be between $5.0 and $9.0 billion (¥ 500 to ¥950 billion).This estimate includes property damage...

Strong E&S Premium Growth in Response to Weak Results; Top 15 E&S Writers: Fitch

Sep 30 2019 // Direct written premiums in the U.S. excess and surplus (E&S) lines market during 2018 grew at its greatest rate since 2012, increasing 11% and representing the eighth consecutive year of premium growth, according to...

Lawsuit Says Colorado Railroad Ignited Fires Prior to Wildfire

Sep 27 2019 // A federal lawsuit says nearly 50 fires in Colorado were ignited by a railroad company in the weeks leading up to a major wildfire.The Durango Herald reported Tuesday that The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad...

Parametric Catastrophe Facility CCRIF Pays US$12.8M to Bahamas for Dorian Damages

Sep 27 2019 // CCRIF has made two payouts to the government of The Bahamas totaling US$12.8 million in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, which caused widespread destruction in the northern part of the archipelago.The Bahamas has three...

U.S. Private Flood Insurance: The Journey to Build a New Market

Sep 27 2019 // Not long ago, private flood insurance was thought to be an impossible dream in the property/casualty sector. There were numerous arguments supporting the common wisdom that a meaningful market for residential flood...

Florida City Faces $200M in Repairs to Sewage, Water Line After Hurricane Michael

Sep 27 2019 // The biggest city devastated by Hurricane Michael last fall has had a recent series of sewage leaks, and local officials say it will cost more than $200 million to repair its sewage and water systems.Television station WMBB...

Death Toll from Northern California Wildfire Back Down to 85

Sep 26 2019 // The number of those who died in California’s deadliest wildfire is back down to 85 after authorities determined that a bone fragment previously classified as unidentified belongs to a victim named in January.The...

Minor Earthquake Confirmed in Northern Utah’s Box Elder County

Sep 26 2019 // A minor earthquake shook was confirmed in parts of Box Elder County in northern Utah.County spokesman Mitch Zundel said there were many reports of people feeling the quake of magnitude 3.9 at 10:15 a.m. MDT on Tuesday, but...