Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

California Earthquake Authority Policy Sales Spiked After Ridgecrest Quakes

Aug 28 2019 // The California Earthquake Authority gained 23,861 earthquake insurance policies following the magnitude 6.4 and 7.1 earthquakes and aftershocks that struck on unnamed faults near Ridgecrest beginning on the July 4...

Fire Official Says Oregon Wildfire Risk Map Flawed

Aug 28 2019 // A fire official says a wildfire risk map being created by Deschutes County, the home of Bend, Oregon, underestimates fire danger because it doesn’t take into account the danger when homes catch fire in densely built...

Tropical Storm Dorian to Drench Puerto Rico; Then Could Hit Florida as Hurricane

Aug 28 2019 // Tropical Storm Dorian is about to lash Puerto Rico with torrential rains, and then is expected to gain strength and become the first major hurricane to hit Florida’s east coast in 15 years.Chances are increasing that...

Update: Tropical Storm Dorian to Sideswipe Puerto Rico, but Heads to Florida

Aug 28 2019 // Tropical Storm Dorian is about to sideswipe Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. And if you live on Florida’s east coast, it may be time to start gathering supplies.Chances are increasing that the storm will...

Evacuations Lifted in Wildfire Along California-Nevada Border

Aug 27 2019 // Authorities say a fast-moving wildfire on rural land along the California-Nevada border burned one home before crews were able to slow its spread.Fire spokesman Adam Mayberry says the blaze about 25 miles north of Reno,...

Firefighters Make Progress on Alaska Wildfire

Aug 27 2019 // Firefighters are making progress on an Alaska wildfire that has claimed 51 homes.Nearly 450 firefighters working the fire about 70 miles north of Alaska’s largest city brought it to 46 percent containment Monday, up...

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner, State Farm at Odds Over Hurricane Deductibles

Aug 26 2019 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner James Donelon has issued a cease and desist order against State Farm in a dispute over hurricane deductibles before Hurricane Barry.The state Department of Insurance received a complaint...

Update: Tropical Storm Dorian Strengthens as It Heads Toward Barbados

Aug 26 2019 // Tropical Storm Dorian is gaining strength as it approaches the Lesser Antilles and is forecast to skirt Puerto Rico as a weak hurricane.The storm was about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east-southeast of Barbados as of 8 p.m....

Alaska Wildfire Threatening Community Businesses

Aug 26 2019 // A wildfire in south-central Alaska has threatened multiple businesses in a nearby community, officials said. At least 51 homes and three businesses have been destroyed in a wildfire burning north of Anchorage. Another 84...

Fire Station in Texas Latest Recovery From Hurricane Ike

Aug 23 2019 // Galveston, Texas has a new main fire station as recovery continues since Hurricane Ike swamped parts of the city in 2008.The Galveston County Daily News reports the $9.6 million Fire Station No. 1 was one of the last large...

California Utility Wants Help Paying Wildfire Victims

Aug 23 2019 // A troubled California utility company is asking the state Legislature to let it borrow money without paying taxes so it can compensate victims of a devastating wildfire caused by its equipment.Pacific Gas & Electric is...

Fake Claims, Price Gouging, Bogus Contractors: How Fraudsters Steal Disaster Aid

Aug 23 2019 // As the scale and frequency of major disasters escalate, millions of dollars in federal, state and insurance payments intended for recovery efforts are being stolen by fraudsters taking advantage of chaos and the pipeline...

For Many U.S. Communities, There’s No Easy Path to Safety From Disasters

Aug 23 2019 // As the country enters peak season for major natural disasters, new research indicates which states and communities are the riskiest for those needing to evacuate whether from wildfires or hurricanes.StreetLight Data Inc.,...

Guy Carpenter Tapped for California Wildfire Fund Reinsurance Program

Aug 22 2019 // Guy Carpenter & Company LLC has been named the sole reinsurance intermediary for the newly formed California Wildfire Fund, which is currently being administered by the California Earthquake Authority.Guy Carpenter...

Wildfires Making Insurance Harder to Find, California Department of Insurance Says

Aug 21 2019 // Severe wildfire seasons have made it harder for homeowners to find insurance in high wildfire-risk areas, according to new data collected by the California Department of Insurance.The data released this week from the CDI...

Top 15 Earthquake Insurance Companies

Aug 21 2019 // Earthquake coverage is available mostly from private insurance companies. In California homeowners can also get coverage from the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), a privately funded, publicly managed organization....

Spain Reports Progress in Battling Canary Island Wildfire

Aug 21 2019 // The wind dropped overnight in the Canary Islands, allowing firefighters to make progress Tuesday against Spain’s biggest wildfire so far this year.Canary Islands President Angel Victor Torres said 16 water-dropping...

May Tornadoes Losses Among Highest Insured Losses in Ohio History

Aug 21 2019 // Insured losses from Memorial Day tornadoes that ravaged parts of Ohio will be among the largest in the state’s history.The Columbus Dispatch reports Ohio Insurance Institute data puts the total insured losses from...

Pacific Northwest Earthquake-Warning System Gets Funding Boost

Aug 21 2019 // The U.S. Geological Survey is greatly increasing funding for the region’s seismic network, putting it on track to send public alerts of impending earthquake shaking within the next two years.The Seattle Times reports...

Texas A&M Forest Service Activates Airtanker Base to Help Combat Wildfires

Aug 21 2019 // In response to rising wildfire activity across the state, the Texas A&M Forest Service is opening the Austin Airtanker Base at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.Significant fire activity has increased recently,...