Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

AccuWeather: Year’s First Big Heatwave Raises Wildfire Risk in West

Jun 3 2024 // Severe heat will raise the risk of brush and grassfires from central and northern California, also bringing a moderate to and high risk of wildfires in parts of Arizona and New Mexico, a forecast out on Monday shows.The...

Insurance Council of Texas Offers Tips for Hurricane Preparation

Jun 3 2024 // With June marking the start of 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season, the Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) is reminding residents of steps to take to prepare for hurricanes. The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration...

Firefighters Battle California Wildfire With Hot Weather in the Forecast

Jun 3 2024 // Firefighters battling a California wildfire burning east of San Francisco have increased containment on the fire, but hot weather is in the forecast for the next few days.Nearly 500 firefighters, along with several air...

Busy Hurricane Season Could Test NC’s ‘Weakened’ Building Codes, Experts Say

Jun 3 2024 // The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, predicted to be unusually intense, officially began this week and it could soon bring the first test of a North Carolina law that some insurance experts have said weakens building codes...

Utility Launches Shutoff Plan Aimed at Preventing Another Wildfire Like Lahaina

Jun 3 2024 // More than 48,000 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers living in some of the state’s driest areas will soon face the prospect of advance power shutoffs — and outages that could last several days — in order to reduce...

Standalone Terrorism Coverage- First Party Coverage

Jun 3 2024 // This post is part of a series sponsored by TSIB.You worked hard to manage an acceptable outcome for your insurance renewal, answered countless underwriting queries, finally give your broker the order to bind, and you find...

Greater Chance of Major Hurricane on the East Coast This Year, But Less in Gulf, Scientist Says

Jun 3 2024 // Multiple computer models from forecasting organizations across the globe have predicted a very active hurricane season starting next month, spelling trouble for much of the coastal Southeastern tates.The models are...

Oregon Wineries and Vineyards Seek $100M from PacifiCorp for Wildfire Smoke Damage

May 31 2024 // Dozens of Oregon wineries and vineyards have sued PacifiCorp over the deadly 2020 wildfires that ravaged the state, alleging that the utility’s decision to not turn off power during the Labor Day windstorm...

Kentucky Families Struggling After Being Hit Second Time by Tornadoes

May 30 2024 // BARNSLEY, Ky. (AP) — Devin Johnson’s life was uprooted for a second time when a tornado flattened his home over the Memorial Day weekend — on the same lot in Kentucky where another storm left him homeless in...

Property-Catastrophe Reinsurance Rates Drop by 5% at June Renewals: Howden Re

May 30 2024 // Property-catastrophe rates saw some moderating trends during the June 1 reinsurance renewals, with average risk-adjusted rates-on-line decreasing by 5% within a typical range of -7.5% to -2.5%, according to Howden Re, the...

32.7M Homes at Risk of Hurricane Damage, CoreLogic Report Shows

May 30 2024 // More than 32.7 million residential properties from Texas to Maine are at risk of moderate or severe damage sustained from hurricane-force winds, a new report shows.The large number of at-risk homes in CoreLogic’s...

Man Accused of Starting Wildfire Near Arizona-California Border

May 29 2024 // A Yuma man has been arrested for allegedly starting a wildfire in a national wildlife preserve in southwest Arizona near the California border, according to authorities.Yuma County Sheriff’s officials said...

Kentucky, Alabama Towns Dealing with Tornado Damage, Florida Feeling Record Heat

May 29 2024 // The latest community left with shattered homes and no power was the tiny Kentucky town of Charleston, which took a direct hit Sunday night from a tornado that the governor said appeared to be on the ground for 40 miles (64...

Texas Panhandle Prepares for State’s Next Big Wildfire

May 28 2024 // LUBBOCK — Spring rains have revived much of the green grass covering stretches of plains in the Texas Panhandle — the same land that, just three months ago, was black from fire and ash after wildfires burned more than...

Tornado, Winds Again Pound Kentucky, Leaving 5 Deaths, Heavy Damage

May 28 2024 // The same weather system that spawned deadly tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas also killed five people in western Kentucky and left hundreds of properties damaged.Local news reports said that people died in Mercer...

Iowa Wind Farm Hit by Tornado, Resulting in Rare Destruction of Turbines

May 24 2024 // OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A wind farm in southwest Iowa suffered a direct hit from a powerful tornado that crumpled five of the massive, power-producing towers, including one that burst into flames. But experts say...

After Wildfire, Hawaii Fire Crews Take Stock of Their Ability to Communicate in a Crisis

May 24 2024 // Fire departments across the state are reevaluating their emergency communication capabilities after the Maui wildfires, when the vulnerability of the island’s cellular network — and a lack of advanced communication...

Tornado Devastates Iowa Town, Killing Multiple People

May 23 2024 // GREENFIELD, Iowa (AP) — Multiple people died Tuesday and at least a dozen were injured when a powerful tornado tore through a small Iowa town, carving a bleak landscape of destroyed homes and businesses, shredded trees,...

NOAA Chimes in With Prediction of Above-Average Atlantic Hurricane Season

May 23 2024 // The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today predicted an 85% chance of an above-average Atlantic hurricane season, with up to 25 named storms.“The upcoming Atlantic hurricane season is expected...

Containment on Arizona Wind-Driven Wildfire Grows

May 22 2024 // Roughly 200 firefighters continued to battle a wildfire in Arizona that quickly grew to more than 14,000 acres.Firefighters have kept the Wildcat Fire size from growing over the past day, but extremely low humidity, warm...