Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

New Jersey Forest Service Says 510-Acre Wharton Wildfire Is 100% Contained

Apr 25 2024 // The New Jersey Forest Fire Service said it has reached 100% containment of a 510-acre wildfire in the area of Jackson Rd. in Wharton State Forest.The fire burned in both Waterford Twp, Camden County and Shamong Twp,...

Markets/Coverages: Ariel Re and Hiscox Re & ILS Launch Cyber Catastrophe Consortium

Apr 25 2024 // Re/insurer Ariel Re and Hiscox Re & ILS, the reinsurance and insurance linked securities arm of insurer Hiscox, announced the launch of CyberShock, a cyber catastrophe consortium.The CyberShock consortium is designed...

SageSure and SURE Close $130 Million Gateway Re 2024-2 Catastrophe Bond

Apr 25 2024 // SageSure, a managing general underwriter focused on catastrophe-exposed markets, and SureChoice Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (“SURE”), a policyholder-owned reciprocal exchange, announced the close of the...

Catastrophe Monitoring Firm ICEYE Completes $93 Million Funding Round

Apr 24 2024 // ICEYE, the microsatellite manufacturer and catastrophe monitoring company, announced definitive agreement signed for an oversubscribed $93 million growth funding round.The financing will further accelerate investment in...

Hawaii Lawmakers Take Aim at Vacation Rentals After Wildfire Amplifies Housing Crisis

Apr 24 2024 // Amy Chadwick spent years scrimping and saving as a single mother of two to buy a house in the town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. But after a devastating fire leveled Lahaina in August and reduced...

Risk Perception Drops After Hurricanes: Study

Apr 23 2024 // As time passes after hurricanes, new analysis by Stanford University researchers shows perception of personal risk, including the likelihood of injury and home damage, decline.The findings suggest that programs and...

Wildfires in Canada’s Oil Sands Region Prompts Evacuation Orders

Apr 23 2024 // Wildfires erupted across Canada’s main oil producing province of Alberta and an evacuation order was issued as the region braces for a repeat of last year’s unprecedented season.Members of the indigenous first...

What Is Volt Typhoon, the Hacking Group the FBI Warns Could Deal a ‘Devastating Blow’?

Apr 22 2024 // China is developing the “ability to physically wreak havoc” on U.S. critical infrastructure and its hackers are waiting “for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow,” FBI Director...

Highlights of Reports on Deadly 2023 Hawaii Wildfire

Apr 22 2024 // More than half a year after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century burned through a historic Maui town, officials are still trying to determine exactly what went wrong and how to prevent similar catastrophes in...

People Moves: AEGIS London Hires AIG’s Johnson and Lambert for New Cyber Underwriting Team; Markel Promotes Gordge to Head of Terrorism in London

Apr 19 2024 // This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Lloyd’s syndicate AEGIS London and Markel, the insurance operations within Markel Group.A summary of these new hires follows here. AEGIS London Hires...

Allstate Reports $731M in Q1 Pretax Catastrophe Losses

Apr 19 2024 // Allstate Corporation estimated pretax catastrophe losses of $731 million, with $328 million from the month of March.Six events contributed to the $343 million total for March — before favorable reserve re-estimates...

Wildfires Are Upending Some of the Safest Bets on Wall Street

Apr 18 2024 // When the Texas Panhandle went up in flames this winter, the news spread fast on Wall Street. An electric utility by the name of Xcel Energy Inc. was getting blamed for the massive blaze — a lawsuit pointed the finger at...

Rupture on TC Energy’s NGTL Gas Pipeline Sparks Wildfire in Alberta

Apr 17 2024 // A section of TC Energy’s NGTL gas pipeline system in Alberta ruptured and caught fire on Tuesday, sparking a wildfire in a remote area, the company said.“An initial ignition of natural gas at the rupture site...

Nebraska, Kansas Brace for Possibly More Tornados: Weather Watch

Apr 16 2024 // Wild weather is sweeping the central US on Tuesday with tornado watches posted across parts of Nebraska and Kansas and an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms later in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, the National Weather...

Drought, Heat Raise Risk of Repeat of Canada’s Record-Breaking Wildfires of 2023

Apr 12 2024 // Canada’s emergency preparedness minister warned Wednesday the country’s wildfire season could be more explosive than last year when it led to unprecedented smoke conditions across much of the country and into...

Green Shield Risk, Striior Announce Wildfire Analytics and Underwriting Collaboration

Apr 11 2024 // Striior Insurance Solutions a managing general agent specializing in builder’s risk and a division of Intact Insurance Specialty Solutions, has partnered with Green Shield Risk Solutions, a Chicago-based catastrophe...

Florida’s Slide Insurance Secures $210 Million Catastrophe Bond

Apr 11 2024 // Tampa-based Slide Insurance announced it has finalized pricing for its $210 million Purple Re Ltd. (Series 2024-1) catastrophe bond.The largest cat bond sponsored by Slide to date, Purple Re Ltd. provides 40% more in fully...

US Wildfires Are Getting Bigger and More Complex, Prompting Changes in Firefighting

Apr 11 2024 // It’s shaping up to be a long wildfire season, with Texas already seeing its largest blaze in recorded history and firefighters becoming overwhelmed with recent blazes in Virginia.Just in the first three months of the...

Europe’s Wildfires in 2023 Were Among Worst This Century: Report

Apr 11 2024 // The 2023 wildfire season in the Europe was among the worst this century, according to a European Commission report published on Wednesday.Last year, more than half a million (504,002) hectares, an area twice the size of...

Two Oklahoma Firefighters Injured Battling Wildfire That Prompted Evacuations

Apr 10 2024 // MOORELAND, Okla. (AP) — Two Oklahoma volunteer firefighters are recovering after suffering burns battling a weekend wildfire in northwest Oklahoma, officials said.Mooreland firefighters Jared Brittain and Max Clark...