Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Help Arrives to Battle Growing Wildfire in Washington

Jul 5 2023 // Authorities have more than doubled the number of people battling a wildfire that has burned structures and forced the evacuation of homes in southwestern Washington near the Columbia River Gorge. The blaze that began...

Colorado’s Most Destructive Wildfire Caused by Embers From Old Fire, Sparks From Power Line

Jul 3 2023 // Embers from a smoldering scrap wood fire outside a home days earlier and a sparking power line caused a Colorado wildfire fanned by high winds that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and left two people dead, authorities...

Canadian Wildfires Are Causing Unhealthy Air Quality Again in Chicago, Other Parts of the US

Jun 29 2023 // CHICAGO (AP) – Drifting smoke from the ongoing wildfires across Canada is creating curtains of haze and raising air quality concerns throughout the Great Lakes region, and in parts of the central and eastern United...

Smoke from Canadian Wildfires Causes Unhealthy Air Quality in Minnesota

Jun 28 2023 // ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Wildfire smoke from Canada promoted officials on Tuesday to issue a record 23rd air quality alert for much of Minnesota through late Wednesday night as smoky skies obscure the Minneapolis and...

Push to Lower Wildfire Risk Across West Stumbles in Places

Jun 28 2023 // Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees...

Tornado and Other Severe Weather Kill 3, Damage Homes, and Knock Out Power in Multiple States

Jun 27 2023 // SHOALS, Ind. (AP) – A tornado struck an Indiana home, killing a man and injuring his wife while two people died in Arkansas after a tree fell onto a house there as severe weather rumbled through several states.The...

Tornado Ripped Through Massive Wyoming Coal Mining Site

Jun 26 2023 // A tornado that ripped through a massive coal mining site in northeast Wyoming halted operations, but only eight people were injured and no deaths were reported, officials said.The tornado hit the North Antelope Rochelle...

FEMA Denies Georgia County’s Request for Help After March Tornado

Jun 26 2023 // Months after an EF-3 tornado tore through a Georgia county southwest of Atlanta officials said a federal agency has denied its request for additional help in the recovery.”Obviously we’re extremely disappointed...

Canada’s Explosive Wildfires Damage Forest Set Aside for Carbon Offset Project

Jun 26 2023 // Canada’s explosive wildfire season has already pumped millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Some of that carbon is coming from vegetation burned at a carbon offset project, highlighting the...

Europe’s Firefighters Call for More Resources as Climate Change Hikes Wildfire Threat

Jun 23 2023 // Firefighters across Europe are calling for more resources as climate change increases the threat of wildfires across the region.While the European Union announced a doubling of its aerial firefighting fleet for this season...

North Texas Tornado Kills At Least Four People

Jun 22 2023 // At least four people are dead and nine are injured after a tornado hit Matador, a small town of nearly 800 people northeast of Lubbock, late Wednesday night.The tornado was brought on by several severe storms in the...

Hawaii Volcano Stops Erupting, Ending Lava Show

Jun 22 2023 // The nearly two-week eruption of a Hawaii volcano, one of the most active in the world, has come to a pause, scientists said.After a three-month hiatus, Kilauea began erupting again June 7 – displaying fountains of...

Tropical Storm Bret Spins Up With Possible Hurricane Threat to Caribbean

Jun 21 2023 // Tropical Storm Bret formed in the central Atlantic Ocean on Monday, with forecasters saying it could pose a hurricane threat to the Lesser Antilles by Thursday and the Dominican Republic and Haiti by the weekend.The...

Fitch: US Insurance Market Forecast to Withstand Losses From Large Hurricane This Year

Jun 21 2023 // With ample capital, Fitch Ratings’ latest annual ‘U.S. Hurricane Season’ report indicates U.S. property and casualty (P/C) and reinsurers can absorb losses if a large hurricane makes landfall this...

Multiple Tornadoes in Mississippi Kill One, Leave Severe Damage

Jun 20 2023 // Multiple tornadoes swept through Mississippi over the weekend, killing one and injuring nearly two dozen, officials said.State emergency workers were still working with counties Monday morning to assess the damage from...

Verdict in Oregon Wildfires Case Highlights Risks Utilities Face Amid Climate Change

Jun 20 2023 // A jury verdict that found an Oregon power company liable for devastating wildfires – and potentially billions of dollars in damages – is highlighting the legal and financial risks utilities take if they fail to...

Tornadoes, Strong Winds Caused Property Damage Across South

Jun 19 2023 // Damaging winds and possible tornadoes toppled trees, damaged buildings and blew cars off a highway Wednesday as powerful storms crossed the South from Texas to Florida to Georgia late last week.The National Weather Service...

33 Million Homes at Risk, but New Models Aim to Better Predict Storm Surge, Losses from Hurricanes

Jun 19 2023 // About 33 million U.S. homes with a combined reconstruction cost value of $11.6 trillion are at risk of hurricane-force winds. But two new computer models promise to help property owners and insurers better predict where...

Jamaica Finance Minister Sees ‘Definite Interest’ in Regional Caribbean Catastrophe Bond

Jun 16 2023 // Jamaican Finance Minister Nigel Clarke said he is seeing “definite interest” from other Caribbean countries to join in issuing a regional catastrophe bond that would protect their budgets from hurricanes and...

KCC Estimates June Texas Hailstorm Losses at $1B

Jun 16 2023 // The impact from a June hailstorm over Texas with baseball to softball-sized hail is expected to cause over $1 billion in insured losses, according to catastrophe modeling firm Karen Clark and Company. The storm occurred...