Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Florida Citrus Industry Squeezed by Hurricane Ian; Crop Insurance to Cover Some Losses

Oct 7 2022 // The waters have receded, but the stink lingers. As Emma Reynolds Ezell surveys the damage that a night of 100 mile-per-hour winds wrought on her orange groves, she just can’t get over the stench. It’s nothing...

Nebraska Sandhills Wildfire More Than Half Contained

Oct 6 2022 // A destructive Nebraska Sandhills wildfire that saw one firefighter die while fighting the flames was more than half contained by Wednesday, officials said.The size of the Bovee Fire in west-central Nebraska was mapped...

Arizona Tornado Damaged Homes, Power Lost in Dust Storms

Oct 5 2022 // Up to 10 homes were damaged after a tornado touched down in northern Arizona Monday while around Phoenix, dust storms caused downed power lines, fires and cut power to thousands, authorities said.The National Weather...

Nebraska Wildfire Razes Camp, Prompts Evacuation

Oct 5 2022 // A wildfire that exploded in size in drought-stricken central Nebraska has destroyed much of a youth campsite and led officials to evacuate a nearby village.The Bovee Fire was initially reported as having burned around 100...

Viewpoint: Hurricane Ian, Anti-Concurrent Loss Language, and Ambiguities

Oct 4 2022 // On September 28, 2022, the nearly Category 5 Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida with maximum sustained winds clocked at approximately 150 MPH. Reports out of Lee County, Florida have been particularly...

Ex-PG&E Execs Paying $117M To Settle California Wildfires Lawsuit

Oct 3 2022 // Former executives and directors of Pacific Gas & Electric have agreed to pay $117 million to settle a lawsuit over devastating 2017 and 2018 California wildfires sparked by the utility’s equipment.The settlement...

Verisk: Up to $57B Insured Losses from Hurricane Ian

Oct 3 2022 // Insured losses from Hurricane Ian to onshore property will be between $42 billion and $57 billion, with much of the damage – $38-51 billion – coming from wind damage, according to Verisk.“Damage was more severe...

Captain America Actor Helps Fix Hurricane-Hit Roofs

Oct 3 2022 // Actor Anthony Mackie was not carrying his Captain America shield when he returned to his hometown of New Orleans to help repair hurricane-damaged roofs. But for people in his old neighborhood, knowing their tarp-covered...

KCC Estimates Near $63B in Hurricane Ian Insured Losses

Oct 2 2022 // Catastrophe modeler Karen Clark & Company (KCC) late Friday said the firm estimates insured losses from Hurricane Ian will near $63 billion.Should KCC’s calculations hold true, Ian will surely be remembered as...

Insurer Off the Hook in Defending Western Union Against Terrorist Financing Suit

Sep 30 2022 // An insurer’s war and financial services exclusions relieve it of having to provide coverage for an insured being sued for allegedly aiding international terrorists responsible for the crash of Malaysia Airlines...

Hurricane Ian Losses Up to $47B in Florida, Sinking More Insurers, CoreLogic Calculates

Sep 30 2022 // Wind and storm-surge losses from Hurricane Ian could reach as $47 billion in Florida alone, a figure made larger by inflation and rising interest rates, the property analytics firm CoreLogic said in a new...

Florida Hospital Gets Hit from Above and Below in Hurricane

Sep 30 2022 // Hurricane Ian swamped a Florida hospital from both above and below, the storm surge flooding its lower level emergency room while fierce winds tore part of its fourth floor roof from its intensive care unit, according to a...

Hurricane Ian Threatens Heavy Losses for Catastrophe Bond Holders

Sep 30 2022 // Investors who backstop Florida’s insurance industry by buying catastrophe bonds are girding for substantial losses from Hurricane Ian, threatening to crimp a key source of capital for the sector and push up insurance...

Strong Category 4 Hurricane Ian Poised to Become One of the Costliest

Sep 28 2022 // With maximum sustained winds of 150 mph at just after 3 p.m. on Sept. 28, Hurricane Ian was just shy of Category 5 status when it made landfall in Cayo Costa, Fla.Ian, one of the strongest hurricanes to ever make U.S....

Hurricane Ian Spurs Evacuations as Airports, Schools Shut

Sep 28 2022 // Hurricane Ian, projected to be one of the costliest storms in US history, prompted mass evacuations, school shutdowns and thousands of flight cancellations across the third-largest state.The storm, which has already caused...

Typhoon Noru Makes Landall in Vietnam, Causing Floods, Property Damage

Sep 28 2022 // Typhoon Noru made landfall in Vietnam early Wednesday morning, knocking out power for more than 500,000 households and causing flooding and property damage along the country’s central region.Noru’s eye struck...

UPDATE: Hurricane Ian Turning Toward Tampa Area and $258B in Replacement Value

Sep 27 2022 // Florida property insurance experts have long warned that a powerful hurricane strike on a major metropolitan area could result in catastrophic losses and the insolvency of more carriers. Those warnings could become reality...

BP, Chevron Cut Offshore Oil Production Ahead of Hurricane Ian

Sep 27 2022 // BP Plc and Chevron Corp. on Monday said they have shut-in production at offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, as a powerful Hurricane Ian bore down on the top U.S. offshore production region.The category 2 storm...

US Starts Criminal Probe Into PG&E Role in California Wildfire

Sep 27 2022 // Federal officials have initiated a criminal investigation into PG&E Corp.’s potential role in starting California’s largest wildfire of the year.On Sept. 24, the US Forest Service removed one of the...

Typhoon Noru Batters Philippines, Killing 5 and Leaving Millions Without Power

Sep 26 2022 // Typhoon Noru battered the Philippines’ main Luzon island, killing five rescuers and leaving millions of people without electricity.The fatalities were recovered from a flooded area in Bulacan province north of...