Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

HUD Suspends Funding for Hurricane Harvey Assistance

Jan 10 2022 // The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development has halted the distribution of $1.95 billion that was approved for flood mitigation projects in Texas following Hurricane Harvey.A news release from HUD said the Texas...

Colorado Wildfire Caused $513M in Damage, Officials Say

Jan 10 2022 // Last week’s Colorado wildfire caused at least $513 million in damage and destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and structures, officials as they updated the toll of property lost in the most destructive wildfire in state...

More South Carolina Earthquakes Leave Experts Puzzled

Jan 7 2022 // After more earthquakes have struck near South Carolina’s capital city, the ninth and tenth in a series of rumblings, geologists are asking how long the convulsions might last, or if they could possibly portend more...

Modeler Estimates Insured Losses From Colorado Wildfire at $1B

Jan 6 2022 // The Colorado wildfire that destroyed nearly 1,000 homes in late December will result in roughly $1 billion in losses, according to a report from catastrophe modeler Karen Clark & Co.On Dec. 30, a devastating...

Premium Finance Companies Can Extend Payment Deadlines After Kentucky Tornadoes

Jan 5 2022 // Premium finance companies are permitted to extend due dates for premiums and other charges in the wake of tornadoes that ripped through the state in December, the Kentucky insurance commissioner announced.Finance companies...

Investigators Narrow Search for Origin of Massive Colorado Wildfire

Jan 4 2022 // Investigators looking for the cause of the Colorado wildfire that destroyed nearly 1,000 homes have narrowed their search to a sparsely populated neighborhood near Boulder where a passer-by captured video of a burning shed...

2 Still Missing in Colorado Wildfire; Cause Under Investigation

Jan 4 2022 // Search teams looked for two missing people in the smoldering debris from a massive Colorado wildfire while people who escaped the flames sorted through the charred remnants of their homes to find what was...

COVID-19 Claims of $44B Are 3rd Largest Catastrophe Loss: Howden

Jan 4 2022 // Insured losses of $44 billion from COVID-19 so far represent the third largest cost to insurers of any catastrophe, behind Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 attacks, insurance broker Howden said on Tuesday.However, initial...

Climate Change, New Construction Mean More Destructive Wildfires in West

Jan 3 2022 // The winter grassland fire that blew up along Colorado’s Front Range was rare, experts say, but similar events will be more common in the coming years as climate change warms the planet – sucking the moisture out of...

Judge Holds Skanska Negligent for Barge Damage During Florida Hurricane

Dec 30 2021 // A federal judge has found that Skanksa USA, part of one of the largest construction companies in the world, failed to secure its barges before a 2020 Florida hurricane hit. The ruling opens the door to hundreds of lawsuits...

More Minor Earthquakes Shake Parts of South Carolina

Dec 30 2021 // Six more minor earthquakes were reported in South Carolina this week, potentially raising new demand for earthquake insurance.The U.S. Geological Survey said that Wednesday’s 2.3 magnitude earthquake hit around 4:12...

Machine Learning Improves Lightning Prediction, Leading to Insight on a Key Wildfire Spark

Dec 29 2021 // Lightning’s destructive potential was showcased in 2020 when it sparked the massive California Lightning Complex fires, but it remains hard to predict.According to a new study led by the University of Washington,...

Western Kansas Ranches Face Long Recovery after Wildfires

Dec 28 2021 // Ranchers in western Kansas have begun to recover from the deadly wildfires that torched their land earlier this month, but they acknowledge it will be a long process.Two men died and the Kansas Forest Service estimates...

NWS Says December Storm Spawned 8 Tornadoes Across Wisconsin

Dec 28 2021 // The National Weather Service has confirmed a rare December wind storm spawned eight tornadoes across west-central Wisconsin..The Dec. 15 storm swept across multiple states. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the...

Earthquake Confirmed in Submerged Volcano South of Hawaii

Dec 28 2021 // A magnitude-4.9 earthquake struck a submerged volcano south of Hawaii’s Big Island last week, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory confirmed.said the temblor hit at 1:32 a.m. about 26 miles southeast of Naalehu, at a...

Federal Relief Funding Available in Five Arkansas Counties Following Tornadoes

Dec 27 2021 // President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in Arkansas, making federal relief funding available in five north eastern counties hit by tornadoes that ripped through the Midwest and South this month.The declaration...

As Strongest Storm to Hit Philippines in 2021, Typhoon Rai ‘Exceeded All Predictions’

Dec 22 2021 // SINGAPORE – The rapid intensification that turned this week’s Typhoon Rai into the strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year surpassed all predictions, forecasters said, leaving nearly 400 people dead and...

Active 2021 Hurricane Season Revealed ‘Unsettling’ Trends: AIR Worldwide

Dec 22 2021 // The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season was the third most active on record and the sixth consecutive year of above-average hurricane activity. Still, the overall season was mostly in line with the updated 30-year average,...

Tornadoes Have Pushed Insurers’ Weather Claims Above $105B for 2021

Dec 21 2021 // Devastation from tornadoes that slammed parts of the United States this month will push the insurance industry’s 2021 bill for weather-related claims well above the predicted $105 billion, industry experts said, and...

Southern California Edison Faces $550M in Penalties for 5 Wildfires

Dec 20 2021 // California regulators approved a settlement placing more than half a billion dollars in fines and penalties on the utility Southern California Edison for its role in five wildfires in 2017 and 2018.The penalties relate to...