Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Residents in Louisiana City Still Recovering From 2020 Hurricanes

Sep 10 2024 // LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Every other day Lois Malvo waits for her son to bring six buckets of water from a spigot in the backyard. He then bathes his 78-year-old mother using water heated on the stove and washes her with...

Toxic Debris from Hawaii Wildfire Could Fill 5 Football Fields 5 Stories Deep

Sep 10 2024 // Hinano Rodrigues remembers being 4 or 5 years old, carrying a bucket across a highway to the ocean in the Maui community where he still lives.At dawn, he would accompany his grandmother to a reef at low tide, where she...

Tropical Storm Francine Strengthens, Spurring Oil Shutdowns

Sep 9 2024 // Tropical Storm Francine strengthened as it moved north in the Gulf of Mexico, prompting oil drillers to evacuate crews and halt some offshore crude production, while the US Coast Guard warned shippers of approaching...

Typhoon Yagi Kills 14 in Vietnam as Officials Warn of Heavy Rain, Flooding

Sep 9 2024 // At least 14 people have died and 176 others injured in Vietnam after Typhoon Yagi slammed the country’s north, state media said Sunday, as officials warned of heavy downpours despite its waning power.Described by...

California Policyholders May Be On the Hook for Wildfire Losses

Sep 9 2024 // California homeowners could be required to pay a surcharge if the state’s insurer of last resort is unable to cover losses from a catastrophic wildfire.The California Department of Insurance sent a bulletin to...

Fast-Growing California Wildfire Threatening 35,000 Structures

Sep 9 2024 // A fast-growing wildfire in Southern California, has burned 27 square miles, forcing thousands to evacuate had is putting roughly 35,000 homes and buildings at risk.The Line fire near San Bernardino more than quadrupled in...

Hertz Tower Demolition Marks End of Hurricane-Damaged Landmark in Lake Charles

Sep 9 2024 // BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An abandoned, 22-story building in Lake Charles, Louisiana — once an icon in the city that became a symbol of destruction from hurricanes Laura and Delta — was imploded Saturday after sitting...

Crews Slow Progress of Sierra Wildfire, But Evacuations Orders Remain

Sep 5 2024 // Firefighters battling a California wildfire that has burned through more than 5 square miles of the high Sierra made significant progress slowing its growth on Wednesday, but hundreds of residents whose homes are...

CSU Forecasters Predict Quiet Hurricane Activity to Start September

Sep 4 2024 // The first two weeks of September are expected to be quiet for Atlantic hurricane activity, according to experts at Colorado State University.The CSU Tropical Meteorology Project, which has been forecasting the Atlantic...

Reinsurers’ Appetite for Natural Catastrophe Risks Grows – But Discipline Remains

Sep 4 2024 // Top reinsurers are showing increasing – but disciplined – appetite for natural catastrophe risks as a result of rising demand, better pricing, more favorable terms and conditions, and sound investment income, according...

Judge to Ask Hawaii Supreme Court About Barriers to $4B Wildfire Settlement

Sep 4 2024 // The Hawaii Supreme Court will be asked to weigh in on an issue that threatens to thwart a $4 billion settlement in last year’s devastating Maui wildfires.Judge Peter Cahill on Maui agreed to ask the state high court...

Canada’s Insurance Sector Faces Deluge of Climate-Related Catastrophe Claims

Sep 3 2024 // Hotter summers in Canada that have sparked wildfires in tourist areas, intense hailstorms and thunderstorms with severe flooding in major cities, all likely linked to climate change, are leading to personnel shortages and...

Western States Top Wildfire Risk Scores in New Analysis

Sep 3 2024 // California, Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Arizona are the states most at risk for wildfires, earning an “F” rating, according to a new analysis by Guidewire detailing wildfire risk in the U.S. at local,...

Hurricane Debby Claims Already Two-Thirds of Idalia Claims in Florida, as Insurance Market Strengthens, Regulator Says

Sep 2 2024 // The number of Florida claims from Hurricane Debby, filed within 10 days of the storm, stood at almost two-thirds of the number of claims filed from Hurricane Idalia in a three-month period.Debby claims by Aug. 16 had...

Report: 2.6M Homes at Moderate to Very High Risk of Wildfire

Sep 2 2024 // More than 2.6 million homes across 14 states with a total reconstruction cost of $1.3 trillion are at moderate to very high risk of wildfire damage during the 2024 wildfire season, the 2024 CoreLogic Wildfire Risk Report...

Climate Change Intensified Typhoon Shanshan, Study Says

Aug 30 2024 // Typhoon Shanshan, which struck southern Japan this week with heavy rain and strong winds, was likely intensified by climate change, according to a study from Imperial College London.Researchers with the university teased...

Southern California Edison Seeks to Recover $1.6B of Wildfire-Related Losses

Aug 29 2024 // Southern California Edison, a unit of utility Edison International said on Thursday it was seeking approval for a settlement agreement to recover nearly 60% of losses related to wildfires and mudslides in 2017 and...

Hedge Fund Fermat Says Returns Took a Hit Amid Catastrophe Bond Selloff

Aug 29 2024 // Fermat Capital Management, one of the world’s biggest investors in catastrophe bonds, says anxiety about this year’s hurricane season has already left a meaningful dent on returns.“Returns in May were low...

Millions Evacuated as Typhoon Slams Southwest Japan, Halting Flights and Factories

Aug 29 2024 // Millions of people were told to evacuate from their homes as Typhoon Shanshan lashed southwest Japan with strong winds and heavy rain on Thursday, knocking out power, snarling air traffic and forcing major factories to...

Man Accused of Starting California Wildfire by Throwing Firework out Car Window

Aug 29 2024 // A 26-year-old man has been accused of igniting a destructive California wildfire in early July by throwing a firework from a car window during hot, dry and windy weather.Spencer Grant Anderson, of Oroville, was charged...