Latest Catastrophe Headlines

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

Tropical Storm Fred Makes Landfall Along Florida Panhandle

Aug 16 2021 // Tropical storm Fred made landfall near Cape San Blas, Florida Monday Aug. 16 at approximately 3:15 p.m. EST, according to the National Hurricane Center.Fred is expected to bring dangerous storm surge and flooding rains...

Death Toll Soars from Haiti Earthquake; U.S. Deploys Search and Rescue Teams

Aug 16 2021 // The U.S. deployed search and rescue teams to help find survivors among the debris of collapsed buildings in Haiti as the death toll soars from Saturday’s massive earthquake.At least 1,297 people were killed after the...

Fred Expected to Bring Tropical Storm Conditions to Florida

Aug 13 2021 // Fred is forecasted to bring tropical storm conditions in portions of Florida Saturday according to a National Hurricane Center Aug. 13 update.The Keys, southern and central Florida could see between three to six inches of...

Wildfires Threaten Rural Towns in Montana, California

Aug 13 2021 // Wildfires in Montana threatened rural towns and ranchland while victims of a California blaze returned to their incinerated community, even as the U.S. West faced another round of dangerous weather and smoke pollution...

6 Tornadoes Confirmed in North Dakota’s Red River Valley

Aug 13 2021 // The National Weather Service confirmed the severe thunderstorms that moved through northern parts of the Red River Valley earlier this week produced six tornadoes.The weather service’s damage assessment team said...

U.S. Is Vulnerable Enough to Hurricanes. We Don’t Need Another Storm From an Insurance Tax.

Aug 12 2021 // As a longtime Florida resident, I have witnessed the destructive power of hurricanes on the lives and properties of countless Floridians and others across the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.Hurricanes can pack such enormous...

Worst Algerian Wildfires in Decades Kill at Least 65 People

Aug 12 2021 // The worst wildfires in decades have killed at least 65 people in Algeria’s forested mountains, making it the latest Mediterranean nation to be struck by devastating blazes as temperatures have risen to unprecedented...

6 Tornadoes Confirmed in Northern Illinois

Aug 11 2021 // The National Weather Service confirmed that at least six tornadoes touched down in four northern Illinois counties.Based on video, photos and storm reports provided by storm spotters and storm chasers, the agency confirmed...

Tornadoes Reported in Northern Chicago Suburbs

Aug 11 2021 // The National Weather Service on Aug. 9 received reports of tornadoes in the suburbs north of Chicago that damaged homes and knocked down trees.The reports were made from weather spotters and have not yet been confirmed,...

Massive Wildfire Devours Forests on Greek Island of Evia

Aug 11 2021 // ATHENS, Greece (AP) – A massive wildfire burning for days on the northern tip of Greece’s second largest island continued to devour forests Tuesday, its thick smoke hanging in the streets of a nearby town as...

Tropical Storm Warnings Posted in Eastern Caribbean as System Gathers Power

Aug 10 2021 // Tropical storm warnings have been posted across the eastern Caribbean as a system gathers power and takes shape southeast of Dominica, the National Hurricane Center said.With winds of 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour, the...

Greek Citizens Angry With Government Over Reponse to Wildfires

Aug 10 2021 // As flames threatened to engulf the home of Stelios Kokkinelis in a suburb north of Athens at the weekend and the emergency services failed to respond to his calls for help, he decided to ignore an evacuation order and take...

Tornado in Wisconsin’s Grant County Destroys, Damages Buildings

Aug 9 2021 // Residents of Grant County, Wisconsin, are cleaning up debris after a tornado touched down near Boscobel destroying or damaging homes and farm outbuildings.Initial damage assessments by fire departments in the area indicate...

Louisiana 2020 Hurricane Update: $10B in Claims Reported as of June 30

Aug 9 2021 // The amount of money that insurers expect to pay for the 2020 hurricanes continues to grow, albeit more slowly, as Louisiana gets further away from last year’s historic storm season.According to the Louisiana...

Wildfire Weather May Return to Northern California

Aug 9 2021 // Thick smoke that held down winds and temperatures began to clear Sunday from the scenic forestlands of Northern California as firefighters battling the largest single wildfire in state history braced for a return of...

Wildfires Rage Anew Near Athens, Forcing More Evacuations in Southern Greece

Aug 6 2021 // Wildfires rekindled outside Athens and forced more evacuations around southern Greece Thursday as weather conditions worsened and firefighters in a round-the-clock battle stopped the flames just outside the birthplace of...

Turkish Officials Accused of Using Only 2% of Forest Protection Budget Before Wildfires

Aug 6 2021 // Turkish authorities battling the country’s worst ever wildfires have been accused of failing to prepare for the threat after official data showed they spent only a fraction of the modest funds budgeted to prevent...

U.S. West Consumer Survey: 4-in-10 Policyholders Don’t Talk to Insurer About Wildfire Risks

Aug 5 2021 // Most residents of the wildfire-plagued Western U.S. believe in mitigation efforts, but fewer are actually taking such steps – while more than 40% have never spoken to their insurer about wildfire risk, according to a...

Wildfire Destroys Much of California Gold Rush Town

Aug 5 2021 // A wind-driven wildfire tore through a Northern California mountain town, leaving much of the downtown in ashes as crews braced for another explosive run of flames in the midst of dangerous weather.The Dixie Fire, swollen...

Forecasters Confirm Nine Tornadoes in Pennsylvania, New Jersey

Aug 5 2021 // The National Weather Service has confirmed a ninth tornado that struck during storms last week in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.Forecasters said Sunday that an EF-1 tornado with peak winds up to 90 mph appeared in the...