Most Popular Catastrophe Headlines This Year

The most viewed headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page over the last year.

#1 Terrorist Threat to US Has Reached ‘Whole Other Level,’ FBI’s Wray Warns

Mar 15 2024 // Terrorist threats toward the US have reached a “whole other level” from the already heightened situation before the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and its response, FBI Director Christopher Wray said...

#2 Greater Chance of Major Hurricane on East Coast This Year, Less in Gulf, Scientist Says

May 17 2024 // Multiple computer models from forecasting organizations across the globe have predicted a very active hurricane season starting next month, spelling trouble for Florida and much of the Eastern United States.The models...

#3 M4.1 Earthquake Shook Parts of Los Angeles Area: USGS

May 2 2024 // A magnitude 4.1 earthquake shook parts of the Los Angeles Area, including the cities of Corona, Anaheim, and Santa Ana on at 1:49 p.m. local time on the afternoon of Wednesday, the USGS confirmed. The epicenter was in the...

#4 NHC Unveils New Hurricane Forecast Maps for 2024, Showing More Inland Warnings

Feb 21 2024 // The familiar “cone of uncertainty” map, used for years by meteorologists to show a hurricane’s predicted path, is about to get an upgrade – at least temporarily, the National Hurricane Center announced...

#5 Iceland Plans to Buy Out Homeowners in Volcano-Struck Town

Feb 13 2024 // Iceland’s government has agreed to buy all residential properties in the fishing town of Grindavik, which has become uninhabitable after three volcanic eruptions rocked the region in the last two months.Grindavik has...

#6 Update: Beryl Rakes Mexico’s Yucatan With Hurricane Winds and Heavy Rain

Jul 5 2024 // Hurricane Beryl pummeled Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula with tree-toppling gusts and flooding rains, weakening slightly as it came ashore after leaving a trail of destruction through the Caribbean this week.Beryl’s...

#7 Potent Hurricane Weather Pattern Continues to Take Shape, Forecaster Says

Jun 17 2024 // The hurricane season continues to look like it will be a highly active one, as a potent and portentous weather pattern continues to take shape, an AccuWeather meteorologist told Claims Journal on Friday.“It certainly...

#8 Growing Southern California Wildfire Threatening 4,100 Structures

Jul 15 2024 // Evacuation orders and warnings are in place for roughly 4,200 people due to a growing wildfire in southern California that is threatening 4,100 structures.The Shelly Fire in Siskiyou County is now 15,232 acres and is 3%...

#9 AccuWeather Warns of ‘Super-Charged’ 2024 Hurricane Season

Mar 18 2024 // AccuWeather experts warn that the return La Nina and historically warm water across the Atlantic Ocean could contribute to a “super-charged” hurricane season in 2024.AccuWeather long-range forecasters say that...

#10 Allstate Reports May Pretax Catastrophe Losses of $1.4B

Jun 20 2024 // Allstate Corp. on Thursday reported May pretax catastrophe losses of about $1.4 billion.The Northbrook, Illinois-based insurer said 14 events contributed to nearly $1.5 billion in catastrophe losses for May, with 70%...

#11 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...

#12 Hurricanes Milton and Helene Expose Limits of US Flood Maps

Oct 9 2024 // Even before the second megastorm in as many weeks brings devastating floodwaters to the Southeast US, it’s already clear that federal flood-risk maps underpinning decisions by millions of American homeowners and...

#13 Federal Cyber Insurance Backstop Is Warranted With Focus on Catastrophic Risk

Nov 28 2023 // Much more work and collaboration needs to be done but the U.S. Treasury has reached a “tentative conclusion” that a potential federal cyber insurance backstop will be focused on catastrophic cyber...

#14 Florida to Borrow Billions to Backstop Insurers After Hurricanes

Jan 23 2024 // The state corporation that oversees the Florida Cat Fund is planning to borrow as much as $3.8 billion to ensure the fund has plenty of money on hand to reimburse property insurers for losses when homes are damaged or...

#15 Four Minor Early Morning Earthquakes Hit Southern California

Jun 24 2024 // Four small earthquakes occurred in California in the early Monday morning hours, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck near Cobb at a depth of 1.1 miles, a M2.9 quake hit two miles...

#16 State Farm Seeking Large Rate Increases in Wildfire-Prone California

Jul 3 2024 // State Farm has applied for large rate increases in California, a year after the carrier got rate approvals of 7% and 20%—adding fuel to a burning homeowners crisis in a state that’s seen an increasing number of...

#17 Hub Launches High Net Worth Excess Wildfire Program in California

Feb 5 2024 // HUB International launched a new program to address the need for enhanced wildfire coverage of high value homes that will be offered exclusively by HUB Private Client to address the insurance and risk management needs of...

#18 The Huge Profits Investors Have Made on Catastrophe Bonds Are Raising Eyebrows

Aug 19 2024 // A strategy that’s delivered specialist investors huge returns is now facing scrutiny, amid concerns that its risk-reward dynamics might be skewed against some issuers.Catastrophe bonds, which are issued by insurers,...

#19 What’s to Come in 2024: Hard Market, AI Expansion, More Catastrophes, Network Consolidation

Feb 5 2024 // No one can predict the future, but insurance professionals are likely the best qualified when it comes to predicting risk. For this special report, Insurance Journal asked industry thought leaders their predictions for the...

#20 Insurance Industry Impact From Hurricane Beryl Expected to Be ‘Manageable’

Jul 8 2024 // Hurricane Beryl made its U.S. landfall at Matagorda, Texas early Monday as a Category 1 hurricane.The storm has reportedly knocked out power to 1 million homes and businesses, but the storm’s overall impact to the...