Latest Natural Disasters Headlines

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

Compensation for New Mexico Wildfire Victims Tops $14M and is Climbing

Aug 7 2023 // More victims of a devastating wildfire sparked last year by the U.S. Forest Service in northern New Mexico are getting compensated, with payouts to landowners totaling more than $14 million as of early next week, federal...

Forecasters Stress Uncertainty in Latest Hurricane Forecast

Aug 4 2023 // Forecasters from Colorado State University (CSU) stressed uncertainty in their latest outlook on Thursday for the current Atlantic hurricane season, even as they held steady the number of storms expected.This year’s...

Europeans Lack Insurance Protection as Wildfires and Drought Batter the Region

Aug 3 2023 // Europeans are among the least insured against certain types of extreme weather and other natural disasters in the developed world, a predicament made more worrisome as the continent suffers a summer of devastating heat,...

Blazing a New Trail: Oregon Wildfire Regulatory Compliance

Aug 2 2023 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic.Due to the ever-changing insurance market, property and casualty insurers across the country face multiple challenges today that can commonly disrupt their business...

Some Gains Made on 80K Acre Southern California Wildfire

Aug 1 2023 // Containment on an 80,000-plus-acre wildfire in Southern California grew to 23% on Tuesday, as firefighters made some progress against the state’s most massive ongoing blaze. It was listed as being at 0% containment a...

Wildfire Risk Climbs for Spain as Heat Wave Moves to Iberia

Jul 31 2023 // The focus of Europe’s heat is switching to Spain, with a high risk of wildfires in southern parts of the Iberian peninsula.Southern Spain is expected to exceed 40C (104F) on Monday, with regions around Cordoba under...

Global Natural Disasters Cost Insurers $43B in H1, Surpassing 10-Yr Average: Munich Re

Jul 28 2023 // Natural disasters during the first half of 2023 cost insurers an estimated US$43 billion with an overall economic price tag of $110 billion, according to Munich Re.These insured losses were slightly lower than the US$47...

Update: Typhoon Doksuri Roars Into China, Destroying Power Lines, Closing Factories

Jul 28 2023 // Typhoon Doksuri swept into southern China on Friday, unleashing heavy rain and violent gusts of wind that whipped power lines and sparked fires, uprooted trees, and ripped off part of a stadium roof.The typhoon is the most...

Update: Greece Fights Almost 200 Wildfires as Wind Raises Risk in Mediterranean

Jul 27 2023 // Greece is fighting almost 200 wildfires as strengthening winds put a sting in the tail of the Mediterranean’s fading heat wave.More villages in mainland Greece were evacuated on Thursday as blazes threatened, while...

Typhoon-Prone Philippines Seeks New Insurance After Lapse of Catastrophe Bond

Jul 27 2023 // The Philippines, recovering from damage wrought by Typhoon Doksuri, is seeking a new insurance plan as protection against future calamities after its catastrophe bond lapsed.“We no longer have a cat bond,”...

Homeowners Affected by Hurricanes Urged to Complete Restore Louisiana Survey by August 1

Jul 26 2023 // Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and the Office of Community Development announced that homeowners impacted by Hurricanes Laura, Delta, Ida and the May 2021 severe storms have until August 1 to complete the Restore...

Mississippi Governor Asks for Federal Assistance After Tornado Damage

Jul 26 2023 // Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has requested financial assistance from the federal government for 16 counties hit by tornadoes and damaging storms that hammered the state over a five-day period in June, he announced...

Markets/Coverages: New Lloyd’s Syndicate Provides E&S Cover for Calif. Wildfire Risks

Jul 26 2023 // Wildfire Defense Systems Inc., Polo Managing Agency Ltd. (PMA) and Aon, announced Lloyd’s has approved the launch of Wildfire Defense Syndicate 1996, which started underwriting on July 1, 2023.Created under...

Small Earthquake Confirmed in Arizona Town

Jul 25 2023 // A 3.8 magnitude earthquake shook a northern Arizona town Sunday afternoon but there was no immediate word on any injuries or damage, the United States Geological Survey confirmed.The USGS said the small quake struck near...

Super Typhoon Doksuri Hits Philippines, Heads to China, Taiwan

Jul 25 2023 // Philippine authorities on Tuesday evacuated hundreds of people in coastal communities as super typhoon Doksuri intensified in strength, pummeling the north with strong winds and heavy rains before it heads toward Taiwan...

Greece Wildfires Raise Questions for Tourists About Their Travel Insurance Cover

Jul 25 2023 // Wildfires and evacuations on the Greek island of Rhodes, and a heat wave blasting much of southern Europe, have raised questions for tourists about their travel insurance coverage.As the threat of fires remains high...

Wildfires Rage Across Greece With Record Heat Forecast for Italy

Jul 24 2023 // Wildfires are raging across Greece after about 19,000 people were evacuated from the island of Rhodes over the weekend, while record temperatures are forecast for Sardinia.Over the past 24 hours, 162 fires have been...

Typhoon Doksuri Gains Power as It Threatens Philippines, Taiwan

Jul 24 2023 // Doksuri has strengthened further and may intensify into a super typhoon before a possible landfall in northern Philippines en route to Taiwan.The typhoon is moving westward “slowly” with maximum winds of 150...

Louisiana Commissioner Directs Insurers to Talk to Policyholders as Hurricane Ida Claims Deadline Looms

Jul 21 2023 // A day after the Louisiana Supreme Court announced that it is lifting a stay on hurricane-damage lawsuits filed by McClenny Moseley & Associates, state Insurance Commissioner James Donelon on Thursday issued a directive...

Tropical Storm Calvin Passed Over Hawaii, Leaving Minor Flooding in Its Wake

Jul 21 2023 // Tropical Storm Calvin brought high surf, heavy rain and gusts to parts of Hawaii`s Big Island on Wednesday, only inflicting minor damage.By late morning, the storm had passed to the west and the National Weather Service...