Latest Natural Disasters Headlines

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

Lisa Weakens to Tropical Storm After Leaving Belize’s Largest City in Darkness

Nov 3 2022 // Lisa weakened into a tropical storm as it moved across Belize Wednesday, leaving much of the country’s largest city in the dark, although there were no reports of deaths or major damage so far in the Caribbean nation...

Viewpoint: Wildfires Should be California’s No. 1 Priority When it Comes to Climate Change

Nov 3 2022 // In an Executive Order dated September 25, California Gov. Gavin Newsom directed all agencies of state government to double down on their efforts to address climate change. The governor, state agencies and the Legislature...

NFIP: 43,000 Flood Claims and $273 Million Paid So Far After Hurricane Ian

Nov 2 2022 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency is reminding flood insurance policyholders hit by Hurricane Ian that they have an extra three months to renew their expiring policies.The agency said last week that Florida property...

Cleanup After Five Tornadoes Touched Down in South Alabama, Mississippi

Nov 1 2022 // Residents and businesses are cleaning up after at least five tornadoes touched down in a severe weather outbreak along the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast.No injuries or deaths were reported after the Saturday twisters....

Initial Insured Loss for Typhoon Nanmadol Estimated ¥114B (US$768M)

Nov 1 2022 // Initial insurance industry losses from Typhoon No. 14, aka Nanmadol, which hit Japan in September 2022, are an estimated 114 billion Japanese yen (US$768 million), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based...

Tropical Storm Lisa on Track to Strike Belize as 12th Atlantic Storm of 2022

Nov 1 2022 // Tropical Storm Lisa has spun up in the Caribbean Sea south of Jamaica, on track to strike Belize late Wednesday as the 12th storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.Lisa’s top winds have reached 40 miles...

Commissioner Says 2021 Colorado Wildfire Losses Surpass $2B

Oct 31 2022 // A wildfire that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and businesses in suburban Denver last winter caused more than $2 billion in losses, making it by far the costliest in Colorado history, the state insurance commissioner...

U.S. Hurricane Victims Want Improved Disaster Relief, With Faster Money, Less Red Tape

Oct 31 2022 // Survivors of storms that pounded several U.S. states say the nation’s disaster aid system is broken and that they want reforms to get money into victims’ hands faster, with less red tape.On the 10th anniversary...

Hurricane Ian’s Lucrative Cleanup Deals Generating New Tempests

Oct 30 2022 // It has been a month since Hurricane Ian wiped out parts of southwest Florida. Now multimillion-dollar cleanup contracts are generating new tempests in the Category 4 storm’s wake.Contractors who remove debris and...

Hurricane Ian Fallout, Inflation Among Talking Points at AAIS Pulse

Oct 28 2022 // The enormous amount of uninsured loss from Hurricane Ian will lead to a “veritable swamp” of trial lawyers waiting to sue the insurance industry, according to one industry expert at AAIS Pulse.“This could...

Swiss Re Posts Q3 Loss on Hit From Hurricane Ian, Signals Price Hikes

Oct 28 2022 // Swiss Re reported a third-quarter loss of $442 million driven by claims tied to the damage from hurricane Ian, and signaled that renewal prices would jump next year.The Zurich-based reinsurer’s key unit saw $2.5...

Judge Threatens to Sanction Law Firm that Filed Hundreds of La. Hurricane Lawsuits

Oct 27 2022 // A federal judge in Louisiana is threatening to fine a Houston-based law firm $200 for each duplicate or baseless lawsuit he finds among the 1,642 that the firm has filed against insurers for alleged hurricane damages.US...

Missouri Town ‘Devastated’ by Wildfire

Oct 26 2022 // WOOLDRIDGE, Mo. (AP) – Roughly half of a small Missouri town burned Saturday after a wildfire spread quickly from a farm field and destroyed or heavily damaged 23 buildings, officials said.No one died and only one person...

Viewpoint: Ranking Hurricane Ian Among the 10 Worst Natural Disasters in U.S. History

Oct 26 2022 // We are in the early stages of sifting through the debris of Hurricane Ian and calculating the financial and human toll it took after coming ashore in Southwest Florida with 150 mph winds and 20 inches of rain. The insured...

Rural New Mexico Eyes Insurance Fight Amid Wildfires

Oct 26 2022 // ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Manuel and Marcy Silva combed through the charred rubble that used to be their home, searching for any salvageable bits in the wake of the largest wildfire in New Mexico history.Manuel found two...

Hurricane Ian Came at the Worst Possible Time for SW Florida Agriculture

Oct 24 2022 // Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida at the worst possible time for many in the agricultural community, cutting a path through the heart of Florida’s citrus belt and smashing tomato fields just before the...

Florida Offering $5 Million to Help Needy Hurricane Victims Pay Insurance Deductibles

Oct 24 2022 // The Florida Housing Finance Corp. is providing $5 million to help low- to moderate-income families and individuals in six counties hit by Hurricane Ian to pay their homeowners’ property insurance deductibles, Gov....

Munich Re Estimates $1.6 Billion Hit From Hurricane Ian Could Affect 2022 Targets

Oct 21 2022 // Munich Re said it will probably take a hit of about 1.6 billion euros ($1.6 billion) after hurricane Ian led to massive damages in Florida, and warned reaching its full-year profit goal has become “significantly more...

All The Latest Insurance Company Estimates: Hurricane Ian Losses

Oct 21 2022 // Just a few days into earnings season for the third quarter, a number of carriers have published loss estimates for insurance claims from Hurricane Ian, or prewarned investors about loss figures that will dent their bottom...

Global Natural Disasters Cost Insurers $99B in Q3, With Economic Losses of $227B: Aon

Oct 21 2022 // Global natural disaster events to the end of Q3 2022 caused total economic losses estimated minimally at $227 billion – of which $99 billion was covered by public and private insurers, which means that insured losses...