Latest Natural Disasters Headlines

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

Crews Continue Searching for Missing After Tornadoes Ravage Communities

Dec 13 2021 // Rescuers combed through fields of wreckage after a tornado outbreak roared across the middle of the U.S., leaving dozens dead and communities in despair.A twister carved a track that could rival the longest on record as...

Magnitude 4.3 Earthquake Shakes North-Central Kansas

Dec 9 2021 // A moderate earthquake shook parts of north-central Kansas on Dec. 8 as residents were starting their day, officials said. The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 4.3 earthquake was recorded around 7:45 a.m. Wednesday,...

Wrapping up Hurricane Season: Ida, Katrina, and the Importance of Adequate Loss Modeling

Dec 9 2021 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic.With the 2021 hurricane season coming to an end, insurers and government agencies are beginning to take stock of what occurred and how damages stacked up compared to...

Evacuation Orders Lifted for Central Colorado Wildfire

Dec 7 2021 // Firefighters made progress containing a 15-acre wildfire in a central Colorado mountain community as authorities lifted evacuation orders Monday for residents who were forced to leave their homes a day earlier.Clear Creek...

Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Committee Recommends Willis Re for Reinsurance Broker

Dec 7 2021 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association’s Actuarial & Underwriting Committee met on December 6 to review best and final offers from respondents to the Association’s request for proposals for reinsurance...

Climate Modeling Confirms Historical Records Showing Rise in Hurricane Activity

Dec 6 2021 // Jennifer Chu | MIT News OfficeWhen forecasting how storms may change in the future, it helps to know something about their past. Judging from historical records dating back to the 1850s, hurricanes in the North Atlantic...

Insured Price Tag for Europe Windstorm Hendrik-Ignatz (Aurore) Estimated at €311M

Dec 3 2021 // Initial insured losses for extratropical windstorm “Hendrik-Ignatz,” also known as “Aurore,” are estimated at €311 million ($352 million), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based...

14 Insurers Pressing Lawsuit vs. Park Service After Gatlinburg Wildfires

Dec 2 2021 // Fourteen insurance companies are pressing ahead with a lawsuit against the federal government, alleging that the National Park Service did little to stop 2016 wildfires that destroyed dozens of homes and businesses in and...

M3.0 Earthquake Confirmed in Southern Utah

Nov 30 2021 // A minor earthquake struck parts of southern Utah, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The quake struck on Friday morning, had a preliminary magnitude of 3.0 and was centered about 7 miles west of Panguitch, the USGS...

Some Lessons Learned from Wildfire That Nearly Destroyed Tahoe

Nov 30 2021 // The devastation starts on the western slope. Many of the cabins that once lined the highway between here and Sacramento are now gone. Instead, brick and stone chimneys stand sentinel, visible through blackened toothpick...

Oklahoma High Court Rules National American Off Hook in Earthquake Lawsuits

Nov 29 2021 // The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled last week that an earth-movement exclusion precludes insurance coverage for an oil and gas company facing several lawsuits accusing its operations of causing earthquakes.National American...

Insurtech Startup Kettle Raises $25M to Expand Wildfire Reinsurance Protection

Nov 24 2021 // Kettle, the San Francisco-based reinsurance startup that uses artificial intelligence to better protect people from the growing wildfire risks of climate change, announced it has been reinsuring homes during the 2021...

Louisiana Kicks Off $11 Million Housing Program for Hurricane Laura

Nov 24 2021 // Nearly 15 months after Hurricane Laura struck, Louisiana is kicking off $11.3 million in housing repair and rebuilding programs for the southwestern city of Lake Charles while it waits for hundreds of millions in promised...

Deadline Nears for FEMA Aid for Hurricane Ida

Nov 22 2021 // Louisiana residents impacted by Hurricane Ida’s destruction in August have a week remaining to seek individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.The deadline for individuals and families to...

People Moves: SiriusPoint Appoints Bernina Re’s Kull as CRO; Hiscox Names Breeze Interim CFO; Tysers’ Simpson Leads BMS’ Terrorism, Political Violence Team

Nov 18 2021 // This edition of International People Moves details appointments at re/insurer SiriusPoint, insurer Hiscox and broker BMS.A summary of these new hires follows here. SiriusPoint Appoints Bernina Re’s Kull as...

4.0 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Southeast Missouri

Nov 18 2021 // A 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck southeast Missouri late Wednesday, Nov. 17, according to the United States Geological Survey earthquake map.The earthquake hit northwest of Poplar Bluff, a town with a population of...

Rare November Tornadoes Hit Connecticut, Rhode Island

Nov 16 2021 // Three tornadoes that hit Rhode Island and southeast Connecticut this weekend were the first since at least 1950 to strike the area in November, the National Weather Service said Sunday.The service confirmed the three...

Big Europe Reinsurers See Strong 9M Earnings Despite High Natural Disaster Losses

Nov 15 2021 // All four major European reinsurers reported a strong improvement in earnings for the nine months, compared to the same period last year, according to a report from Fitch Ratings.Sharply lower non-life, coronavirus-related...

Louisiana Apartment Complex Still Reeling From Laura Damaged by Tornado

Nov 15 2021 // Rising after a hard knock can be wrenching, but for Claudette Price _ who has just endured her fourth punch _ accepting defeat is not an option.In the three years she has been the leasing manager for the Claire Gardens...

Former Governor Focuses on Saving California Forests from Wildfires

Nov 15 2021 // As smoke lingered in the air amid another destructive California wildfire season, former Gov. Jerry Brown invited a group to his ranch for an urgent conversation: What more could be done to save California’s forests...