Latest Natural Disasters Headlines

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

Crews Slow Progress of Sierra Wildfire, But Evacuations Orders Remain

Sep 5 2024 // Firefighters battling a California wildfire that has burned through more than 5 square miles of the high Sierra made significant progress slowing its growth on Wednesday, but hundreds of residents whose homes are...

CSU Forecasters Predict Quiet Hurricane Activity to Start September

Sep 4 2024 // The first two weeks of September are expected to be quiet for Atlantic hurricane activity, according to experts at Colorado State University.The CSU Tropical Meteorology Project, which has been forecasting the Atlantic...

Natural Disasters to Cause $151 Billion in Annual Insurer Losses

Sep 4 2024 // Urban expansion, property exposure and climate change could fuel a 40% increase in annual natural-catastrophe losses for the global insurance industry, according to a new report.The annual loss could rise to $151 billion...

Judge to Ask Hawaii Supreme Court About Barriers to $4B Wildfire Settlement

Sep 4 2024 // The Hawaii Supreme Court will be asked to weigh in on an issue that threatens to thwart a $4 billion settlement in last year’s devastating Maui wildfires.Judge Peter Cahill on Maui agreed to ask the state high court...

Canada’s 10 Worst Natural Disasters Totaled C$30 Billion in Annual Insured Losses

Sep 3 2024 // Insured losses have surged in the past decade as climate change in Canada sparks wildfires, intense hailstorms and thunderstorms with severe flooding in major cities.Insured losses from natural disasters averaged C$2.2...

Western States Top Wildfire Risk Scores in New Analysis

Sep 3 2024 // California, Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Arizona are the states most at risk for wildfires, earning an “F” rating, according to a new analysis by Guidewire detailing wildfire risk in the U.S. at local,...

Hurricane Debby Claims Already Two-Thirds of Idalia Claims in Florida, as Insurance Market Strengthens, Regulator Says

Sep 2 2024 // The number of Florida claims from Hurricane Debby, filed within 10 days of the storm, stood at almost two-thirds of the number of claims filed from Hurricane Idalia in a three-month period.Debby claims by Aug. 16 had...

Severe Storms (Mostly in US) Account for 70% of Global Insured Natural Disaster Losses

Sep 2 2024 // Global insured losses from natural catastrophes totaled US$60 billion during the first half of 2024, or 62% above the 10-year average, according to preliminary estimates from Swiss Re.Severe thunderstorms (mainly in the...

Report: 2.6M Homes at Moderate to Very High Risk of Wildfire

Sep 2 2024 // More than 2.6 million homes across 14 states with a total reconstruction cost of $1.3 trillion are at moderate to very high risk of wildfire damage during the 2024 wildfire season, the 2024 CoreLogic Wildfire Risk Report...

Climate Change Intensified Typhoon Shanshan, Study Says

Aug 30 2024 // Typhoon Shanshan, which struck southern Japan this week with heavy rain and strong winds, was likely intensified by climate change, according to a study from Imperial College London.Researchers with the university teased...

Southern California Edison Seeks to Recover $1.6B of Wildfire-Related Losses

Aug 29 2024 // Southern California Edison, a unit of utility Edison International said on Thursday it was seeking approval for a settlement agreement to recover nearly 60% of losses related to wildfires and mudslides in 2017 and...

Millions Evacuated as Typhoon Slams Southwest Japan, Halting Flights and Factories

Aug 29 2024 // Millions of people were told to evacuate from their homes as Typhoon Shanshan lashed southwest Japan with strong winds and heavy rain on Thursday, knocking out power, snarling air traffic and forcing major factories to...

Man Accused of Starting California Wildfire by Throwing Firework out Car Window

Aug 29 2024 // A 26-year-old man has been accused of igniting a destructive California wildfire in early July by throwing a firework from a car window during hot, dry and windy weather.Spencer Grant Anderson, of Oroville, was charged...

Atlantic Hurricane Season Could Intensify in Coming Weeks, Meteorologists Say

Aug 28 2024 // AccuWeather meteorologists are warning that the Atlantic hurricane season could intensify in the coming weeks as less wind shear and less dry air create conducive conditions for storm development.AccuWeather is forecasting...

Insured Losses From Canada’s Jasper Wildfire Surpass C$880 Million

Aug 28 2024 // This summer’s devastating wildfire in Jasper, Canada resulted in more than C$880 million (US$653.4 million) in insured damage, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), quoting data provided by Catastrophe...

Update: Japan Issues Emergency Warning as Powerful Typhoon Shanshan Approaches

Aug 28 2024 // Southwestern Japan braced on Wednesday for what officials say could be one of the strongest storms to ever hit the region, as some residents in the path of Typhoon Shanshan were ordered to evacuate and major firms like...

Tropical Storm Hone Sweeps Past Hawaii; Rain Amounts Ease Wildfire Fears

Aug 27 2024 // Hone passed south of Hawaii and weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm on Sunday, dumping so much rain that the National Weather Service called off its red flag warnings that strong winds could lead to wildfires on...

Wildfire Risk Harms California Home Values, San Francisco Fed Study Finds

Aug 27 2024 // California’s wildfires are weighing on home prices more than in the past, and insurance availability does little to help in areas considered to be at higher risk, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco...

Louisiana Insurers Required to Submit Hurricane Season Data by Aug. 30 Deadline

Aug 26 2024 // Insurers in Louisiana have until Friday, Aug. 30 to compete a data call relating to property and casualty homeowners’ insurance policies and commercial lines property policies during the 2024 hurricane...

Hawaiian Electric Raises Going Concern Doubts on Uncertainties Over Wildfire Settlement Financing

Aug 26 2024 // Utility firm Hawaiian Electric raised going concern doubts on Friday after disclosing that it did not have a financing plan in place for the $1.99 billion Maui wildfire settlement it reached earlier this month.The company...