natural catastrophes News

Japan Faces Another Typhoon With Trains, Hundreds of Flights Canceled

Japan is preparing for its second typhoon in a week, with airline companies canceling flights and rail operators halting some operations. Typhoon Lan is forecast to make landfall Tuesday in central Japan near Osaka, the country’s second largest metropolitan area, …

Australia’s Climate Risks Are Making Home Insurance Unaffordable

Australian home insurance premiums jumped the most in two decades in the past year, driven by weather catastrophes and higher building costs, new research showed. Median home insurance premiums surged 28% to A$1,894 ($1,240) in the year to March 31, …

Norwegian River Dam Partly Collapses After Floods

A dam on a Norwegian river partly collapsed after heavy rain on Wednesday, sending water gushing through a wide gap in the structure, and the prime minister said the country should be prepared for more floods in the coming days. …

Catastrophe Bond Funds Ranked Among 2023’s Top-Performing Credit Funds

Catastrophe bond funds rank among the 10 best performing credit funds this year, as the hurricanes, earthquakes and other disasters that could trigger payouts have either not happened or not been sufficiently severe. The catastrophe, or cat bonds, represent money …

Severe Convective Storms Top Insured Natural Disaster Losses in H1: Swiss Re

Global natural catastrophes cost insurers US$50 billion in the first half, (H1 2022: $48 billion), with most of the losses stemming from severe convective storms, according to Swiss Re. “Severe convective storms – storms associated with thunder, lightning, heavy rain, …

Slovenia Suffers Its Worst-Ever Floods; Damage Could Top €500M, Prime Minister Says

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) – Slovenia has faced the worst-ever natural disaster in its history, Prime Minister Robert Golob said Saturday, after devastating floods caused damage estimated at half a billion euros ($550 million). The floods were “the biggest natural disaster” …

Slovenia Hit by Worst Floods in More Than a Decade, Killing Several People

Several people were killed in Slovenia as the southern European nation was hit by some of the worst flooding in more the decade, with rapidly rising waters submerging towns in the country’s north. The Slovenian Environment Agency declared the highest …

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

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 billion reported for the …

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

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 powerful to …

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

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 two people died in Velestino. A …