catastrophes News

Commercial Property Rates Not Expected to Increase at Same Pace as 2023: USI

A new USI Insurance Services report forecasts that in 2024, commercial property insurance rates “are expected to increase, but not at the same pace as seen in 2023.” “Our forecast calls for 5% to 15% rate increases for non-catastrophe property …

Munich Re: Quakes and Storms Cause $95 Billion in Insurance Losses in 2023

Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, storms in the United States and other natural disasters caused an estimated $95 billion in insured losses in 2023, down from the previous year but still above the long-term average, Munich Re said on Tuesday. …

Viewpoint: Disaster Reduction Requires Advance Plan and Discussion about Lessons Learned

The need for comprehensive disaster risk management has never been more evident. In recent years, major storms, earthquakes, wildfires, tornados, derechos, and other destructive large-scale events have been significant. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there has already …

The US Leads the World in Weather Catastrophes. Here’s Why

The United States is Earth’s punching bag for nasty weather. Blame geography for the U.S. getting hit by stronger, costlier, more varied and frequent extreme weather than anywhere on the planet, several experts said. Two oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, …

Natural Disasters Caused $313B Economic Loss in 2022 – Aon

Natural disasters, many driven by climate change, caused global economic losses of $313 billion in 2022, insurance broker Aon estimated on Wednesday, of which less than half was insured. Losses from natural catastrophes covered by the insurance sector amounted to …

Climate Disasters Forcing Insurers to Rethink Low Premiums, Few Claims Model

When it comes to climate impacts, the frontline of the finance industry is insurance. Last year’s payout from damages caused by extreme-weather events totaled $120 billion—about the same as the economic output of Kenya. And that’s a 50% increase over …

Weary of Many Disasters? UN Says Worse to Come

A disaster-weary globe will be hit harder in the coming years by even more catastrophes colliding in an interconnected world, a United Nations report issued Monday says. If current trends continue the world will go from around 400 disasters per …

Farmers to Deploy ‘Spot,’ a 4-Legged Robot, for Property Inspections

The newest member of Farmers Insurance Group’s catastrophe response team is a four-legged robot that vaguely resembles a headless greyhound. Farmers announced that it purchased a remote-controlled robot dubbed “Spot” from Boston Dynamics and expects delivery this fall, after the …

Investors Gauge Future Climate Risks With Satellite Imaging

The world was watching end-of-days scenes: ­Firefighters in yellow jackets, blurry against a copper sky, battled to push back walls of flames. Veterinarians tended to badly burned koalas and kangaroos. Dazed survivors picked through the ruins of their torched houses. …

Disasters Cause Insurance Double Whammy for Pandemic-Hit Businesses

As insurers brace for an expensive natural-disaster season because of storms and wildfires ravaging parts of the United States, the novel coronavirus is giving them an odd financial break. Many companies that were damaged or evacuated because of natural catastrophes …