hurricanes News

Never Mind COVID, 2020 Was a Catastrophe for US Insurers

In case you forgot, the year that just passed brought an unprecedented number of catastrophes — not to mention COVID-19. Three insurance industry reports issued this week chronicle just how bad 2020 was for property insurers. CoreLogic released a chronology …

Hot Again: 2020 Sets Yet Another Global Temperature Record

Earth’s rising fever hit or neared record hot temperature levels in 2020, global weather groups reported Thursday. While NASA and a couple of other measurement groups said 2020 passed or essentially tied 2016 as the hottest year on record, more …

2020 Hit Temperature Record, Rounded Off Hottest Decade – EU Climate Service

BRUSSELS/LONDON — Last year tied with 2016 as the world’s warmest on record, rounding off the hottest decade globally as the impacts of climate change intensified, the European Union’s Earth observation service said on Friday. After an exceptionally warm autumn …

The Stormy, Fiery Year When Climate Disasters Wouldn’t Stop

Nature struck relentlessly in 2020 with record-breaking and deadly weather- and climate-related disasters. With the most named storms in the Atlantic, the largest-ever area of California burned by wildfires, killer floods in Asia and Africa and a hot, melting Arctic, …

Munich Re to no Longer Cover Events Canceled for Pandemics

FRANKFURT/MUNICH — German reinsurance group Munich Re will no longer insure against events canceled due to pandemics, a board member said on Tuesday. The world’s largest resinsurer is making the change after it faced large losses this year in the …

Cybersecurity is Top Business Worry in ‘Age of Risk’ – Marsh & McLennan CEO

Cybersecurity has emerged as the most pressing exposure for business confronting a new “age of risk,” topping the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, in part because cybercrime is so pervasive, the head of insurance broker and consulting firm Marsh & …

Hurricanes Stay Stronger Longer After Landfall Than in Past

Hurricanes are keeping their staying power longer once they make landfall, spreading more inland destruction, according to a new study. Warmer ocean waters from climate change are likely making hurricanes lose power more slowly after landfall, because they act as …

Dredge Scarcity Could Make Rebuilding Coast Slower, Costly

NEW ORLEANS — Just as Louisiana begins an ambitious slate of projects to rebuild its crumbling coastline, the essential ingredients — sea sand and river silt — will be harder to come by. That’s not because these materials are rare; …

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 …

Forecasters Predict Busy 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — With forecasters predicting another intense Atlantic hurricane season with as many as 13 to 19 named storms, disaster preparedness experts say it’s critically important for people in evacuation zones to plan to stay with friends or …