Sunny skies and mild temperatures this week greeted the biggest US farm show of the year. The contrast couldn’t be greater with the sentiment among attendees as low crop prices and trade tariffs squeeze the agricultural sector. The market for …
A Texas Congressman is Quietly Helping Elon Musk Pitch Building $760M Tunnels Under Houston to Ease Flooding
The devastating flooding in Houston caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 killed dozens of people, inundated hundreds of thousands of homes and left the community desperate for a solution. Since then, local flood experts have extensively studied the possibility of …
NOAA Develops Tool to Predict Hourly US Wildfire Hazards
Scientists at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Global Systems Laboratory said it has developed an hourly assessment of wildfire potential across the U.S. The Boulder, Colorado-based lab’s Hourly Wildfire Potential (HWP) Index, in development since 2019, provides frequent updates …
The Ghost of Hurricane Katrina Haunts Catastrophe Modelers
When Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans in August 2005, causing greater insurance losses than any other natural disaster in history, it became clear that a lot of the city’s flood protection engineering — walls, pumps, levees — had failed. …
After Fearsome Dust Storm Rips Phoenix Area, Trees Cleaned up And Power Restored
Crews cleaned up downed trees and got electricity mostly restored for thousands of people this week after a powerful dust storm roared through the Phoenix area. The wall of dust towering hundreds of feet high dwarfed the city’s neighborhoods. Called …
California Jury Awards $2 M to Protester Shot in Face With Nonlethal Projectile
A jury has awarded at least $2.2 million to a protester who was shot in the face with a less-lethal munition by a Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy during a demonstration against police brutality in 2020. In the verdict last week, …
Heavy Rain Causes Flooding, Landslides and Deaths in Vietnam and Thailand
Heavy rain caused flooding and landslides Wednesday in parts of Southeast Asia, where at least eight deaths were reported in the aftermath of a tropical storm. Flooding occurred in several northern and central provinces of Vietnam, where seven people died, …
Kenya’s Britam Seeks More African Expansion After Imminent Congo Entry
Kenya’s biggest publicly traded insurer by market value is planning expansion in African nations with low insurance penetration to augment and diversify revenue. Britam Holdings Ltd., which already has operations in seven African nations, will mostly focus on acquisitions rather …
Markets/Coverages: Liberty Mutual Re, Safehub Launch Parametric EQ Insurance Cover
Liberty Mutual Reinsurance (LM Re) and Safehub, a provider of seismic sensor and risk management technology, announced the launch of an earthquake parametric insurance solution, called “ShakeNet Parametric.” With capacity provided by LM Re and is triggered by the highest-resolution …
Canada’s 2023 Wildfires Pushed Air Pollution to Decade-Level Highs
Canada’s record-breaking 2023 wildfire season led to a spike in air pollution in the country and in the US, erasing recent progress in cleaning up the air, according to new analysis. The wildfires, which burned 42 million acres of Canadian …