When disaster strikes, getting the right catastrophe solutions to the right places quickly are essential. In this podcast, we are joined by Beau Bishop, SVP of catastrophe operations, who discusses the vast range of needs necessary to handle different types of damage. Beau shares insight on the first 30 days after a CAT and what […]

by Hamish Blair, client relationship manager On Tuesday, 14 February, and for only the third time in history, the New Zealand government announced a national state of emergency. The flooding and destruction that followed in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle left Northland, parts of Auckland and the eastern coastline of the North Island in devastation. Prime Minister […]

Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction of six more weeks of winter comes as an ice storm called Winter Storm Mara continues to hit the South with multiple rounds of snow, sleet and freezing rain. Its path stretches from Texas to the Mississippi and Ohio valleys and Central Appalachians. Since it hit Monday, Winter Storm Mara has caused […]

On Friday, 27 January 2023, Auckland, New Zealand, declared a state of emergency after record-breaking rain caused flash flooding and widespread damage throughout the Auckland, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty regions. A state of emergency was also declared in Northland on 31 January as the region braces for more rainfall. An estimated 249 mm (9.8 […]

By Jody Moses – managing director, client services and Meredith Campbell – executive general adjuster Public entities can’t eliminate all property hazards, but it is possible to avoid a disaster turning into a nightmare with the right plan in place. In this podcast, we are joined by Jody Moses, managing director of client services and […]

California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency after a powerful storm, fueled by an atmospheric river, slammed into the state on Wednesday — bringing with it high winds, flooding rain and heavy snow. Wind gusts, some as high as 85 mph, contributed to power outages in Central and Northern California, leaving more than […]

Winter Storm Elliott will likely intensify into a bomb cyclone as it tracks east through the Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes — bringing snow and strong winds that will be followed by brutally cold temperatures and wind chills into the weekend. The storm has already caused major travel disruptions on the air and ground, and […]

A strong earthquake hit Northern California’s Eureka area early Tuesday morning, damaging bridges and roads, toppling walls and chimneys, and cutting off power to thousands in the area. Initial reports also show damage to the historic Fernbridge that spans over the Eel River, and at least 15 homes have been deemed uninhabitable. Since the initial […]

By Beau Bishop, SVP, catastrophe operations, Mark Della Giustina, VP, building consulting services, and John Gragson, SVP, operations After plowing through the Caribbean, Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida on Sept. 28 as a dangerous Category 4 storm. The catastrophic event took the lives of nearly 150 people and caused an estimated $70 billion in property damage in the U.S.; […]

By Meredith Campbell, executive general adjuster In part one of this blog series, we discussed the importance of preparing for a disaster before it strikes — which takes thorough review, reevaluation and replanning. For some public entities (PEs), the topic sparked conversation but was unintentionally forgotten about. The consequences of foregoing preparation “As long as there’s a […]

A 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia’s West Java province on Monday, home to more than 2.5 million people. The tremor could be felt as far as the capital Jakarta about 100 kilometers away. Officials are still determining the full extent of the damage caused by the quake. Reports thus far claim that more than 2,200 […]

By Skot Penfold, head of building consultancy services, New Zealand More than one year ago, heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding in Westport, New Zealand. Swollen rivers burst their banks, and floodwaters cascaded right across the Buller District — damaging properties, roads and surrounding farmland. More than 2,000 people were evacuated from 826 properties in the […]

Florida’s east coast was placed under hurricane watch today as Subtropical Storm Nicole moves in its direction. Nicole is the 14th named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season. Nicole is on track to approach Florida’s east coast by Wednesday night after moving through the Bahamas, where it could bring rain, strong winds and storm […]

by Meredith Campbell, executive general adjuster Public entities (PEs) are in a unique position as policyholders with a vast saturation in relatively tight geographic markets. Recognizing the larger sociopolitical and financial impact of loss to PEs, even finite events can yield devastating effects with widespread ripples throughout the constituency. In the face of potential disaster, […]

Last Wednesday, flood warnings were issued across Southeastern Australia after a powerful storm brought gushing rainfall that quickly flooded streets and caused rivers and streams to swell to dangerous levels. Hundreds were evacuated and thousands were without power. Victoria is the worst-affected state with some towns experiencing the highest river peaks in decades. Several communities […]

Hurricane Ian made landfall on Florida’s southwestern coast yesterday as one of the most powerful storms in U.S. history. A massive Category 4 hurricane, it lashed southwest Florida with catastrophic 150 mph winds and record-breaking 6-feet storm surges. The storm tore apart homes and buildings, washed out bridges, and damaged power infrastructure in some areas. […]

Typhoon Noru — the season’s strongest typhoon yet — battered the Philippines’ most populous island with heavy rain and fierce winds. The storm hit as a super typhoon with sustained winds of 185 kmh. It toppled trees, knocked out power, flooded low-lying communities and destroyed homes across Luzon on Sunday and Monday. Nearly 75,000 people […]

Super typhoon Nanmadol hits southwestern JapanSuper typhoon Nanmadol made landfall in Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, on Sunday morning. The storm has brought gusts of up to 234 km/h (145 mph), and some areas were forecast 400 mm (16 inches) of rain in 24 hours. As a result, 9 million residents have […]

Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico’s southwest coast on Sunday, unleashing landslides, ripping up asphalt from roads, and creating an island-wide crisis as the territory’s electrical system went completely out of service. According to local officials, full power restoration could take days due to the magnitude of the blackout. Additionally, the storm caused destructive flooding as […]

Strong earthquake shakes southwestern province SichuanA 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook southwestern China’s Sichuan province on Monday, shaking the capital of Chengdu and other provinces. This is the strongest earthquake to hit the area since 2017, causing Sichuan to activate the highest level of emergency response. A 4.2 magnitude aftershock struck Ya’an, about 100 km southwest of […]

By Carol ETCHEBARNE, managing director, France Read the English version Ces dernières années, les saisons des CATNAT se sont montrées plus ardues que la moyenne et, selon les premières estimations, l’année 2022 devrait confirmer cette tendance. Les incendies de forêt, les ouragans, les glissements de terrain les tremblements de terre et les tornades sont dramatiques […]

By Revel Boulon, senior marine surveyor/adjuster and leader, yacht practice While the word “yacht” may evoke images of leisure cruising and carefree living for many people, vessel owners know there is much to consider when it comes to protecting their maritime investment. This is particularly true for those who sail to, or keep their vessels […]

The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex was hit by a slow-moving thunderstorm late Sunday night into Monday, resulting in three months worth of rainfall pounding the area. Some parts picked up more than 15 inches of rain; Dallas sees 8 inches of rain total during an average summer. submerged roadways and flooded businesses and homes, and tens […]

Wildfires continue to sweep across the western U.S., destroying homes, structures and businesses. There are currently 70 active, large wildfires burning across 14 states — engulfing about 1.6 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. This includes 10 large fires that were reported yesterday: three in Washington, two each in Montana, Oregon and […]

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit northern Luzon Wednesday morning, impacting more than 21,000 people in more than 200 towns in 15 provinces. It was felt as far as 400 kilometers away in the capital Manila. Wide-spread damage has been reported to hundreds of homes, dozens of schools and several hospitals and bridges. The quake also […]

By Steve Powell, EVP, loss adjusting; Clare Cordingley, senior manager, major event response; and Brad Mountford, head of business development, Australia You probably recall that Australia experienced devastating bushfires in 2019-2020, as the catastrophe garnered global headlines. Regrettably, many fewer people beyond Australia are familiar with an even costlier and more recent disaster: the severe flooding that […]

By Laura De Sordi, managing director, Latin America and the Caribbean; and Roland Riviere, senior executive general adjuster When most people think about preparing for an oncoming hurricane, they picture boarding up windows and replenishing the bottled water and non-perishable food in their home emergency kit. For those of us who work in the Caribbean insurance […]

By Beau Bishop, senior vice president, catastrophe operations, Danny Miller, executive vice president, loss adjustment property and Gail Oliver, senior vice president, sales Recent years have produced above-average storm seasons and, at the earliest estimation, 2022 is expected to continue this trend. Wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes are difficult for everyone involved — especially those […]

Hot, dry and windy conditions across the Southwest have led to seven wildfires in New Mexico — torching over 220,000 acres, destroying hundreds of structures, and forcing thousands to evacuate. The combined Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon fire is the second largest in New Mexico in at least 30 years and has already destroyed more than 170 […]

By Andrew Bone, ACILA, Dip CII, chartered loss adjuster, MCL, New Zealand Nearly one year ago, an Auckland-based manufacturer experienced a major fire that had a devastating impact. With the business, brand and the livelihoods of 50 employees at stake, the range of immediate concerns and challenges went beyond anything the company had ever faced […]

By Andrew Price, director, staffing solutions When an individual or organization faces a loss, finding the right local expert at a moment’s notice can be challenging. For daily claims and catastrophe (CAT) deployments, our colleagues work hand-in-hand with our network of independent field and desk adjusters (IAs) to manage the resulting claim surge and show […]

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Japan’s eastern Fukushima prefecture late Wednesday night. The quake cut off power to more than 2.2 million homes in 14 prefectures, derailed a bullet train near Fukushima, and closed at least one major highway for safety checks. Buildings in Tokyo shook for more than two minutes and […]

As the country plans to spring forward this weekend, the weather forecast has another plan. A significant storm and bomb cyclone, which is essentially a winter hurricane, could potentially bring rain and severe thunderstorms, high winds, snow and a rapid freeze-up to the central and eastern U.S. Snow could fall from eastern Oklahoma to western […]

Sedgwick, together with the rest of Australia, has watched with sadness the impact and loss from the floods of the past week. For some people along the east coast, this is the second flooding of their homes in recent memory. We’re here to support you.With over 65,000 claims received so far, we mobilised our local […]

Two powerful windstorms have left northern and central Europe reeling since last week. Storm Eunice made landfall on Friday on the heels of destruction, bringing 100 mph winds to some areas. Both storms unleashed powerful winds and driving rain from Ireland to central parts of the continent — downing trees, causing flying debris, knocking out […]

Storms Dudley and Eunice are predicted to hit the UK on Wednesday 16 February, with warnings of up to 90 mph winds and blizzard conditions. The current forecast shows that Northern Ireland, West and Central Scotland, and the North of England will be most severely affected, with the police and local authorities already issuing travel […]

Ocean Network Express (ONE) has confirmed that around 60 containers were lost overboard and an additional 80 were damaged in a stack collapse on its containership Madrid Bridge last Friday. The ship was en route from Singapore to New York when the incident occurred. Currently, the vessel has changed course and is heading to dock […]

The new year brought more severe weather, including the devastating wildfires in Boulder County, Colorado, and the winter storms that rolled through multiple states. Last week, the fast-moving, wind-driven wildfires burned more than 6,000 acres in the Boulder County area, north of Denver, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. According to officials, roughly 1,000 properties […]

Floods swept through the Klang Valley, parts of Selangor as well as the East Coast of Malaysia due to a one-in-a-100-year heavy rainfall from December 17 to 19. The effects of Typhoon Rai that lashed the Philippines and the high tides occurring during the monsoon season further aggravated the situation. The flooding has displaced tens […]

There were more than 425 severe weather reports Wednesday, mostly in the Midwest — the largest number of severe weather reports in December in the U.S. since 2000, according to NOAA. The central U.S. saw historic winds of up to 100 mph, severe storms, tornados and even wildfires. Damaging winds downed trees and power lines […]

Rai, locally known as Odette, rapidly intensified Thursday as it headed straight toward the eastern coast of the Philippines. The storm made landfall over Siargao Island, reaching sustained winds of 260 kph with gusts over 300 kph. The weather bureau warned that very destructive winds could cause heavy to very heavy damage to structures and […]

The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season saw an intense start but gave way to an unusually quiet end yesterday. Overall, the season generated 21 named tropical storms and hurricanes — the third highest on record. A typical season sees 14 storms. Yet, despite the high number of storms, 2021’s hurricane tally of seven was right in […]

The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season saw an intense start but gave way to an unusually quiet end yesterday. Overall, the season generated 21 named tropical storms and hurricanes — the third highest on record. A typical season sees 14 storms. Yet, despite the high number of storms, 2021’s hurricane tally of seven was right in […]

Record-breaking rainfall led to major flooding and several mudslides in British Columbia, causing a province-wide state of emergency. Devastating floods washed away homes, left farms under water, and damaged highways. Hundreds of people in the Lower Mainland were left stranded or cut off from essential services and thousands were evacuated from their homes in southern […]

Northern California and the Pacific Northwest were hit Sunday with a convergence of storms that brought more than half a foot of rain to parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, along with high winds, flash floods, mudslides and the potential for heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada. The extreme weather left hundreds of thousands […]

Monsoon rains leading to flash floods hit Melaka and Muar on the evening of October 20, 2021. We’re beginning to learn the breadth and depth of the losses to commercial and residential properties. To those impacted, we are with you and we are here to help. Sedgwick’s dedicated team of adjusters (including adjusters mobilized from […]

The Hong Kong Observatory issued a No 8 warning signal at 5:20 p.m. local time on Tuesday as Tropical Cyclone Kompasu, the second major storm to hit the city in four days, gathered strength. Recent forecasts call for Kompasu to be closest to Hong Kong early Wednesday morning. Due to strong winds, several ferry routes […]

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit near Mansfield in the State of Victoria on Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 9:15 a.m. The earthquake is the largest Victoria has ever experienced. It affected the whole state, including the major city of Melbourne. Following the quake, three aftershocks were reported and more are expected. At this time, no serious […]

Typhoon Chanthu slammed into the northern Philippines on Saturday, bringing destructive winds and heavy rains. The storm displaced thousands of people and left several communities flooded and without power. Now the storm is approaching Shanghai, where hundreds of flights were grounded and tens of thousands of residents were evacuated from at-risk areas. The storm is […]

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit near the resort city of Acapulco in southwestern Guerrero state on September 7. It affected areas hundreds of miles away, including Mexico City. Following the quake, 92 aftershocks were reported, including one that measured 5.2 magnitude. As of Tuesday night, around 1.6 million people were without power across five states […]

Just days after making a Category 4 landfall in Louisiana, the remnants of Hurricane Ida ripped through the mid-Atlantic states into the Northeast — causing flooding rains and damaging tornados. The National Weather Service issued at least five flash flood emergencies Wednesday evening, stretching from west of Philadelphia through northern New Jersey. Homes were flooded, […]

Ida has now become a Category 1 hurricane in the Caribbean Sea and is forecast to intensify into a major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico this weekend. Hurricane watches are in effect from southwestern Louisiana to the Mississippi-Alabama state line, including the New Orleans metro area. Conditions in the Gulf of Mexico are conducive […]

The Atlantic hurricane season is in full force this week, with Henri moving north, Grace revisiting Mexico, and Fred still impacting North Carolina. Henri is expected to become a hurricane and could be the first significant one to hit New England in years. Its exact path and strength as it nears New England are still […]

Tropical Storm Nepartak heads toward Japan and the Olympic Games  Tokyo is bracing for Tropical Storm Nepartak, which has already begun to disrupt some Olympic events. The storm developed late Friday, local time and is heading toward the island nation. Forecasts call for enhanced rain, winds and rough surf to impact areas to the north […]

Severe flooding overwhelmed Zhengzhou, the capital of China’s central Henan province, after the equivalent of a year’s average rainfall fell in just three days. The event led to the evacuation of about 100,000 people, the rescue of more than 500 people trapped in subway tunnels, and caused at least 25 fatalities. Property damage is extensive, […]