A 7-year-old boy and a teenager were killed in a fire sparked by an e-bike’s lithium-ion battery in New York on Monday, marking the city’s fifth death in connection with the batteries this year, officials said.

According to BMS Re, a specialised reinsurance broker, and available industry data, it is estimated that the insured losses caused by severe weather events such as hail, tornadoes, and thunderstorm wind gusts in the US during the first-quarter amount to a range of $7 billion to $9.5 billion.

Colorado homeowners and businesses unable to get property insurance from private companies could obtain expensive, bare-bones coverage from a quasi-governmental insurer of last resort under a bill introduced Thursday in the state legislature.

Anger over growing social inequality and the cost of living, sinking faith in governments and institutions, and increasingly polarized politics, together with a rise in activism and environmental concerns, are the main factors expected to fuel incidents of strikes, riots and civil commotion (SRCC).

A string of destructive tornadoes ripped through huge swaths of the country in recent weeks, with experts saying a warmer-than-usual winter across the South likely fueled what has been one of the busiest recorded starts to the tornado season.

A devastating tornado tore through southeastern Missouri on Wednesday morning, killing at least five people and leaving widespread destruction as authorities warned of more twisters.

Hurricane forecasting and warning systems have greatly improved in recent years, providing residents with valuable time to plan, but preparedness remains paramount in south Louisiana as another tropical storm season approaches, federal and state officials said at the start of a national conference in New Orleans on Monday.

California Commissioner Ricardo Lara has announced that Kemper Independent Insurance Company overcharged its policyholders for their wildfire insurance coverage. As a result, that insurer has issued $1.5 million in refunds to thousands of homeowners.

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon on Tuesday (April 4) unveiled a package of proposed new laws he wants the legislature to approve during the upcoming legislative session.

Drones have been deployed by insurers and risk managers for several years to better assess risks, respond to catastrophes and improve claims efficiency.

Parts of the Midwest and South devastated by catastrophic tornadoes will have almost no time to recover before another round of dangerous storms takes aim at hard-hit areas.

This year expects to see challenges in the housing market, construction industry, and claims. The headwinds are plenty: higher interest rates for construction loans, rising labor and material costs, slowing demand from homebuyers squeezed by more expensive mortgages, and fears of a looming recession as cities continue to recover from the pandemic.

State Farm recently released its hail insurance claims data, revealing that there was a $1 billion increase in filings for damage from that cause in 2022 when compared to the figure for 2021.

State Sen. Kirk Talbot on Monday outlined several solutions the Legislature will consider this session to mend Louisiana’s battered property insurance market, including changes to some restrictions that he said have soured insurers on the state.

An EF4 tornado tore through the western Mississippi town of Rolling Fork on Friday night, causing total destruction as it ripped through the small, tight-knit community. The outbreak of storms left at least 26 dead across the Southeast, and communities face a lengthy road to recovery.