Hurricane Isaias to drive $1bn+ insured & economic losses

07.08.2020 917 views
Economic and insured loss totals from the impact of Hurricane Isaias are each individually expected to surpass the $1 billion threshold, according to analysts at Aon. Isaias swept across the Caribbean over July 28th to August 1st with notable impacts in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. It later tracked up parallel to the Florida Coast before landfalling in North Carolina on August 3rd as a Category 1 Hurricane with maximum sustained wind speeds of 85mph. Significant impacts were experienced along a large portion of the eastern seaboard, including historic storm surge, hurricane force wind gusts, flooding rainfall, and damaging tornadoes. Isaias became the second hurricane, and the fifth storm to make landfall in the US during the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane season. Across the Dominican Republic, landslides and downed trees were reported across multiple provinces, while 131 towns were isolated due to flooding of streams and rivers. Preliminary surveys indicated 1,119 damaged homes throughout the country, with the most significant damage reported in Hato Mayor. In Puerto Rico, at least 438,000 customers lost power and several river gauges were recorded at above flood stage after portions of the island received between 6 to 10 inches of rainfall. And similarly, in the Bahamas, there were widespread reports of power interruptions, downed utility lines, fallen trees, and flooding, as well as storm surge damage and substantial crop loss. Hurricane Isaias brought only minimal impacts as it tracked up the coast of Florida, but brought notable storm surge across portions of coastal South Carolina. Following this, the storm brought 2 to 4 inches of rainfall to North Carolina, as well as hurricane force wind gusts reaching 99 mph at Federal Point, and multiple confirmed tornadoes. A NWS damage survey reported dozens of destroyed mobile homes, along with multiple single-story homes – some of which were left unrecognizable – while flooding inundated roadways and stranded vehicles. Aon reports that the hurricane then moved up across Virginia, where similar levels of inland flooding were reported, before tracking across Maryland and Delaware, where it caused more flooding and minor wind damage. Beyond this, Isaias continued to cause minor disruption in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York as it weakened significantly, although power outages and downed trees were reported as far as Connecticut and New Hampshire. While Aon believes that the economic and insured loss totals from Isaias will both eventually surpass $1 billion, it warned that it remains too early to provide a more precise loss estimate, given that damage surveys across the Caribbean, US and Canada remain on-going. Source - https://www.reinsurancene.ws
18.08.2026

Philippines - P210.93-million farm aid allocated to areas hit by storms, monsoon rains

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will provide P210.93 million worth of farm inputs to assist farmers affected by Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay, as well as the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat).

18.08.2026

Tanzania - Biotechnology reshapes farming through smarter crop protection

For farmers, pest control is increasingly a business decision, with the choice of crop-protection products affecting production costs, yields, farm incomes and access to markets.

18.08.2026

Syria, WFP discuss agricultural development, insurance system

Agriculture Minister Basel al-Suwaidan met on Tuesday with World Food Programme Country Director Marianne Ward to discuss enhancing cooperation on agricultural and development projects to support the sector and strengthen its resilience to challenges.

18.08.2026

USA - Historic Indiana flooding threatens crop potential as farmers continue to evaluate storm damage

Indiana’s State Climatologist says last week’s historic flooding is raising concerns about the long-term impact on the 2026 crop.

18.08.2026

India - El Niño Threatens Andhra Pradesh with Rainfall Deficit; Government Unveils Five-Point Response Plan

Andhra Pradesh is preparing for a potentially difficult water and agricultural season as the State faces significant rainfall deficiency and declining water availability, with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu urging officials, legislators and farmers to prepare for the impact of El Niño.

18.08.2026

USA - Two-part plan aims to protect upstream farmers from Fargo-Moorhead flood diversion losses

Federal and local officials outlined a two-part plan Tuesday to protect upstream farmers whose land may be inundated during operations of the Fargo-Moorhead flood diversion project.

17.08.2026

India - Himachal Pradesh Rolls Out Farm Machinery Insurance Scheme to Curb Agricultural Fatalities

Himachal Pradesh introduces a specialized insurance scheme to compensate farmers and laborers injured or killed by agricultural machinery.

17.08.2026

Nigeria’s partial crop losses triple to 20 percent as climate, insecurity hit farms —World Bank report

Partial crop losses on Nigerian farms have more than tripled in five years, climbing from roughly six percent of cultivated plots in the 2018/19 season to more than 20 percent in 2023/24, according to a World Bank analysis of General Household Survey–Panel data.