Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Alert Level Raised for Large Hawaii Volcano
Jul 9 2019 // Officials have raised the alert level for the world’s largest active volcano, Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, which last erupted in 1984. The U.S. Geological Survey changed the level from “normal” to...
Earthquakes Alert Californians to Be Ready for ‘Big One’
Jul 9 2019 // Shaken residents are cleaning up from two of the biggest earthquakes to rattle California in decades as scientists warn that both should serve as a wake-up call to be ready when the long-dreaded “Big One”...
Virginia to Get $1.8M for Tropical Storm Michael Repairs
Jul 9 2019 // Virginia will receive $1.8 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for electrical distribution repairs as a result of damages caused by Tropical Storm Michael. The grant will be used to reimburse communities...
Insurance Department: Uptake of Earthquake Coverage Declines in Missouri
Jul 9 2019 // A new report issued by the Missouri Department of Insurance shows that earthquake insurance coverage in the highest risk areas of Missouri has dropped to just under 14 percent. According to the department, the Earthquake...
California’s Governor: Earthquakes Are A ‘Wake-Up Call’
Jul 8 2019 // The two major earthquakes that hit Southern California should alert people across the nation of the need to be prepared for natural disasters, the state’s governor said as officials expressed relief that the damages...
Wildfire Help for PG&E, Edison May Not Be Ready When California Lawmakers Adjourn July 12
Jul 8 2019 // California’s biggest utilities, PG&E Corp., Edison International and Sempra Energy, may not get the help they need to deal with multi-billion dollar wildfire liabilities before lawmakers adjourn July 12 for...
Southern California Begins Assessing Damage From Largest Earthquake in 20 Years
Jul 7 2019 // RIDGECREST, Calif. — Crews in Southern California assessed damage to cracked and burned buildings, broken roads, leaking water and gas lines and other infrastructure Saturday after the largest earthquake the region has...
Oregon Agency Charged with Earthquake Study and Preparation Could Be Abolished
Jul 3 2019 // The state agency in charge of earthquake study and preparation, as well as monitoring mining efforts in Oregon, could be shut down after going over budget for the second time in four years. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports...
Officials Say 4 Wildfires in North-Central Nevada Were All Human Caused
Jul 3 2019 // The U.S. Bureau of Land Management says four separate wildfires that broke out in north-central Nevada this week all were caused by humans. The fires that began on Tuesday near Interstate 80 between Lovelock and Winnemucca...
Hot Weather May Fuel South-Central Alaska Wildfire, Some Residents Evacuate
Jul 2 2019 // Meteorologists say a new wave of hot, dry weather is expected to fuel a wildfire burning on the Kenai Peninsula, and continued smoke and record-breaking temperatures are predicted for the Fourth of July holiday week across...
Hailstorm Destroys Thousands of Acres of Crops in Minnesota
Jul 1 2019 // Thousands of acres of corn and soybeans have been destroyed by a hailstorm that moved through southwest Minnesota. And, in some cases it’s too late in the season for farmers to replant. Agronomist Steve Michels at...
Proposed California Wildfire Board Could Operate Partly in Secret
Jul 1 2019 // A closely watched wildfire law proposed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom would exempt a new safety board from some of the state’s government transparency laws. The Wildfire Safety Advisory Board would advise the...
PG&E in California Wants to Securitize Some Profits to Cover Wildfire Costs
Jul 1 2019 // PG&E Corp. is lobbying for legislation that would allow the bankrupt California utility giant to securitize some of its profits to pay for past wildfire liabilities, people familiar with the matter said. PG&E was...
Oregon Lawmakers Repealed Tsunami Zone Building Law
Jul 1 2019 // The Oregon Legislature has repealed a nearly 25-year-old law prohibiting new schools, hospitals, jails, and police and fire stations from being built in the state’s tsunami inundation zone. Coastal legislators, who...
Texas Windstorm Insurer: $4.2B Available for 2019 Hurricane Season
Jul 1 2019 // Texas’ insurer of last resort for properties in counties along the state’s coastline says it has $4.2 billion in available funds as this year’s hurricane season gets underway. That amount includes a $111...
Top Writers of Earthquake Insurance by 2018 Premium Written
Jul 1 2019 // Earthquake coverage is available mostly from private insurance companies. In California homeowners can also get coverage from the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), a privately funded, publicly managed organization....
PG&E Power Line Blamed for Sparking Small California Wildfire
Jun 28 2019 // A downed Pacific Gas & Electric power line is blamed for sparking a wildfire in eastern Monterey County, Calif. this week. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the 2,456-acre blaze that...
Sweltering Heatwave in Germany Sparks Wildfires, Forces Speed Cut on Autobahn
Jun 27 2019 // A blistering heatwave prompted Germany to impose speed restrictions on usually limit-free stretches of its high-speed motorways Wednesday, the latest sign of extreme weather events ruffling Europe’s largest...
National Weather Service Confirms Rare West Virginia Tornado
Jun 27 2019 // The National Weather Service says storm-related damage indicates that a rare tornado touched down in West Virginia. The weather service tweeted that a tornado hit the Alum Creek area Monday night along U.S. Route 119...
Jump in Western U.S. Wildfires Means Smoke’s Health Impact Will Spread
Jun 26 2019 // Climate change in the Western U.S. means more intense and frequent wildfires churning out waves of smoke that scientists say will affect tens of millions of people and cause premature deaths to spike. That’s...
