Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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Oregon Lawmakers Repealed Tsunami Zone Building Law
Jul 1 2019 // The Oregon Legislature has repealed a nearly 25-year-old law prohibiting new schools, hospitals, jails, and police and fire stations from being built in the state’s tsunami inundation zone.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...
Top 15 Metro Areas at Risk this Hurricane Season
Jun 26 2019 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Hurricanes are often some of the most destructive and costly natural hazards. Their impact on homes, businesses and infrastructure comes in the form of strong winds and...
Florida Keys to Receive $21M for Hurricane Irma Recovery
Jun 26 2019 // Officials say the Florida Keys will receive $21 million for Hurricane Irma recovery, along with $35 million for affordable housing. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the money during a Thursday news conference in Marathon. The...
Oregon Lawmakers Repealed Tsunami Zone Building Law
Jun 25 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. The Statesman Journal...
Report Says Major Hurricane Could Cost Virginia $40B
Jun 25 2019 // Experts say that southeastern Virginia could suffer $40 billion in losses if it’s struck by a major hurricane. Professors from Old Dominion University said in a recent report that the damages could seriously puncture...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Funded at $4.2 Billion for 2019 Hurricane Season
Jun 24 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. By comparison, at the start...
California Governor Wants Wildfire Fund to Help Utilities
Jun 21 2019 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom is pressing lawmakers on a wildfire fund that may be financed through bonds to help utilities pay for the catastrophic blazes their power lines keep igniting, according to people familiar with...
AIR Worldwide Releases Update of New Zealand Earthquake Model
Jun 21 2019 // Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide (AIR) announced the release of its updated earthquake model for New Zealand. This model incorporates the latest scientific research after the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake...
Ghost of Harvey Looms Large as 2019 Hurricane Season Gets Underway
Jun 21 2019 // Compared with 2017, last year’s hurricane season was a relatively quiet one for the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana and Texas, with major U.S. storm systems such as Hurricanes Michael and Florence staying well to the...
Weather Service Ups Weekend Tornado Count in Indiana to 10
Jun 20 2019 // Officials have confirmed that a 10th tornado struck Indiana as part of a weekend outbreak that damaged a school, a shopping mall and other buildings. The National Weather Service issued the update Tuesday, saying the...
