Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Hurricanes Like Helene Keep Killing for Years After They Strike
Oct 8 2024 // Hurricanes in the United States end up hundreds of times deadlier than the government calculates, contributing to more American deaths than car accidents or all the nation’s wars, a new study said. The average storm...
Former Hurricane Kirk Set to Lash France With Heavy Rain
Oct 8 2024 // The remnants of Hurricane Kirk are forecast to hit France on Wednesday, after weakening to a post-tropical cyclone. The storm will bring wind gusts as strong as 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour to the Pyrenees, according...
Property/Casualty Insurance Stocks Slump on Hurricane Milton-Related Fears
Oct 8 2024 // U.S. property and casualty insurance stocks tanked on Monday after Hurricane Milton intensified into a category 4 storm on its path towards Florida’s western coast, marking yet another costly disaster for the...
Utilities’ Extreme Plan to Stop Wildfires: Shut Off the Power
Oct 8 2024 // A growing number of utilities are resorting to an extreme measure to prevent their equipment from sparking catastrophic wildfires: turning off the power. Electric companies serving about 24 million homes and businesses...
Hurricane Kirk’s Remnants Forecast to Hit Europe Later This Week
Oct 7 2024 // The remnants of Hurricane Kirk are forecast to hit northwest France on Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and gale-force winds. Hurricane Kirk peaked at Category 4 storm over the Atlantic last week, but is weakening as it...
Hurricane Francine Insured Losses Expected to Be Manageable
Oct 7 2024 // Losses from Hurricane Francine are expected to be manageable for property/casualty insurers, with major population centers sparred from the worst of the storm’s damage. Privately insured loss from Hurricane Francine...
Rebuild or What? Florida Towns Hit Three Times by Hurricanes Face Tough Choice
Oct 4 2024 // HORSESHOE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — It was just a month ago that Brooke Hiers left the state-issued emergency trailer where her family had lived since Hurricane Idalia slammed into her Gulf Coast fishing village of Horseshoe...
Taiwan Reopens, Clearing Up Damage After Typhoon Krathon
Oct 4 2024 // Southern Taiwan worked on Friday to clear up damage from flooding and high winds after Typhoon Krathon slammed into a major port city, while most of the rest of the island resumed work and financial markets...
FEMA Doesn’t Have Enough Funding to Last Through Hurricane Season, Mayorkas Warns
Oct 4 2024 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency can meet immediate needs but does not have enough funding to make it through the hurricane season, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters Wednesday. The agency...
Typhoon Krathon Hits Taiwan With Dangerous Winds, Heavy Rain
Oct 3 2024 // Typhoon Krathon crossed the southwest coast of Taiwan packing dangerous winds, with the storm leaving thousands of customers without power and shutting the stock exchange a second day. Krathon had maximum sustained winds...
California Wildfires Have Burned 1M Acres So Far This Year. Heat Wave Poses More Risk
Oct 2 2024 // The total acres burned in California this year surpassed 1 million as spiking temperatures this week added to the challenges facing firefighters struggling to contain a stubborn blaze in the mountains northeast of Los...
Hurricane Ravages Southern Cotton Crops Just Before Harvest
Oct 2 2024 // Cotton growers are facing devastating losses and delays from Hurricane Helene just as harvest was beginning, marking the latest blow to profits in an already weak market. The storm ripped through the cotton-growing regions...
University of California Purchases Sensor-Triggered Earthquake Parametric Policy
Oct 2 2024 // What is being called the first sensor-triggered earthquake parametric insurance policy in the U.S. was purchased by The University of California. Liberty Mutual Reinsurance, part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, and...
Taiwan Rescues All Crew Members on Stricken Ship as Super Typhoon Nears
Oct 2 2024 // Taiwan authorities completed the dramatic helicopter rescue of 19 crew members on a stricken ship, which foundered as Super Typhoon Krathon brings strong winds and heavy rains to the island. All those on the...
Hawaii High Court Agrees to Weigh in on Issues Holding up $4B Wildfire Settlement
Oct 1 2024 // Hawaii’s Supreme Court will consider questions about issues that threaten to thwart a $4 billion settlement in last year’s devastating Maui wildfires. A Maui judge last month agreed to ask the state high court...
Update: Taiwan Warns of Storm Surge From Powerful Typhoon, Troops Mobilized
Oct 1 2024 // Taiwan mobilized nearly 40,000 troops on Tuesday to be on standby for rescue efforts as powerful Typhoon Krathon approached its populous southwest coast which is bracing for a storm surge. As the typhoon approached,...
4.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hit California South of San Francisco
Sep 30 2024 // An earthquake registering magnitude 4.2 shook part of central California early Sunday, the United States Geological Survey confirmed. The earthquake was detected at 2:47 a.m. local time about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers)...
Hurricane Helene Halts Poultry Plants, Damages Pecan Trees
Sep 30 2024 // Hurricane Helene has halted chicken processing plants and caused severe damage to some flocks, while also downing pecan trees and flattening cotton crops, as floodwaters swamped the southern US. Every commodity was...
Powerful Typhoon Krathon Forecast to Hit Taiwan’s Populated West Coast
Sep 30 2024 // Taiwan issued a warning on Monday ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Krathon, which has strengthened into the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane and is expected to cross the densely populated west coast bringing torrential...
Tropical Storm Helene Lashes Florida With Powerful Winds, Rain
Sep 27 2024 // Hurricane Helene barreled into the western coast of Florida with dangerous winds, knocking out power for more than a million customers and threatening to unleash deadly flooding across several states. Helene made landfall...
