Latest Natural Disasters Headlines

All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.

How One Company, AT&T, Is Using Models to Prepare for Natural Disaster Costs

Mar 28 2019 // By 2050, residents of southern Florida could become familiar with storms borne on 90-mph winds. Water levels during floods will rise by an average of 5 percent across the Southeast. And it will not be out of the ordinary...

Natural Disasters Drive £1 Billion (US$1.3 Billion) Loss at Lloyd’s During 2018

Mar 27 2019 // Lloyd’s of London reported a £1 billion (US$ 1.3 billion) loss for 2018, attributed to an above-average number of major natural catastrophes such Hurricanes Florence and Michael, Typhoon Jebi in Japan, as well as...

5th Earthquake This Month Strikes Near Alabama-Florida State Line

Mar 27 2019 // Another weak earthquake has struck near the Alabama-Florida state line. News outlets report it’s the fifth small quake in the area this month. There has been no damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said a...

California to Waive Environmental Rules to Prep for Wildfire Season

Mar 26 2019 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom has moved to bypass environmental regulations to prepare for the next wildfire season, a move he said was necessary to prevent further loss of life even as it frustrated activists in a state...

PG&E Pushes Back on Judge’s Proposals to Prevent Wildfires

Mar 25 2019 // Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is pushing back on a U.S. judge’s revised proposals to prevent the utility’s equipment from causing more wildfires, saying it could not “monitor every tree at every moment...

FEMA Gave Private Contractor Personal Data on 2.3 Million Hurricane, Wildfire Survivors

Mar 25 2019 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency wrongly released to a contractor the personal information of 2.3 million survivors of devastating 2017 hurricanes and wildfires, potentially exposing the victims to identity fraud...

Hailstorm That Slammed Southern California Unusual, Though Not Unheard of

Mar 21 2019 // A rare hailstorm hit normally sunny Southern California on Wednesday, as residents flocked to social media to post pictures of driveways, lawns and roofs blanketed in white nickel-size ice chunks. The National Weather...

Hurricane Michael, Other Challenges Impacting Georgia’s Timber Industry

Mar 21 2019 // Georgia’s timber industry is facing many headwinds as it seeks to recover from the severe damage wrought by Hurricane Michael late last year. The storm erased three-quarters of a billion dollars in timber, The...

16 Tornadoes Confirmed in Alabama During Recent Storms

Mar 21 2019 // The National Weather Service has confirmed a 16th tornado from an outbreak that left damage across Alabama last week. Forecasters say a small twister with winds of up to 65 mph (105 kph) was on the ground for a little more...

Those Who Name Hurricanes Retire Michael, Florence Names

Mar 21 2019 // Hurricanes Florence and Michael will never ravage the Americas again. The two names have been stricken from the official list of Atlantic storms after killing nearly 100 people in the U.S. South last year, the National...

Burning Down a House to Show How to Build for Wildfire Defense

Mar 20 2019 // Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv After only a year into his job as CEO and president of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, Roy Wright is setting the place on fire. The IBHS conducted a demonstration in...

PERILS Lowers Loss Estimate for December 2018 Sydney Hailstorms to A$633M

Mar 20 2019 // PERILS AG disclosed its second loss estimate of A$633 million (US$449.2 million) for the hailstorms which affected the greater Sydney region on Dec. 20, 2018. The estimate also includes the losses from the storm activity...

New Mexico Tornado Destroyed 10 Homes, Inured 5

Mar 19 2019 // A tornado that ripped roofs from buildings and injured five people in a tiny New Mexico town left a trail of debris, authorities reported. The tornado touched down outside of Dexter last week on Tuesday evening before...

Floods, Earthquake Pummel Indonesia, Killing More Than 80

Mar 19 2019 // The number of people killed after torrential downpours triggered flash floods and mudslides that tore through mountainside villages in Indonesia’s easternmost province has climbed to 79, with dozens of others...

Confirmed Tornado Damaged Homes, Businesses in Mid-Michigan

Mar 18 2019 // Authorities say a tornado swept through mid-Michigan, damaging homes and knocking out power to thousands. The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado touched down at 7:03 p.m. Thursday around the Shiawassee...

New Mexico Tornado Traveled 15-Mile-Long Path, Report Shows

Mar 18 2019 // The National Weather Service reported that a tornado that destroyed or damaged numerous homes and other structures in the southern New Mexico community of Dexter traveled a path about 15 miles long and 150-350 yards...

Alabama Tornadoes Caused Nearly $6M in Timber Losses

Mar 18 2019 // The Alabama Forestry Commission estimates timber losses caused by deadly tornadoes on March 3 at nearly $5.9 million. That’s almost $1,000 per acre of timberland damaged by two or three tornadoes in Macon, Lee and...

More Tornadoes Hit Southeast, Cause Damage in Kentucky, Alabama

Mar 18 2019 // The National Weather Service has confirmed at least six tornados hit Alabama on Thursday. The National Weather Service in Birmingham on Saturday posted ongoing damage survey reports. The number of confirmed tornados could...

Deadly Southeast Tornado Outbreak Spawned 36 Tornadoes, 23 Deaths

Mar 18 2019 // The number of tornadoes confirmed to have touched down in a deadly outbreak across the Southeast in early March was at least 36. Survey teams for the National Weather Service found evidence of the twisters in Alabama,...

Deadly 2017 California Wildfire Found Sparked by Edison Power Lines

Mar 14 2019 // The devastating Thomas Fire that killed two people and destroyed more than 1,000 structures northwest of Los Angeles in December 2017 was sparked by power lines owned by Southern California Edison Co , fire officials said...