Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insurance Charity Responding to Historic California Wildfires
Aug 7 2018 // The insurance industry is responding to the massive blazes across California in a way that goes beyond merely paying claims. More than $30,000 has been collected within the last week to help victims of the dozens of...
Texas Commission Seeking Comments for Texas Windstorm Insurance Review
Aug 7 2018 // While the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is not subject to closure by the state’s Sunset Commission, the insurer is subject to periodic review by the commission as required by the Texas Sunset Act. As it...
Tornado Warnings in Wyoming Increasing This Year
Aug 7 2018 // The National Weather Service has issued more than double the number of tornado warnings in Wyoming so far this year than are typically issued. The Casper Star-Tribune reported the service has issued 51 warnings in Wyoming...
Largest Wildfire in California History Continues to Grow
Aug 7 2018 // Twin fires in Northern California being treated as one became the largest wildfire in state history, destroying 443 square miles. The Mendocino Complex fire north of San Francisco was still growing this week as it broke...
Portugal Battles Wildfire as Intense Heat Wave Continues Across Europe
Aug 7 2018 // Emergency services in Portugal continued their fight Monday against a major, four-day wildfire on the south coast that threatened to engulf a hillside town overnight. The Civil Protection Agency said 44 people required...
Powerful Earthquake Slams Indonesian Island of Lombok, Killing at Least 98
Aug 7 2018 // A powerful earthquake flattened houses and toppled bridges on the Indonesian tourist island of Lombok, killing at least 98 people and shaking neighboring Bali, as authorities said Monday that rescuers still hadn’t...
PCI: Majority of Texans Not Prepared for Hurricane Season
Aug 6 2018 // A large majority of Texas residents are not taking necessary steps to protect their property this hurricane season despite the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, according to a new poll conducted online by SurveyMonkey on...
Hawaii Officials Worry Earthquakes from Eruption Could Damage Roads
Aug 6 2018 // Officials on Hawaii’s Big Island, where the Kilauea volcano has been spewing huge amounts of lava for months, are bracing for the possibility that frequent earthquakes will cut off a major highway. Emergency...
California Governor Seeks Wildfire Aid from Trump as State Battles 17 Blazes
Aug 6 2018 // Gov. Jerry Brown over the weekend called on President Donald Trump to help California fight and recover from another devastating wildfire season. Brown, who inspected neighborhoods wiped out by a wildfire in the Northern...
Buildings Damaged Following Massachusetts Tornado Warning, High Winds
Aug 6 2018 // A tornado warning in Massachusetts has expired, and meteorologists from the National Weather Service are surveying building damage that may have been caused by a tornado. Extensive damage to buildings and trees are...
Hurricane Maria Likely Killed 1,139, Far More Than Government Tally: Penn State Study
Aug 6 2018 // Some 1,139 people are likely to have perished after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September, far more than the official death count of 64, according to a Pennsylvania State University study published Thursday in the...
Dust from Sahara Desert Moves West, Puts Brakes on Atlantic Hurricanes
Aug 6 2018 // Atlantic storm watchers are going to have a hard time seeing the ocean, never mind any tropical systems, as another Saharan swirl of dust from Africa is moving west. The dust, a marker for dry air, has spread out across...
Typhoon Shanshan Heads Toward Tokyo, as 13th Tropical Storm of Season
Aug 6 2018 // Typhoon Shanshan is set to approach the Tokyo area later this week, bringing heavy winds and strong rains to a region suffering from a sweltering heatwave. Shanshan, the 13th tropical storm of the season, is projected to...
Class-Action Status OK’d in Oklahoma Suit Over Earthquakes
Aug 6 2018 // Central Oklahoma residents won’t get a trial this fall for a case against an oil company accused of triggering earthquakes that damaged homes and buildings. A Cleveland County judge has outlined rules for the...
One Year Ago: Reflections on the 2017 Hurricane Season
Aug 6 2018 // It’s hard to believe but August brings us to the one-year anniversary of the watery nightmare that was Hurricane Harvey and the beginning of the remarkable 2017 hurricane season that also featured Hurricane Irma...
At Least 3 Tornadoes Confirmed in Colorado
Aug 3 2018 // People on the plains of northeastern Colorado were cleaning up this week from a powerful storm that spawned at least three tornadoes, ripped off roofs and flipped trucks and small airplanes. No serious injuries were...
Atlantic Hurricane Season Had Early Start, but Fewer Storms Are Expected
Aug 3 2018 // The Atlantic hurricane season may have gotten off to an early start this year, but it’ll probably end with a whimper — at least when it comes to the total number of storms. Twelve named storms are likely to...
California Commissioner Asks Insurers to Help Speed Wildfire Recovery Efforts
Aug 1 2018 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced on Wednesday he is taking actions he says will help protect thousands of wildfire survivors. His first action is a notice requesting insurers to expedite claims...
S&P Probes If Reinsurers Are Ready for Another Year of Active Natural Disasters
Aug 1 2018 // After global insured natural catastrophe losses hit record highs in 2017, will reinsurers be able to withstand another year of active natural catastrophes? S&P Global Ratings indicates that while reinsurers are...
Possible Tornado Damages Homes Along Georgia Coast
Jul 31 2018 // Emergency officials say a possible tornado has left a trail of damage on the Georgia coast. No injuries were reported after a funnel cloud was spotted Friday afternoon on Whitemarsh Island, east of Savannah. The Chatham...
