Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Wildfire Continues to Grow Near Yosemite
Jul 24 2018 // California firefighters worked in worsening heat Monday to contain a forest fire outside Yosemite National Park. The Ferguson Fire had scorched nearly 53 square miles of timber and brush in the Sierra Nevada west of...
Sweden Wildfires Destroy More Than $100M Worth of Forested Land
Jul 24 2018 // Swedish authorities said the risk of fires spreading across the country will hit “extreme” levels this week as emergency services battle dozens of blazes that have already destroyed more than $100 million worth...
Greek Wildfires Claim at Least 74 Lives in Worst Blazes Since 2007
Jul 24 2018 // Greek firefighters say that at least 74 people were killed in wildfires in the country’s Attica region, which includes Athens, as a summer heatwave has increased the risk of blazes across Europe. The fires struck two...
2 Tornadoes Knock Out Power for 20K People in Kentucky
Jul 24 2018 // The National Weather Service has confirmed two tornadoes during severe storms in Kentucky that toppled trees and power lines. The weather service in Louisville says storms on Friday produced an EF-1 tornado in Hart County...
Unexpected Iowa Tornadoes Flatten Buildings, Injure at Least 17
Jul 23 2018 // Thousands of people were without power Friday after a flurry of unexpected tornadoes swept through central Iowa, injuring at least 17 people and flattening buildings in three cities. The storms even surprised weather...
UK Motor Insurers to Mutualize Claims for Terrorist Attacks Using Vehicles as Weapons
Jul 23 2018 // UK motor insurers have voted for the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) to handle and pay the claims from victims involved in a terrorist event where a vehicle is used to kill or injure. MIB is the UK’s not-for-profit body...
Sweden Battles 50 Wildfires with Help of Firefighters Across Europe
Jul 23 2018 // As wildfires raging through Sweden exhaust local emergency services, Europe is sending hundreds of people to help contain multiple blazes across the country. France, Germany and Denmark have dispatched more than 100...
North Dakota Looking at New RV Safety Standards After Deadly Tornado
Jul 19 2018 // A deadly tornado that recently struck a western North Dakota city has prompted state and local officials to call for increased safety standards for RV parks that often house oilfield workers and families. McKenzie County...
New Orleans Won’t Have to Return $2B in Hurricane Katrina Grants
Jul 16 2018 // Congressman Cedric Richmond says New Orleans can keep $2 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency grants approved to fix sewers and water pipes damaged by Hurricane Katrina. A Department of Homeland Security audit...
North Dakota Official Says Tornado Warning Worked, But Residents Didn’t Hear It
Jul 16 2018 // All eight outdoor warning sirens in a North Dakota oil patch city were sounded before a deadly tornado ravaged an RV park, but park residents and others said they didn’t hear them, authorities said. A newborn baby...
Below-Average Activity Seen for Rest of Hurricane Season
Jul 16 2018 // Scientists at Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorology Project have decreased their forecast and now believe that 2018 hurricane season will have below-average activity. According to the forecasters, the...
California Wildfire Insurance Policy Notification Bill Signed
Jul 16 2018 // California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation to require insurance companies to let homeowners know whether their policies are sufficient to rebuild or replace their homes after a disaster. Assembly Bill 1799, by...
OSHA Warns Pennsylvania About Safety Hazards During Tornado Recovery
Jul 16 2018 // Following a tornado that caused millions of dollars of property damage in the Wilkes-Barre, Penn., area, the U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is urging all involved in...
Will California Wildfires Be Worse This Year?
Jul 13 2018 // As blame for California’s wildfires rises over Sacramento like smoke from last year’s blazes, the state is being forced to confront the possibility that it’ll happen again in 2018. California’s...
Oklahoma Sees Fewer but More Severe Earthquakes This Year
Jul 10 2018 // Oklahoma’s 4.0 earthquakes are up significantly this year, but the overall rate of earthquakes is declining. Oklahoma has had six quakes of at least magnitude 4.0 halfway through this year, which is one more than all...
California Wildfire Insurance Policy Notification Bill Signed
Jul 10 2018 // California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation to requires insurance companies to let homeowners know whether their policies are sufficient to rebuild or replace their homes after a disaster. Assembly Bill 1799, by...
Taiwan Prepares for Typhoon Maria, Forcing Cancellation of 250 Flights
Jul 10 2018 // Taiwan warned businesses and schools to prepare for extreme conditions as Severe Typhoon Maria closes in on the island, disrupting flights and curtailing futures trading. The typhoon could bring strong winds and heavy...
Florida Wildfire Victims Still Awaiting Housing Aid 2 Weeks Later
Jul 10 2018 // More than 100 people have been waiting for temporary housing for almost two weeks since being displaced by a wildfire that burned through their tiny community in the Florida Panhandle. In a Panama City News Herald report ,...
Washington’s Skagit County Gets New Tsunami Planning Maps
Jul 9 2018 // Skagit County officials in northwestern Washington have a new resource to help plan for potential big waves caused by large earthquakes along the West Coast. Skagit County Department of Emergency Management Director Doug...
New, Old Wildfires Rage Amid California Heat Wave
Jul 9 2018 // Firefighters toiled in stifling heat Saturday on the lines of destructive wildfires across the U.S. West, making progress against some blazes while struggling to tame others that have forced evacuations of hundreds of...
