Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake Jolts India, Bangladesh: AIR Worldwide
Jan 5 2016 // A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit northeast India near its border with Myanmar and Bangladesh on Jan. 4 at 4:35 a.m. local time, about 29 kilometers (18 miles) northwest of Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, according to...
Tennessee Records 19 Tornadoes in 2015
Jan 5 2016 // Weather officials say 19 tornadoes touched down in Tennessee last year, marking the state’s lowest total since 2007. The National Weather Service said one tornado struck the state in April and two touched down in May...
Small Earthquake Shakes Parts of New Jersey, New York
Jan 4 2016 // Scientists say a small earthquake has hit in northern New Jersey. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-2.07 quake hit just before 1 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 2, roughly 2 miles northwest of Ringwood, New Jersey....
‘Average’ Would Describe Wyoming Wildfire Season, Forester Says
Dec 31 2015 // Wyoming firefighters put out a typical number of wildfires in 2015 despite a surge in blazes nationwide. The Casper Star-Tribune reported that Wyoming state forester Bill Crapser says the state’s weather...
China Anti-Terrorism Law Raises Implementation Concerns: European Chamber
Dec 31 2015 // The vague wording of China’s new counter-terrorism law raises concerns about how telecommunications carriers and network service providers will be expected to implement the regulations in practice, the European...
Insured Loss Estimate from Texas Tornadoes at $1.2B, So Far
Dec 30 2015 // Texas is dealing with approximately $1.2 billion in insured losses so far from nine confirmed tornadoes that struck the metro-Dallas area on Dec. 26 and killed 11 people, according to preliminary estimates from the...
California Earthquake Authority’s 2016 Changes Aim to Increase Policy Count
Dec 29 2015 // It’s about the closest thing to DIY earthquake insurance as one can get, though there’s definitely no indication that the newest consumer-friendly features being rolled out by the California Earthquake...
Southeast Continues to Get Hammered by Strong Storms, Tornadoes
Dec 29 2015 // Forecasters at the National Weather Service in Mobile, Ala., say a tornado was reported in Molino in northwest Florida on Monday. The line of strong thunderstorms also moved into storm-battered Alabama on Monday, bringing...
Texas Tornadoes, Midwest Flooding Leave at Least 24 Dead
Dec 29 2015 // At least 11 people died and dozens were injured in strong tornadoes that swept through the Dallas area and caused substantial damage this weekend, while 13 people died in flooding in the Midwest. It was the latest of a...
AIR Worldwide: At Least 9 Tornadoes in North Texas; Extent of Damage Not Yet Known
Dec 29 2015 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide reported that the huge storm system that impacted the United States from New Mexico to Michigan and Georgia over the Christmas holiday weekend delivered at least nine tornadoes in...
California Wildfire Contained, Now Comes Worries About Landslides
Dec 29 2015 // As firefighters mopped up the remains of a wildfire on the Southern California coast, authorities turned their focus to a new concern: a landslide if rain pounds the charred hills. In a heavy rain, the denuded soil could...
Australia Wildfire Insurance Losses Double to A$53 Million ($38 Million)
Dec 29 2015 // Losses from wildfires that destroyed more than 100 homes along a popular tourist stretch in southeastern Australia more than doubled in two days to A$53 million ($38 million) and are expected to climb further, the...
Tornado Touched Down in Western Ohio: Weather Service
Dec 28 2015 // The National Weather Service has that confirmed a rare December tornado touched down in western Ohio. The weather service says the tornado had an estimated maximum wind speed of 65 mph and did not cause any injuries. The...
President Signs Disaster Declaration Following Idaho Windstorm
Dec 28 2015 // President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration for Idaho due to a powerful windstorm in the northern part of the state in November and ordered federal aid. The money can be used by state, tribal, local governments...
Texas Storms That Spawned Tornadoes Kill at Least 11
Dec 28 2015 // Tornadoes that swept through the Dallas, Texas area caused substantial damage and at least 11 people died either from the storm or related traffic accidents and dozens of people were injured. It’s the latest of a...
Peru Insurance Regulator Approves AIR Worldwide’s Earthquake Model
Dec 23 2015 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, a division of Verisk Analytics, announced that its earthquake model for Peru has been officially approved by Peruvian insurance regulator Superintendencia de Banca y Seguros (SBS)...
Forecasters Warn of Severe Storms, Possible Tornadoes in Alabama
Dec 22 2015 // Forecasters say severe storms – including the threat of tornadoes – will be possible on Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evening across Alabama. The National Weather Service in Birmingham says an area that...
Oklahoma Judge Won’t Toss Suit over Earthquake Damage
Dec 22 2015 // An Oklahoma judge has rejected a request from two energy companies to throw out a lawsuit by a woman who claims she was injured in an earthquake caused by the injection of wastewater. Lincoln County District Judge Cynthia...
Insurance Executive Sees Problems, Opportunities in L.A.’s Earthquake Law
Dec 21 2015 // It’s a big question in front of landlords of thousands of Los Angeles properties early next year. When the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted in October for new earthquake retrofit regulations it put in play...
Typhoon Melor Hits Philippines with Fierce Winds and Flooding: AIR
Dec 16 2015 // A report from catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, describes Super Typhoon Melor, known locally as Nona, as having struck the Philippines on Monday, December 14, 2015, at around 3:00 UTC (11:00 a.m. local time) near...
