Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Geologist: Kansas Earthquakes Linked to Injection Wells
Aug 24 2015 // Kansas Geological Survey believes an increase in earthquakes in two southern Kansas counties is linked to saltwater injection after oil and natural gas drilling, according to an agency scientist. The agency had said in the...
Study: Ventura, Oxnard in California Could be at Greater Tsunami Risk
Aug 24 2015 // A study says two California coastal cities are at greater risk from tsunamis than previously thought. The study released last week by the American Geophysical Union examined the flooding risk if earthquake faults in the...
Researchers Find Link Between Atlantic Hurricanes and Amazon Wildfires
Aug 24 2015 // Researchers have uncovered a “remarkably strong link” between high wildfire risk in the Amazon basin and the hurricanes that ravage North Atlantic shorelines. The wildfire-hurricane association is a result of...
Hurricane Danny Weakens to Tropical Depression
Aug 24 2015 // As of 8 a.m East Coast time, Danny, which became a Category 3 hurricane last Friday, had weakened substantially to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center...
‘Tiny’ Hurricane Danny Expected to Weaken
Aug 21 2015 // Tiny Hurricane Danny strengthened on its path across the Atlantic and may reach the Leeward Islands sometime Monday. With top winds of 105 miles (169 kilometers) per hour, Danny is now a Category 2 storm on the five-step...
At Least 36 Homes Destroyed by Oregon Wildfire
Aug 20 2015 // The Grant County Sheriff’s Office says at least 36 homes have been destroyed by an Eastern Oregon wildfire, 10 more than previously reported. Gov. Kate Brown met Wednesday with victims of the fire near John Day and...
Danny Turns Into Hurricane, Atlantic Season’s First
Aug 20 2015 // Danny became the first hurricane of the Atlantic season as its top winds grew to 75 miles per hour in the seas east of the Windward Islands. The Category 1 storm, about 1,090 miles (1,754 kilometers) from the islands,...
New U.S. Satellite Aims to Unlock Mysteries of Hurricanes
Aug 20 2015 // Hurricanes hold lots of secrets. Unlocking them can help forecasters predict the next steps the deadly storms will take. That, in turn, will help improve computer forecast models and give meteorologists a better...
Texas Extends Deadline in Windstorm Insurance Board Search
Aug 19 2015 // The Texas Department of Insurance is extending its deadline for accepting applications for the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association board to September 1. The original deadline for applications was Aug. 15. The board is...
Tropical Storm Danny to Become Hurricane? Maybe, Maybe Not
Aug 19 2015 // A storm-free August in the Atlantic was probably too much to ask for. Tropical Storm Danny formed out of a cluster of thunderstorms Tuesday about 1,600 miles (2,600 kilometers) east of the Windward Islands. There’s...
Washington Wildfires Remain Threat in Hot, Dry Weather
Aug 18 2015 // Crews continued their battle late Monday with several large fires threatening home in the Chelan area in central Washington. The blazes have destroyed more than 50 structures, forced about 1,500 residents to flee and...
Small Earthquake Jolts Northern California
Aug 18 2015 // A short sharp earthquake rattled California’s San Francisco Bay Area, but there are no reports of injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 4.0 magnitude quake struck Monday and was centered just north of...
California Earthquake Authority Prepares to Go into ‘Hyperspace’
Aug 18 2015 // The California Earthquake Authority – the state’s quasi-public earthquake insurance pool – long has had a problem with take-up. Only about 10 percent of homeowners in this most seismically active state actually...
Typhoons Goni & Atsani Moving Toward Taiwan, Japan, Korea: AccuWeather Report
Aug 18 2015 // The AccuWeather Global Weather Center reports that two typhoons, currently located in the Eastern Pacific Ocean will strengthen further in the coming days, as one or both could become super typhoons. Typhoon Goni battered...
Fracking Drives NAIC Earthquake Conversation
Aug 17 2015 // Hydraulic fracturing – the process of extracting oil and gas resources that requires breaking rock through the high-pressured injection of liquid into the ground, popularly known as “fracking” – has caused...
Arab Bank Settles Terrorism Financing Claims by U.S. Citizens
Aug 17 2015 // Arab Bank Plc has agreed to settle litigation brought by hundreds of Americans who accused it of facilitating militant attacks in Israel, nearly a year after a U.S. jury found the bank liable. The settlement was confirmed...
Officials: Effort to End Oklahoma’s Earthquakes Will Take Time
Aug 17 2015 // It could take up to another year of research to determine what has caused a recent series of Oklahoma earthquakes and whether the state is doing enough to stop them, officials said. After meeting with members of the...
Hurricane Katrina and the Evolution of Risk Management
Aug 17 2015 // Nearly 10 years ago, wind and storm surges as a result of Hurricane Katrina caused $41 billion in insured losses and $108 billion in total economic losses in the United States. Many of the lawsuits filed as a result of the...
California, Pacific Northwest Schools Get $4M for Earthquake Early Warning Systems
Aug 17 2015 // The U.S. Geological Survey has awarded $4 million to four universities in the Pacific Northwest and California to boost the development of earthquake early warning systems. The University of Washington, the University of...
Oregon City Factors Tsunami Threat Into Expansion Plans
Aug 14 2015 // Seaside, Ore. officials have all the checkboxes ready for planning their expansion, public transportation, affordable housing and of course tsunami preparedness. The Daily Astorian reported that the Planning Commission...
