Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Wildfire That Erupted Near Massive Blaze Expands
Aug 11 2015 // A wildfire that erupted near a destructive blaze in Northern California’s rural, rocky hills expanded farther. The blaze had burned 9 square miles by Monday afternoon, the California Department of Forestry and Fire...
Typhoon Soudelor Hits Taiwan and China with Rains, Floods & Wind: AIR Report
Aug 11 2015 // A report from catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, states: “Typhoon Soudelor has weakened over eastern China after making landfalls in Saipan, Taiwan, and China. The storm made landfall in Taiwan at 21:00 UTC on...
Arizona Wildfire Sees New Evacuation Orders
Aug 10 2015 // Worsening conditions at a wildfire in northwestern Arizona prompted authorities to issue a second evacuation order over the weekend. The decision Sunday to order an additional 700 homes evacuated brings the number of...
Below-Normal Atlantic Hurricane Season Now Even More Likely: NOAA
Aug 10 2015 // The U.S. Climate Prediction Center’s updated 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook calls for a 90 percent chance of a below-normal hurricane season. A below-normal season is now even more likely than predicted in...
Typhoon Soudelor Kills at Least 9 in China After Lashing Taiwan, Killing 5
Aug 10 2015 // At least nine people were killed in China’s eastern Zhejiang province as the remnants of Typhoon Soudelor dumped the heaviest rainfall in a century on the mainland after killing five in Taiwan. About 645 millimeters...
UPDATE: Typhoon Soudelor Nears Taiwan; China Next: AccuWeather Report
Aug 7 2015 // AccuWeather has reported that “powerful Typhoon Soudelor will bring both flooding rainfall and damaging winds to Taiwan as the storm remains on a collision course with the island.” The report noted that...
UPDATE: from AIR: Typhoon Soudelor Nears Taiwan as Season’s Strongest
Aug 6 2015 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Typhoon Soudelor is “the strongest tropical cyclone anywhere on earth thus far in 2015 based upon estimated wind speed.” The storm is continuing on its path...
West Virginia Purchases Second Drone to Assess Natural Disaster Damage
Aug 6 2015 // West Virginia’s Department of Transportation has purchased its second drone. The Charleston Gazette reports that the $3,500 drone will be used to help provide views of hard-to-reach or inaccessible areas. Department...
Firefighters Make Progress Against Raging California Wildfire
Aug 5 2015 // Firefighters are reporting some progress against a Northern California wildfire that has charred more than 100 square miles of terrain, destroying buildings, threatening many others and sending thousands of residents...
Super Typhoon Soudelor Threatens China & Taiwan: AccuWeather Report
Aug 5 2015 // AccuWeather has reported that Typhoon Soudelor “rapidly intensified on Monday, becoming a super typhoon and reaching the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic or Eastern Pacific...
Texas Seeks Comment on Rules for Changes to Windstorm Insurer
Aug 4 2015 // The Texas Department of Insurance is seeking public comment on drafts of rules for implementing legislation that alters funding mechanisms for the state’s property insurer of last resort for wind and hail along the...
Wet Weather Helps in Battling Massive California Wildfire
Aug 4 2015 // Cooler, wetter weather helped crews make inroads Monday against a massive Northern California wildfire that tore through two dozen homes, threatened thousands more and forced 12,000 people to flee the flames. The largest...
Cooler Conditions Help Firefighters Battle Southwest Oregon Wildfire
Aug 4 2015 // Clouds and the end of triple-digit heat helped firefighters battling the Stouts wildfire in southwest Oregon. Fire spokesman Dave Wells says the blaze is only 3 percent contained, but crews made good progress on the fire...
Another Earthquake Shakes Northern Oklahoma
Aug 3 2015 // Another earthquake has shaken parts of northern Oklahoma near the Kansas border. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 3.6 magnitude earthquake was recorded at 3:28 p.m. on Aug. 1 about 11 miles south-southwest of Medford in...
California, Pacific Northwest Schools Get $4M for Earthquake Early Warning Systems
Aug 3 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...
Raging California Wildfire Jumps Containment
Aug 3 2015 // Firefighters aided by lower temperatures and higher humidity have made progress corralling a wildfire threatening thousands of homes in Northern California. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Capt. Don...
Hurricane Katrina: A Look Back After Ten Years
Aug 3 2015 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. The Atlantic was active from the start of the 2005 hurricane season. By late August, there had already been 10 named storms, including one Category 4 and one Category...
Weather Service Confirms Tornado Struck North Dakota City
Jul 31 2015 // The National Weather Service has confirmed that storm damage in Tolna, N.D. was caused by a tornado. The tornado last week was rated an EF-1, with an estimated peak wind speed of 110 mph. It was on the ground for about 4...
Firefighters Hold California Wildfire That Jumped Line
Jul 30 2015 // Crews battling the toughest of several wildfires burning across the state held their ground late Wednesday, keeping a blaze east of California’s Napa Valley from jumping any more containment lines, fire officials...
Japan Earthquake Premiums to Rise as Insurers Reassess Risk After Fukushima
Jul 30 2015 // Japan’s insurance companies are pushing for an average 19 percent increase in earthquake premiums as they reassess risk following the unprecedented magnitude 9 quake four years ago. The increase could come into...
