Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Earthquake Shakes Alaska’s Aleutian Islands
Jul 29 2015 // The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting no damage from a strong earthquake that rocked Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The quake struck at 8:49 p.m. Sunday and was centered 45 miles southwest of the village of Nikolski...
Indiana School to Build Tornado Safe Room with $1.6M Grant
Jul 28 2015 // Federal officials have awarded a southern Indiana school district $1.6 million to build a tornado safe room at an elementary school. The grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will allow Salem Community Schools...
More Wildfires in California, But Less Damage
Jul 28 2015 // The number of California wildfires so far this year is up, but the acreage burned is smaller, the result of favorable weather and more firefighters who can quickly be dispatched to corral flames, fire officials say. Since...
Northern California Wildfire Threatens Homes, Prompts Evacuations
Jul 27 2015 // A Northern California wildfire raced through more than six square miles of drought-stricken timber over the weekend, threatening at least 150 rural homes in the Sierra Nevada, authorities said. The blaze forced evacuations...
35 Louisiana Parishes Declared Natural Disaster Areas: USDA
Jul 24 2015 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared a natural disaster involving 35 Louisiana parishes and eight counties in three neighboring states because of rain, floods, high winds and hail from April 27 through June...
Tornado in Colorado Forest Area Damages Campground
Jul 24 2015 // Tornado damage at a Pike National Forest campground has crews clearing felled trees in a six-acre area. KMGH-TV reported the Devil’s Head campground was hit by a tornado that the National Weather Service confirms...
Officials Say Washington Wildfire Was Human-Caused
Jul 23 2015 // Officials say a wildfire that has burned one home and torched nearly 6 square miles in southeastern Washington was likely human-caused. Fire spokeswoman Sarah Foster says the cause is under investigation, though officials...
4.4M Northern Oklahoma Earthquake Rattles State
Jul 22 2015 // A magnitude 4.4 earthquake centered in northern Oklahoma has shaken the state, with reports of it being felt hundreds of miles away. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the July 20 quake happened at about 3:20 p.m., with...
Tornado-Torn South Dakota Town Getting Advice on Insurance, Resources
Jul 20 2015 // South Dakota organizations aiming to aid residents of the tornado-ravaged town of Delmont are encouraging those affected to utilize all the resources available to them. Scott Swier of the Swier Law Firm in Avon and Jesse...
Small Earthquake Strikes Northern California over Weekend
Jul 20 2015 // A small earthquake has struck near the mountain town of Truckee in Northern California. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-3.5 quake occurred about 6:36 p.m. Saturday. The epicenter was 9 miles northwest of...
Tropical Storm Nangka Batters Japan with Heavy Rain, High Winds: AIR Report
Jul 20 2015 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide’s report on Typhoon Nangka notes that it “made landfall July 16, 2015, at 23:07 Japan Standard Time (JST) (14:07 UTC) with a central pressure of 965 mb near Muroto City,...
Tornado-Torn Arkansas Town to Build Shelter with Grant Money
Jul 17 2015 // An Arkansas town damaged by an April 2014 tornado will receive more than $1 million in federal grant money to build a safe room that will shelter more than a thousand people. Arkansas Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton and...
AIR Estimates Typhoon Chan-hom Insured Losses Less than $354 Million
Jul 16 2015 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, insured losses in China from Typhoon Chan-hom are unlikely to exceed CNY 2.2 billion [$354.3 million]. “Typhoon Chan-hom made landfall in the coastal city of...
Typhoon Nangka Continues on Course towards Japan: AIR Analysis
Jul 15 2015 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has released an analysis of Typhoon Nangka, which is currently a Category 3 storm “with a central pressure of 950 mb and maximum 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 80 knots...
High Winds, Tornadoes Damage Parts of Midwest
Jul 14 2015 // Several Midwest states have been hit with damaging winds, tornadoes and flooding over the past several days. Forecasters say at least four unconfirmed tornadoes may touched down in western Minnesota when strong storms...
Evacuation Orders Lifted in Washington Wildfire
Jul 14 2015 // Evacuations orders have been lifted for a Central Washington wildfire, officials said Tuesday. Firefighters worked to continue strengthening fire lines, and do mop up work on the 22,212 acre blaze, which is now 80 percent...
Southern California Wildfire Caused by Human Activity, Officials Say
Jul 14 2015 // Authorities say human activity caused a Southern California wildfire that burned four buildings and 49 square miles of forest land. However, it’s unclear whether the fire was set on purpose or by accident. The blaze...
Typhoon Chan-hom Loses Strength as It Moves Toward Korean Peninsula
Jul 13 2015 // Typhoon Chan-hom, which caused the evacuation of about a million people and the cancellation of hundreds of air flights in eastern China on Saturday, weakened as it moved northeast along the East China ocean toward the...
Texas Seeking Applications for Windstorm Insurance Assoc. Board
Jul 12 2015 // The Texas Department of Insurance is accepting applications for the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association board of directors after the makeup of the board was changed by the 84th Legislature. Under Senate Bill 900, the...
UK Insurers to Stress Test Capital Reserves Against Synchronized Terrorist Attack
Jul 10 2015 // UK regulators have asked property and casualty insurers to stress test their capital reserves against catastrophes, including a synchronized terrorist attack in London, New York and one other major city. The Prudential...
