Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Hurricane Blanca Grows off Mexico Coast; Headed for Tip of Baja
Jun 3 2015 // Hurricane Blanca strengthened to a category 4 storm off Mexico’s Pacific coast on Wednesday and was expected to bear down on a tourist hub at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, the U.S. National...
California Assembly Advances Earthquake Safety Bills
Jun 3 2015 // The California Assembly is advancing a pair of bills designed to help buildings withstand earthquakes. The legislation approved unanimously this week would expand financial incentives for seismic retrofits. AB428 would...
Florida Gun Owners Without Permits Get Exemption for Hurricanes
Jun 3 2015 // Florida gun owners who don’t have a concealed weapons permit can now take their firearms with them while fleeing a hurricane. Not that it’s been a big problem in Florida in the past. No one can cite an example...
Pacific Storms Rage While Atlantic Hurricane Season Opens Quietly
Jun 2 2015 // The Atlantic hurricane season opened with empty seas and low expectations as two storms raged off the western coast of Mexico, where they will almost certainly stay. Hurricane Andres, which formed last week and grew into a...
NOAA’s Hurricane Hunter Planes Get $42 million Upgrade
Jun 2 2015 // The hurricane planes known affectionately as “Miss Piggy” and “Kermit” are getting new Rolls-Royce engines, new wings and better radar. Every hurricane season for nearly four decades, the two...
Worried About Dying from Surgery, Hurricane, Plane Crash? Check Out the Odds
Jun 1 2015 // Americans who worry about dying worry about the wrong things. That’s according to the National Safety Council, which kicked off National Safety Month by unveiling its annual list of Americans’ “Odds of...
Small Earthquake Rattles Southern California Desert
Jun 1 2015 // The U.S. Geological Survey says a light earthquake struck Southern California on Sunday morning. The magnitude 4.1 quake occurred at 6:02 a.m. Sunday at a depth of about 7 miles. The quake was located about 7 miles...
Effective Wildfire Prevention Hampered by Liability, Weather, Development
Jun 1 2015 // Forest managers would prefer to use prescribed burns every few years to help prevent costly wildfires and rebuild unhealthy ecosystems, but hurdles like staffing, budget, liability and new development hinder them, a new...
The Rock Won’t Save You From Earthquakes; Retrofitting Might
May 29 2015 // It has been a big week for earthquake news in California. Hollywood gave us “San Andreas,” a thrill a minute dystopian drama starring Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) as a heroic flying firefighter and Paul Giamatti...
South Dakota Requests Disaster Declaration for Delmont Tornado
May 29 2015 // Gov. Dennis Daugaard has requested a presidential disaster declaration to help South Dakotans whose homes and businesses were damaged by the severe storm and tornado May 10 in Douglas and Charles Mix counties. The tornado...
Is This the End of Active Hurricane Era?
May 29 2015 // Colorado State University’s annual benchmark forecast for Atlantic hurricanes is unlikely to change significantly when it is updated June 1, according to CSU hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach, as the increasing...
It’s Time for Congress to Prepare for Hurricane Season
May 29 2015 // As thousands of Americans work to prepare their homes and businesses for the start of hurricane season on June 1, why isn’t Congress taking steps to get its own house in order? Members of Congress can’t stop...
Alberta Wildfires Burn for 6th Day, 10% of Oil Sands Crude Offline
May 29 2015 // Firefighters battled wildfires in northern Alberta, Canada’s biggest crude-producing region, for a sixth day on Thursday, with two blazes near oil sands facilities still out of control. The wildfires have forced...
Rental Company Sues Kentucky County for Unpaid Bills from 2012 Tornado Recovery
May 28 2015 // An eastern Kentucky county ravaged by a 2012 tornado is being sued for nearly $1 million by a Lexington company that provided rented trailers, generators, all-terrain vehicles and other equipment after the deadly twister...
NOAA Predicts Quiet-ish Atlantic Hurricane Season
May 27 2015 // The U.S. Climate Prediction Center says the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season will likely be below-normal. But that’s no reason to believe coastal areas will have it easy, say the weather experts at the center, which is...
Wildfires in Northern Alberta Continue to Disrupt Oil Sands Production
May 27 2015 // Wildfires in northern Alberta kept about 10 percent of Canada’s oil sands production offline for a third day [on Tuesday] as Bank of America Corp. warned the blazes may slow the economy. A fire at Cold Lake Weapons...
Clean Up Underway for Mississippi County Hit by Tornado
May 27 2015 // A little more than four years after a powerful tornado destroyed most of Smithville, Miss., Monroe County residents are cleaning up from another twister. Monroe County Emergency Management Agency Director Robert...
Hurricane Protection System for New Orleans Tested by Army Corps
May 22 2015 // With hurricane season approaching, the Army Corps of Engineers is running through its plans to better protect New Orleans from flooding and testing pumps and floodgates built around this low-lying metropolis since...
Arizona Wildfire Season Delayed by Cool, Wet Weather
May 22 2015 // An unusually cool and wet May is delaying the start of the wildfire season around northern Arizona. Weather conditions at this time last year were hot and windy, frustrating firefighters battling what became a...
Dry Conditions Have Alaska Wildfire Responders Keeping Eye Out
May 22 2015 // Interior Alaska and other parts of the state are experiencing conditions ripe for forest fires and natural resources officials are urging caution in outdoor activities heading into Memorial Day Weekend. Information officer...
