Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Earthquakes Increase in Kansas Task Force Can’t Pinpoint Why
Sep 9 2014 // There’s not enough data to make any determinations about why there has been an increase in the number of earthquakes in Kansas, a three-member task force appointed by Gov. Sam Brownback has concluded. The state has...
Is There a House Republican Deal on Export-Import Bank, Terrorism Insurance?
Sep 9 2014 // Representative Jeb Hensarling, a Texas Republican who has been a key opponent of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, now supports a short-term extension of the bank’s mandate, opening the door to a temporary reprieve for...
Earthquake Shakes Iceland Volcano, Still No Ash Cloud
Sep 8 2014 // An earthquake struck the region around Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano on Sunday while fissures in the area continued to spew out lava but still none of the ash that could hamper airline traffic. The earthquake...
Oklahoma to Require Earthquake Insurance Education for Producers
Sep 8 2014 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin approved an emergency rule adopted by Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak that requires all licensed producers and adjusters with the property line of authority to complete one hour of continuing...
Over 1,300 Claims Filed After Revere Tornado
Sep 8 2014 // The Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) said that as of Aug. 27, the state’s insurers have received more than 1,300 claims from a rare tornado that ripped through the coastal city of Revere on July 28. The DOI...
Wildfire Spending In Oregon Triggers Lloyd’s Insurance Policy
Sep 5 2014 // Oregon’s tough wildfire season has pushed spending to the point the state Department of Forest is tapping its special insurance policy for the second year in a row. The Bulletin reported that state wildfire costs...
More Evacuations in Northern California Wildfire
Sep 4 2014 // Crews battling a wildfire in a far Northern California forest have expanded a mandatory evacuation order and expect another day of gusty winds and dry conditions that could push the fire over containment lines and into...
Hurricane Norbert Moving up Mexico’s West Coast; Strengthening Expected: NHC
Sep 4 2014 // The National Hurricane Center in Miami is tracking Hurricane Norbert, the 14th named Western Pacific storm of the season, as it moves up the West coast of Mexico towards the Baja Peninsula. The NHC’s most recent...
Tropical Storm Dolly Moves Ashore off Gulf of Mexico
Sep 4 2014 // Heavy rains from Tropical Storm Dolly threatened flash floods and mudslides in mountainous areas as it moved in from Mexico’s Gulf coast, where authorities had readied shelters and suspended school classes on...
Storms Trigger Tornadoes, Hail, Floods Throughout Midwest
Sep 3 2014 // A storm spotter was hospitalized in Iowa on Sept. 1 after he was struck by lightning while watching a system that left swollen rivers, power outages, trees down and campers overturned. More strong storms rumbled through...
Oklahoma’s Low Tornado Count Result of Cold Weather, Experts Say
Sep 3 2014 // Oklahoma’s extremely cold winter last year and earlier this year likely kept the number of tornadoes this past spring at the state’s lowest levels since 1988, weather experts say. Only 13 tornadoes hit the...
Cyber Attacks on Banks Color Terrorism Insurance Renewal Debate
Sep 1 2014 // Bankers and U.S. officials have warned that cyber-terrorists will try to wreck the financial system’s computer networks. What they aren’t saying publicly is that taxpayers will probably have to cover much of...
UPDATE: Iceland Lowers Volcano Alert; Small Eruption No Threat to Aviation
Aug 29 2014 // Iceland reduced its aviation warning level to orange on Friday after concluding that a small eruption in the Bardarbunga volcano system that triggered a hours-long red alert actually posed no threat to aircraft. No sign of...
Ugly Is Beautiful for Hurricane Forecaster
Aug 29 2014 // When it comes to Atlantic hurricanes, brief and ugly is beautiful, at least to Phil Klotzbach, lead author of Colorado State University’s seasonal storm forecast. That’s because a ragged-looking tropical system...
Mass. DOI: Insurers Received Over 1,300 Claims From Revere Tornado
Aug 27 2014 // The Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) said the state’s insurers have so far received more than 1,300 claims from a rare tornado that ripped through the coastal city of Revere on July 28. The DOI said...
Oklahoma to Require Earthquake Insurance Education for Producers
Aug 27 2014 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has approved an emergency rule adopted by Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak that requires all licensed producers and adjusters with the property line of authority to complete one hour of...
Hurricane Cristobal to Pass North of Bermuda; No Threat to U.S.
Aug 27 2014 // The most recent report from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, at 5:00 A.M. EDT, notes that Cristobal is now hurricane strength with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph – 130 km/h, and “some strengthening is...
Pacific Hurricane Marie Weakens to Category 1 Storm; No Warnings in Place: NHC
Aug 27 2014 // The most recent report from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, at 8:00 P.M. PDT, indicates that Hurricane Marie is “gradually weakening over colder water.” The storm, located around 1190 kms [740 miles]...
Pacific Hurricane Marie Grows to Category 5 Storm
Aug 26 2014 // Hurricane Marie grew into a large and powerful Category 5 storm and moved west-northwestward far off the Pacific coast of Mexico, threatening dangerous surf conditions from Baja California Peninsula up through Southern...
Vermont Enticing Disaster Preparedness With Money
Aug 25 2014 // Vermont is preparing to implement new rules that encourage communities to take steps to reduce future flood damage in exchange for more money to help them recover from the next big flood. Communities across Vermont have...
