Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Huge Earthquake off Chile’s Northern Coast Triggers Tsunami
Apr 2 2014 // A major earthquake measuring magnitude 8.2 struck off the coast of northern Chile on Tuesday, causing five deaths and triggering a tsunami that pounded the shore with 2 meter [app. 2 ½ feet] high waves. Officials said the...
Officials Consider Issuing Tsunami Warning for Hawaii
Apr 1 2014 // A tsunami warning could be issued for Hawaii due to a magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck on Tuesday off the coast of Chile, U.S. officials said. If tsunami waves reach Hawaii they would strike at 3:24 a.m. (9:24 a.m. ET)...
States Collaborating on Rules to Address Earthquake Risks of Fracking
Mar 31 2014 // Several U.S. states are banding together to combat the mounting risks of earthquakes tied to the disposal of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. Regulators from Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Ohio met for...
Disaster Preparedness Focus of Oklahoma City Store
Mar 28 2014 // Scott Harper’s hobby is insurance, but not the kind that protects your home, car or health. His insurance is emergency preparedness. And he’s found an opportunity to help other Oklahomans in the metro area get...
Northern California Sees Tornadoes Touch Down
Mar 28 2014 // Several tornadoes touched down during storms in Northern California, including one twister near Sacramento that damaged a dozen homes and left a path of debris about 300 yards long. The National Weather Service says a...
PERILS Latest Loss Estimates: Windstorm Tini $338 Million; Dirk $486 Million
Mar 26 2014 // PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization providing industry-wide catastrophe insurance data, announced that its initial loss estimate for Windstorm Tini, also known as Darwin, which affected Ireland and the United...
Future Tsunamis Planned for by Handful of California Harbors
Mar 24 2014 // Five California harbors are preparing for future tsunamis under a new state project that arms them with maps that identify potential problem areas. Officials with the California Geological Survey said Friday the...
Wildfire Bill Again Delayed In Colorado Legislature
Mar 24 2014 // The Colorado Legislature has once again delayed a vote on a bill aimed at preventing agricultural fires from starting wildfires. The move on Friday came after its sponsor said he wanted to kill the proposal because farmers...
New Mississippi Law to Set Uniform Rules for Hurricane Deductibles
Mar 24 2014 // Mississippians will see uniform rules about when hurricane deductibles apply to their homeowners insurance under a law Gov. Phil Bryant signed last week. House Bill 756, sponsored by Biloxi Republican Scott DeLano,...
University of Nevada Earthquake Lab Now World’s 2nd Biggest
Mar 24 2014 // There’s a whole lot of shakin’ going on at the University of Nevada, Reno. UNR’s seismic-simulation facility became the largest in the United States and second largest in the world in March with an...
Haigood Appointed to Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Board
Mar 20 2014 // Texas Commissioner of Insurance Julia Rathgeber appointed Lyndell Haigood to serve on the board of directors of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) for a term to expire in March 2015. The board oversees all...
Tornado-Devastated Oklahoma Town Adopts New Residential Building Codes
Mar 19 2014 // City leaders in Moore, Okla., have approved new residential building codes requiring new homes to be built to withstand winds of up to 135 mph, making it the first U.S. city to adopt construction rules aimed at preventing...
Indiana City Urging Property Owners to Cleanup Tornado Damage
Mar 16 2014 // Owners of structures damaged by tornadoes that hit Kokomo, Ind., in November are being urged to start removing the debris or begin rebuilding. The city’s code enforcement section has begun sending letters to owners...
Weather Service in Oklahoma Runs Social Media ‘Tornado Drill’
Mar 13 2014 // Melody Holeman has no TV and lives in such a rural part of the Oklahoma Panhandle that she can’t even pick up a signal on the weather radio that the Red Cross gave her. When powerful storms barrel through the area,...
Alaska Earthquakes Felt In Communities
Mar 13 2014 // Seismologists say two Alaska earthquakes were felt in communities this week. One earthquake occurred at 12:43 a.m. Wednesday in the Cook Inlet region of the state. The 4.6 magnitude quake was centered 62 miles southwest of...
Genstar Capital in Northern California Creates Earthquake Insurance Platform
Mar 12 2014 // Mid-market private equity firm Genstar Capital Management LLC has partnered with an insurance industry veteran to create a new platform company, Palomar Insurance Holdings, which will initially serve as a provider of...
Study To Review Texas Hurricane Protection Ideas
Mar 11 2014 // A new $4 million study will look at two ideas that have been proposed as ways to protect the Houston area from hurricane storm surges that could cause billions of dollars in damage and wreak havoc on the largest...
Oklahoma Kids Get Helmets for Tornado Protection
Mar 10 2014 // As many as 34,000 students and workers in the Moore school district in Oklahoma soon will have access to helmets to protect them during severe weather. Moore Helmets for Schools, a group of volunteers headed by the mother...
Kansas Researcher Seeks Clue to Some Tornadoes’ Paths
Mar 10 2014 // Weather officials in Kansas will be watching major thunderstorms this year for a clue about wind speeds that may help indicate the path of potential tornadoes. The research stems from tornadoes last year in Kansas and...
Oklahoma Congressman’s Proposal Would Extend Lead Time for Tornado Warnings
Mar 10 2014 // An Oklahoma congressman has proposed legislation that would make the protection of people and property a priority for federal weather forecasters and extend the lead time for tornado warnings. Oklahoma Insurance...
