Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Quiet 2013 Hurricane Season a ‘Head Scratcher’ for Embarrassed Forecasters
Sep 9 2013 // The 2013 Atlantic hurricane season, which forecasters had predicted would be more active than normal, has turned out to be something of a dud so far as an unusual calm hangs over the tropics. As the season heads into the...
Yosemite May Be Harbinger of California’s Wildfire Potential
Sep 9 2013 // The massive wildfire in Yosemite is seen by some as a harbinger of what could be a “worst case scenario” when California enters its typical wildfire season in October — continued drought, lots of unburned...
Hotspot Volcanoes: Earthquake Risk in Hawaii
Sep 9 2013 // It was June 15, 1990, when Mount Pinatubo, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, awoke from its 500-year slumber to produce the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. Nearly a year before, Luzon was...
Arkansas Researchers: Hill Climbing Tornadoes More Dangerous
Sep 9 2013 // New research from the University of Arkansas finds that tornadoes cause greater damage when traveling uphill — and that the twisters tend to climb toward higher elevations rather than going downhill. Engineering...
August’s Natural Disasters Caused $10B in Economic Damage: Aon Benfield
Sep 6 2013 // August saw billion-dollar flood losses in China, Russia, Philippines and Pakistan, bringing an initial combined estimate of $10 billion in economic losses, Aon Benfield said in a report on natural disaster...
Tropical Storm Gabrielle Drenches Puerto Rico
Sep 5 2013 // Tropical Storm Gabrielle isn’t expected to gain much strength as it churns in the Caribbean Sea on a path between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Gabrielle was about...
Joplin Rebuilding Since Tornado: About $837M Spent
Sep 4 2013 // About $837 million has been spent on construction in Joplin since the May 2011 tornado, including starts on more than 1,100 new homes, according to city building permit data. The figures include construction done...
Gulf, Atlantic Coasts Appear Safe from 3 Tropical Storms
Sep 3 2013 // Three potential tropical systems stretch across the Atlantic from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to Africa’s west coast, though none is expected to become a major threat this week, forecasters said. The westernmost...
Hollywood Groups Sue To Stop Huge Development, Earthquake Concerns
Aug 30 2013 // A coalition of residents who live in famed Hollywood neighborhoods filed a lawsuit this week to stop a $654 million skyscraper project from rising just down the hill from the landmark Hollywood Sign because of earthquake...
Arkansas Researchers: Hill Climbing Tornadoes More Dangerous
Aug 29 2013 // New research from the University of Arkansas finds that tornadoes cause greater damage when traveling uphill – and that the twisters tend to climb toward higher elevations rather than going downhill. Engineering...
Vermont Gov. Shumlin Issues Final Tropical Storm Irene Report
Aug 29 2013 // Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin released the state’s Tropical Storm Irene recovery status report during a press conference on Wednesday marking the two-year anniversary of the storm.Over 3,500 damaged or destroyed homes...
Yosemite May Be Harbinger of California’s Wildfire Potential
Aug 27 2013 // The week-and-a-half-old wildfire in Yosemite is seen by some as a harbinger of what could be a “worst case scenario” when California enters its typical wildfire season in October – continued drought, lots of...
July Hailstorms in Germany May Cost $2 Billion
Aug 26 2013 // Hailstorms that struck Germany at the end of July may have caused as much as $2 billion in damage, catastrophe modeler AIR Worldwide said on its website. Damages from the storms, which pounded northern and southern areas...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Offers Underwriting Basics Online Workshop
Aug 23 2013 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) announced it is now offering its Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Underwriting Basics Workshop online. This course, which is open to insurance agency personnel, has...
Insured Losses from Amarillo Hailstorm Climb to $500M
Aug 23 2013 // A massive hailstorm that moved through the Amarillo, Texas, area on May 28 has resulted in $500 million in insured losses to the panhandle region. The final figure was released by the Property Claim Services of the...
IBHS Updates Report on Hurricane-Prone States’ Building Codes
Aug 22 2013 // Among coastal hurricane-prone states, North Carolina and Louisiana have weakened their building codes since 2012, while five states have strengthened theirs. Just in time for the height of the hurricane season, the...
Wildfires Across The West Push Spending Past $1B
Aug 22 2013 // More than 40 uncontained, active and large wildfires dot the western U.S. from Arizona to Washington state and Alaska, taxing national firefighting resources and helping to push spending past $1 billion for the year. The...
IAG Profit More Than Triples as Natural Disaster Claims Fall
Aug 22 2013 // Insurance Australia Group Ltd., the nation’s biggest car and home insurer, reported full-year net income more than triple a year earlier as claims fell and premiums rose. Net income rose to A$776 million ($697...
Hurricane Task Force Recommends Resilient Power for Wireless
Aug 20 2013 // U.S. wireless communications networks should be made more resilient in extreme weather emergencies, according to a government task force studying the effects of Hurricane Sandy. The Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force...
Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force Addresses Insurance Challenges
Aug 20 2013 // The Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, led by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, issued a report Monday that provides recommendations for mitigating harm from future storms. Recommendations include...
