Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Tsunami Watch Cancelled; AIR Worldwide Analyzes Quake Risk
Apr 12 2012 // Yesterday the world held its breath, as two strong earthquakes within hours of each other shook the Indian Ocean sea bed, not far from the epicenter of the quake in 2004, which generated a tsunami that took over a quarter...
Two Strong Quakes near Sumatra Trigger Tsunami Alert
Apr 11 2012 // Two strong earthquakes in the Indian Ocean, located off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, have triggered tsunami warnings across the region. The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported the first quake at...
No Forecast Requests in 3 Days Before Colorado Wildfire
Apr 5 2012 // Colorado officials monitoring a prescribed burn apparently didn’t request updated weather forecasts for the area for three days before it erupted into a deadly wildfire. Records released Wednesday show the National...
Colorado Death After Emergency Wildfire Calls Questioned
Apr 5 2012 // Sam Lucas was among the first to call about a wildfire burning near his Colorado home. But the busy emergency dispatcher cut him off, saying it was a controlled burn and the forest service was on the scene. “We got...
Tornado-Wrecked Dallas-Area Begins Assessing Damage
Apr 5 2012 // The tornado hurtled toward the North Texas nursing home. Physical therapist Patti Gilroy said she saw the swirling mass barreling down through the back door, after she herded patients into the hallway in the order trained:...
Calls Show Residents Panicked Over Colorado Wildfire
Apr 4 2012 // A man who was found dead in his burned home was among the confused and panicked residents who called Colorado authorities as a wildfire raged near them. Police tapes obtained by KMGH-TV show that Sam Lucas expressed...
Tornadoes Slam North Texas Causing Extensive Damage
Apr 4 2012 // A severe line of thunderstorms and isolated super cells moved into the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area in the early afternoon on April 3 producing numerous tornadoes and large hail that was responsible for...
PERILS Estimates Windstorm Andrea Property Losses at $407 Million
Apr 4 2012 // PERILS AG, the independent Zurich-based company providing industry-wide European catastrophe insurance data, has updated its loss report for windstorm Andrea, which struck Western Europe in early January. PERILS’...
Colorado Wildfire Victims Returning to Homes
Apr 3 2012 // The Lower North Fork wildfire in Jefferson County, Colo. is nearly 100 percent contained, and with all remaining evacuation and pre-evacuation orders lifted on Tuesday residents were returning to their homes. The fire,...
Tornadoes Raise Home Insurance Rates in Missouri
Apr 3 2012 // Even Missouri residents who lived nowhere near last year’s deadly tornadoes are writing bigger checks to insure their homes. The state Department of Insurance reports that premiums increased 5 percent between July...
Kentucky Tornado Tax Relief Bill Gets Final Passage
Apr 3 2012 // Tornado victims in 21 Kentucky counties that were declared disaster areas by President Obama after the March 2 tornadoes would get a sales tax break on materials they purchase for rebuilding their houses or other...
Colorado Wildfire Nearing Full Containment
Mar 31 2012 // A blaze that may have been sparked by a prescribed burn conducted by the Colorado State Forest Service and ignited by high winds on Monday is now at 90 percent containment, the Forest Service said Saturday afternoon. The...
Virginia Officials Urge Earthquake Insurance Check
Mar 31 2012 // State officials are reminding homeowners to review their insurance policies to see if they have earthquake insurance ahead of a new law that will require better disclosure if policies exclude such coverage. The State...
Alert Level Raised For Remote Alaska Volcano
Mar 30 2012 // The alert level for a remote Alaska volcano has been raised again after scientists found another lava dome has formed in the crater in the last week. The Alaska Volcano Observatory on Wednesday increased the level for...
Some Progress Made On Colorado Wildfire
Mar 29 2012 // Firefighters are making progress on a wildfire in Colorado that has now consumed an estimated 4,140 acres, destroyed 27 structures and caused the deaths of at least two people, according to the Colorado State Forest...
New Mexico Governor Urges Wildfire Prevention
Mar 29 2012 // Gov. Susana Martinez says conditions are in place for another difficult fire season in New Mexico. The governor kicked off Wildfire Awareness Week on Tuesday by urging residents to be prepared and do their part to prevent...
Nix the Tape on Home Windows, Say Hurricane Officials
Mar 29 2012 // Officials with the National Hurricane Center had a message this week for residents living in hurricane-prone areas: Don’t tape your windows. Center officials are joining with a consumer advocate group at the National...
It’s Tsunami Preparedness Week, Now Go Sell a Policy
Mar 27 2012 // It’s Tsunami Preparedness Week, and that means states that border the Pacific Ocean may be hearing more buzz about the rare but deadly act of nature that poses catastrophic risks to coastal regions. If you’re...
Agents Inundated with Customer Calls Following Texas Wildfires
Mar 27 2012 // When wildfires began breaking out across Texas last year in April, homeowners began contacting their insurance agents about their coverage or in some cases lack of coverage. Agents located near many of the fires were...
Costly Natural Disasters Behind FM Global’s 2011 Net Loss
Mar 27 2012 // Rhode Island-based business property insurer FM Global said Monday it had a net loss of $41.5 million for 2011 — a stark contrast to $686.6 million profit the insurer had in 2010. FM Global, which was one of the last...
