Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
FEMA Denies Virginia Earthquake Disaster Aid
Oct 11 2011 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied Virginia’s request for aid for individuals whose property was damaged by the Aug. 23 earthquake. Gov. Bob McDonnell announced the agency’s decision last...
Tornado Damages Homes, Post Office in San Antonio
Oct 11 2011 // A small tornado touched down in San Antonio early on Oct. 9, damaging several homes and a post office. The overnight storm dumped more than 3 inches of rain on the city and left thousands without power, the San Antonio...
Category 3 Hurricane Jova Targets Mexico’s Pacific Coast
Oct 11 2011 // Hurricane Jova bore down on the Pacific coast of Mexico Tuesday threatening to pound one of the country’s busiest cargo ports and tourist resorts with destructive waves, heavy rainfall and flooding. The Category 3...
California Rep Introduces Earthquake Insurance Affordability Act in House
Oct 7 2011 // California’s U.S. Rep. John Campbell (R-48), who today introduced H.R.3125 – companion legislation to S.637 introduced by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein earlier this year. Both bills would strengthen the...
Federal Assistance for Hurricane Irene Tops $5M for Conn. Residents
Oct 6 2011 // More than $5,089,356.61 in federal assistance to date has been approved to help Connecticut residents cope with their Tropical Storm Irene-related disaster expenses that are not covered by insurance. The federal assistance...
Tornadoes Offer Lessons in Disaster Response and Planning
Oct 5 2011 // In a year marked by a high number of severe and devastating natural catastrophes, one thing is evident — while rare, some situations are not survivable. For instance, if people or structures happen to be located directly...
Hurricane Ophelia Sweeps Past Bermuda, Heads North
Oct 3 2011 // Hurricane Ophelia swirled to the east of Bermuda Saturday, whipping up showers, thunderstorms and surf on the British overseas territory as it raced northwards over the Atlantic, forecasters said. Ophelia, the third major...
Tornadoes Offer Lessons in Disaster Response and Planning
Oct 3 2011 // In a year marked by a high number of severe and devastating natural catastrophes, one thing is evident – while rare, some situations are not survivable. For instance, if people or structures happen to be located...
Florida in Danger, Warns Hurricane Fund Chief
Oct 3 2011 // Florida’s hurricane fund chief is warning that the state-created fund used to help insurers pay off claims after a big storm is in danger. The state has relied on a hurricane fund ever since Hurricane Andrew...
California Earthquake Authority Inks Risk Deal Sans Reinsurance
Sep 30 2011 // The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) has completed what it called a “first-of-its-kind transaction,” taking reinsurance out of the equation and opening “a more direct path” to transfer...
Agriculture Losses from Texas Wildfires Adding Up
Sep 30 2011 // In addition to the $5.2 billion in agricultural losses as a result of the drought in Texas this year, an additional $150 million in losses can be attributed to wildfires, according to state agriculture experts. Dr. Andy...
Typhoon Nesat Hits Hainan Island, China Mainland; AIR Analysis
Sep 30 2011 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide’s latest bulletin on Typhoon Nesat notes that it “made landfall as a moderate Category 1 storm on the northeastern corner of the island of Hainan at 2:30 pm local time...
Tornado Repairs Tracked in Minneapolis
Sep 29 2011 // City inspectors are fanning out across north Minneapolis, where some homes remain damaged four months after a tornado strike, to assess what can be done to help residents before winter arrives. ‘There are a number of...
Power Utility Sued After Massive Texas Wildfire
Sep 29 2011 // A utility knew about wildfire dangers amid Texas’ severe drought but failed to remove dead trees and branches near power lines that sparked the most destructive wildfire in state history, an attorney said after...
Typhoon Nesat Hits China after Pummeling Hong Kong
Sep 29 2011 // Typhoon Nesat hit Hainan Island in south China on Thursday after it swept past Hong Kong, closing financial markets, schools and most businesses in one of Asia’s largest financial centers. China recalled ships and...
AIR Analyzes Typhoon Nesat’s Impact on Philippines
Sep 28 2011 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, “Typhoon Nesat (known locally as ‘Pedring’) made landfall in the eastern Isabela and Aurora provinces on the Pacific coast of the Philippines at 18:21...
Huge Floods in Manila as Typhoon Nesat Hits Philippines
Sep 28 2011 // Manila residents waded through waist-deep floodwaters, dodging branches and flying debris Tuesday as a powerful typhoon sent surging waves as tall as palm trees crashing over seawalls and submerging entire...
Hurricane Center Tracking Hurricane Hilary off Coast of Mexico; Atlantic Storms
Sep 27 2011 // The National Hurricane Center in Miami is currently tracking Hurricane Hilary in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula. The NHC’s latest bulletin, issued at 2:00 a.m. PDT,...
$97M Worth of Timber Destroyed in Texas Wildfires
Sep 23 2011 // East Texas is deeply rooted in the timber industry — and during the last 10 months, wildfires have wiped out more than $97 million worth of the region’s trees, the Texas Forest Service reports. Since wildfire...
AIR Estimates Typhoon Roke Insured Losses at $150 to $600 Million
Sep 23 2011 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has given preliminary estimates of the insured losses from Typhoon Roke at between JPY 12 billion ($150 million) and JPY 46 billion ($600 million). As reported earlier, Typhoon Roke,...
