Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
States Hit Hardest by Recent Tornadoes Among Least Insured
May 27 2011 // Many of the states hammered by what’s already the deadliest year for tornadoes in more than half a century have among the nation’s highest rates of homes without hazard insurance despite being among the most...
14 Killed as Tornadoes Carve Path Through Midwest
May 26 2011 // A violent storm system rumbled through the central U.S. on Wednesday, spawning tornadoes that turned homes into splintered wreckage, killing at least 14 people over two days and hampering rescue efforts in a city slammed...
Kansas City Chiefs Gathering Aid for Missouri Tornado Victims
May 26 2011 // Hundreds of cars lined up all day on May 24 in the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot as the Kansas City Chiefs filled two semitrailer trucks with bottled water for tornado victims in Kansas and Missouri. Chiefs spokesman Brad...
Insurers Eye Rate Increases as Hurricane Season Approaches
May 26 2011 // Property and casualty insurers craving respite from a long-running drop in prices are eyeing the start of the U.S. hurricane season next week in the hope that summer windstorms will finally turn the market. The June 1 to...
Virginians Getting Hurricane-Prep Tax Break
May 26 2011 // Virginians who want to stock up on batteries, bottled water and other supplies for the hurricane season get a tax break this week. The seven-day tax break — which began yesterday — will spare buyers from state and...
Repeat Tornadoes Unusual But Not Unknown; Threat Continues
May 26 2011 // Weather experts said it’s unusual for deadly tornadoes to develop a few weeks apart in the U.S. But what made the two storm systems that barreled through a Missouri city and the South within the last month so rare is...
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Declares Emergency Following Tornado Outbreak
May 26 2011 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak has issued an emergency order that will enable licensed out-of-state claims adjustors to immediately assist Oklahomans who suffered damage and losses from the May 24 tornado...
Searchers, Dogs Scour Missouri Tornado Wreckage
May 25 2011 // First they found his dark blue teddy bear. Then frantic relatives searching for toddler Skyular Logsdon spotted his red T-shirt and pants, torn, rain-soaked and wrapped around a telephone pole. The little boy hasn’t...
2011 on Pace to Be Deadliest U.S. Tornado Year
May 25 2011 // The tornado that raked Joplin, Missouri, on Sunday was the deadliest single twister in the United States since 1953, putting 2011 on pace for a possible record year for tornado fatalities, U.S. weather experts said...
Texas Windstorm Insurance Legislation Advances
May 25 2011 // The Texas Senate unanimously approved its version of a bill to revamp the state’s windstorm fund that insures coastal properties against hurricane damage. The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association reform measure,...
Florida Undertakes Hurricane Readiness Exercises
May 25 2011 // Florida began its sometimes annual hurricane exercise Monday after skipping the practice storm last year because officials were busy with a real emergency — the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The hurricane taking aim at...
Tornado Touched Down in Montana
May 24 2011 // The National Weather Service says a tornado touched down south of Terry, Montana snapping a tree and damaging two small barns. No one was injured in the twister, reported shortly before 8:30 p.m. Friday about eight miles...
Joplin, Missouri Tornado Insured Loss Estimate: $3 Billion
May 24 2011 // The tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri could cost the insurance industry between $1 billion and $3 billion, according to catastrophe modeling firm Eqecat. The tornado is the deadliest to hit the U.S. since 1947 and...
Missouri Tornado: 116 Dead; Thousands of Homes, Businesses Destroyed
May 24 2011 // A monster tornado killed at least 116 people in Joplin, Missouri, when it tore through the heart of the small Midwestern city, ripping the roof off a hospital and destroying thousands of homes and businesses. Weather...
Tornado Kills Man, Destroys 20 Homes in Kansas
May 23 2011 // A tornado swept through a small eastern Kansas town, killing one person and destroying at least 20 homes, as severe thunderstorms pelted the region with hail that some residents said was the size of baseballs, authorities...
Late April Tornadoes Likely to Affect P/C Insurers’ Earnings, Not Capital
May 23 2011 // The deadly outbreak of tornadoes in late April, which generated insured losses estimated at as much as $6 billion, is unlikely to have an immediate impact on property/casualty insurers’ Best’s ratings. The...
Tornadoes Hit Missouri Town; At Least 89 Killed
May 23 2011 // At least 89 people have died in Joplin, Missouri, and the toll is expected to climb as one of the deadliest tornadoes in state history roared through the small Midwestern city Sunday, local officials said Monday. Rescue...
Europe on Alert for Icelandic Volcano Ash Cloud
May 23 2011 // An eruption by Iceland’s most active volcano put Europe on high alert on Monday as a billowing ash cloud drifted towards Scotland and threatened to shut down airports across the northern edge of the...
Tornado Damages Philly Business
May 20 2011 // A weak tornado spawned by strong thunderstorms descended on a northeast Philadelphia block Wednesday, tearing part of the roof off a beer distributor and a bar and restaurant and demolishing a car repair shop. The fire...
Disaster Plan Should Include Social Media, Says Hurricane Center
May 20 2011 // Nobody is going to push the “like” button for a hurricane, but the National Hurricane Center hopes to get some Facebook fans for its storm advisories. The hurricane center joined the online social network in...
