Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Financial Relief on the Way to Alabama for Tornado Damage
May 20 2008 // Residents and business owners in several northeast Alabama counties will get financial help to rebuild and repair property affected by the severe storms and tornado on May 11. Officials announced May 16 that beginning May...
Tornadoes Kill 15 in Southwestern Missouri; Governor Calls in National Guard
May 19 2008 // Category K-4 tornadoes that cut across three states on Saturday (May 10) night killed 15 people in southwestern Missouri. The hardest areas hit were in rural southwestern Missouri about eight miles north of Seneca and 10...
Alabama Students Hope Balloons Lead to Improved Tornado Warnings
May 19 2008 // Studying balloons’ payload could be first step toward programming Doppler radar to recognize tornado debris Three hot-air balloons dropped asphalt shingles, lumber, sticks, leaves and pine needles onto a north...
Munich Re, Aon Securitize Japanese Earthquake Risks
May 16 2008 // Munich Re, working with Aon, has arranged a securitization for Japanese insurer Zenkyoren, the National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives, through Muteki Ltd., an exempted company in the Cayman...
Florida Hurricane Conference Presents Message of Preparedness
May 16 2008 // Preparing for hurricanes, despite two slow previous storm seasons, is key to the survival of Floridians and recovery efforts, officials said. About 2,800 people attended the 22nd Annual Governor’s Hurricane...
Firefighters Get Upper Hand on Florida Wildfire, Schools Open
May 16 2008 // Firefighters hoped to make further major gains against a wildfire that has charred thousands of acres along Florida’s Atlantic coast, as police questioned a man seen tossing a Molotov cocktail into nearby...
Weather Service Confirmed 15 Tornadoes Hit Georgia on Mother’s Day
May 16 2008 // The National Weather Service says that severe weather on May 11 spawned 15 tornadoes in central Georgia. The strongest of the so-called “Mother’s Day tornadoes” occurred in Treutlen County and was an EF3....
Arson-started Florida Wildfires Fueled by Growth
May 15 2008 // Wildfires that have gutted at least 40 homes along Florida’s Atlantic coast are believed to have been started by arsonists, but they got help from two classic Florida factors: rampant development and a year-round...
Feds Give Almost $5 Million to Rebuild N.D. Tornado Damaged School
May 15 2008 // State officials say the Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide nearly $5 million to rebuild the school in the town of Northwood after a tornado last August. The announcement came from the state’s...
Rapid Coastal Growth Places Urgency on Hurricane Forecasts, Chief Says
May 14 2008 // The rapid pace of development along hurricane-prone coasts is adding a new level of urgency for forecasters to more accurately pinpoint potential storm impact zones, the director of the National Hurricane Center...
Recent Tornadoes Underscore Risks of Taking Shelter in Cars
May 14 2008 // Trapped in his car on the way to a friend’s wedding, Rick Rountree and his family never stood a chance once a tornado packing winds of 170 mph hit southwest Missouri. “It’s like taking a handful of...
Central Florida Wildfires Prompt Evacuations, Road Closures
May 13 2008 // Brush fires shut down roads in central Florida on May 11 and forced evacuations, authorities said. A portion of Interstate 95 in Brevard County was shut down because of heavy smoke from a blaze near Malabar, the Orlando...
Iowa City Considers Purchasing Earthquake Insurance
May 13 2008 // Some Iowa cities have earlthquake coverage so it was not that surprising that city leaders in Johnston are considering earthquake insurance in the wake of two tremors this spring in Illinois and Missouri. City Finance...
Small Mississippi Earthquake Shakes Belden Area
May 13 2008 // Officials with the National Weather Service in Memphis and Lee County E-911 say an earthquake caused no injuries after it hit the Belden, Miss. area on May 10. A dispatcher for 911, Tanya Mayo, says the earthquake...
Tornados in Southwestern Missouri Kill 15; Governor Calls in National Guard
May 12 2008 // Category K-4 tornadoes that cut across three states on Saturday (May 10) night killed 15 people in southwestern Missouri. The hardest areas hit were in rural southwestern Missouri about eight miles north of Senaca and 10...
North Carolina Teams Assess Tornado-affected Counties
May 12 2008 // North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley dispatched damage assessment teams comprised of state and local officials to Jones and Bertie counties to begin the process of assessing damage from the storm that swept through the area on...
Argo Group Offers Hurricane Insurance in Hawaii
May 12 2008 // Hawaii Insurance Commissioner J.P. Schmidt announced the formation of a partnership between Argo Group US and First Insurance Company of Hawai’i (FICOH). The new joint venture will offer hurricane insurance to First...
Virginia to Hold First Tax Holiday for Hurricane Preparedness
May 12 2008 // Virginians looking to prepare for hurricane season can thank the state for an upcoming tax holiday on items to keep their families ready in case of a storm. Virginia is holding its first hurricane preparedness tax holiday...
U.S. Tornadoes Take at Least 21 Lives, Destroy Homes, Power Lines
May 12 2008 // Tornadoes killed at least 21 people and injured hundreds as they ripped through the central and southeastern United States over the weekend, destroying homes, overturning cars and downing trees and power lines. Authorities...
Mississippi Emergency Agency Reports Damage in Latest Round of Tornadoes
May 9 2008 // Severe weather and tornadoes moved through several North Mississippi counties on May 8 causing damage to property and infrastructure. The state emergency operations center in Pearl, Miss. posted initial damage reports in...
