Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
University Research Aims to Improve Tornado Predictions
May 8 2008 // Three hot-air balloons dropped asphalt shingles, lumber, sticks, leaves and pine needles onto a north Alabama landfill, so scientists at The University of Alabama in Huntsville could gather data needed to improve tornado...
Florida Authorities Work to Contain Wildfire at Lake Okeechobee
May 7 2008 // Florida officials are working to contain a wildfire at Lake Okeechobee. The state Division of Forestry says about 4,000 acres of muck and grass are burning on the dry lake bed near Moore Haven, about 80 miles west of West...
Tornadoes Hit Tennessee, Demolish Mobile Homes, Injure 4
May 6 2008 // The National Weather Service said four weak tornadoes were spawned by a storm system that moved through Tennessee’s Montgomery County in the early morning hours of May 4. One struck Clarksville’s fairgrounds...
Illinois Creates Seismic Safety Task Force to Prepare for Earthquakes
May 6 2008 // Illinois has decided to create a panel aimed at improving earthquake preparedness. The Illinois Seismic Safety Task Force will assess how high-risk portions of the state have prepared to minimize earthquake damage. The...
Small Earthquake Hits St. Louis County
May 6 2008 // There are no reports of damage after a small earthquake shook parts of the St. Louis, Mo., area on Monday, May 5th in the morning. The magnitude 2.7 quake at 6:25 a.m. was centered in Fenton in southwest St. Louis County....
Illinois School Damaged by Earthquake
May 5 2008 // The 5.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the Midwest last month has caused damage to a gym at an elementary school in East Alton,. Ill. Officials at Eastwood elementary School have roped off the gym with yellow caution...
California Earthquake: Damage Predictions of ‘Big One’ Get Bigger
May 5 2008 // A new report is predicting that a repeat of San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake would damage more than 90,000 buildings and cost $150 billion to repair. According to the report, “When the Big One Strikes...
Survey: Majority of October’s California Wildfire Claims Settled
May 5 2008 // A new survey of insurance companies estimated that nearly 90 percent of claims stemming from the devastating October 2007 fire and wind storms in California have been settled. A poll by the Insurance Information Network of...
Earthquakes Raise Questions of Future Shocks, Public Readiness
May 5 2008 // Just weeks after earthquakes rattled Nevada, the Midwest and the coast of Oregon, and on the heels of the 102nd anniversary of San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake, the public, government officials and insurance industry...
Earthquakes Shake Reno, Bigger Quake Could be Coming
May 5 2008 // Two moderate earthquakes shook the Mogul-Somerset area just west of Reno, Nev., on April 24, 2008, according to the Nevada Seismological Laboratory. While there were no immediate reports of damage, the laboratory predicts...
Insurers to Build Natural Disaster Research Center
May 5 2008 // The insurance industry is preparing to build a state-of-the-art applied research facility that will use science and technology to expand capabilities to create more durable homes and businesses and reduce the costs of...
Earthquake Raises Questions About Coverage, Construction Codes
May 5 2008 // Weeks after a 5.2 level earthquake rocked the Midwest from Cairo, Ill., to Atlanta, Ga., geologists and the insurance industry are still discussing the impact of the quake — such as increases in the purchase of...
Hurricane Season Looming, Mississippi Commissioner Says Be Prepared
May 2 2008 // With the 2008 hurricane season less than a month away, Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance Mike Chaney encourages all coastal residents to protect their lives and property by making preparations now. One of the first...
Virginia’s Had Worse Tornadoes than Most Recent Outbreak
May 1 2008 // Only one other tornado outbreak in Virginia’s history caused more injuries than this Monday’s, although several others have been more prolific and deadly, according to the Virginia Department of Emergency...
Magnitude-5.2 Earthquake Hits Northern California
May 1 2008 // A moderate earthquake hit a mountainous region of Northern California on Tuesday night. There are no immediate reports or injury or damage. The magnitude-5.2 temblor struck at 8:03 p.m., centered about 11 miles southeast...
Earthquake Expert Honored in Utah for Lifetime of Service
May 1 2008 // A University of Utah earthquake expert received a lifetime achievement award from the Western States Seismic Policy Council. Walter Arabasz got the award last week at a national earthquake conference in Seattle. He is...
Wildfire Near Los Angeles Forces 1,000 to Evacuate Homes
Apr 30 2008 // Crews overcame a threatening flare-up Monday and worked to halt a wildfire east of Los Angeles that has sent 1,000 people fleeing their homes. Water-dropping aircraft were back in the air April 28 to complement ground...
Experts Say Potential for Arizona Wildfires Extreme
Apr 30 2008 // Wildland fire officials are warning of a potential disaster in southeastern Arizona. Fire behavior analysts with the Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team say the potential for extreme wildfire conditions are the worst...
Virginia Tornado Victims Cope with Injuries, Demolished Homes
Apr 30 2008 // Weary residents of the southern Virginia city of Suffolk, some awakening in emergency shelters, braced themselves to see what was left of their homes and livelihoods Tuesday after three tornadoes smashed houses, piled cars...
First Estimate on Virginia Tornado Property Damage: $18 Million
Apr 30 2008 // Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine visited the city of Suffolk to comfort storm victims and to survey the damage caused by severe weather that hit central and southeastern Virginia. The governor walked through neighborhoods where...
