Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Lloyd’s Analyzes Southeast Asia Terrorism Threat
Feb 22 2008 // Lloyd’s has warned that businesses operating in Southeast Asia “need to better understand that the Asian terrorism threat is unique, complex and specific to the region.” Lloyd’s and the...
Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake Strikes Northeastern Nevada
Feb 22 2008 // A strong earthquake struck near the northeastern Nevada town of Wells Thursday, causing major structural damage to some older masonry buildings, igniting small fires and bursting windows in homes and businesses. According...
RMS and ImageCat Report on Costly 2007 Wildfire Season
Feb 21 2008 // Risk Management Solutions (RMS) and ImageCat, Inc., issued a joint research report Wednesday on the 2007 U.S. wildfire season. With a potential $2.5 billion in insured losses in California alone, last year ranks as one of...
Inspectors Survey Site of Tornado Damage in Fla. Panhandle
Feb 20 2008 // Inspectors were surveying damage in southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle on Monday from a tornado that destroyed at least seven homes but didn’t cause any reported injuries. Investigators now believe that a...
Conditions Create Wildfire Threat in N.C., 14,000 Acres already Burned
Feb 20 2008 // High winds and low humidity will create critical fire conditions across parts of central and western North Carolina. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday across areas in the...
Earthquake Reported in Southern Okla.
Feb 19 2008 // A magnitude 2.4 earthquake shook southern Oklahoma at 9:41 a.m. on Feb. 15, according to the Oklahoma Geological Survey at Leonard. The OGS said the quake’s epicenter was three miles northwest of Caddo in Bryan...
Tornadoes Slam Ala., Adding to Destructive Season Across the Region
Feb 19 2008 // Another wave of tornadoes materialized in the Deep South over the weekend and this time, in Prattville, Ala., several businesses on a commercially populated boulevard were severely damaged, according to a Department of...
Farm Losses from Tennessee Tornadoes Top $29 Million
Feb 18 2008 // Agriculture officials say storm-related farm losses in Tennessee’s Macon County could surpass $29 million. The county’s livestock and tobacco industries were particularly hard-hit by the tornado that claimed at...
RMS Launches ‘Paradex’ Model for European Windstorms
Feb 15 2008 // Risk Management Solutions (RMS) announced the launch of “the first parametric index for assessing insured industry losses from windstorms in Europe.” The new model -” Paradex Europe Windstorm”...
Bush’s Budget Would Include Millions for Hurricane Research
Feb 14 2008 // President Bush’s proposed budget would include millions more in funding to improve hurricane forecasts and further research the storms, a federal official said at a recent regional discussion of the budget. The...
FEMA Looks at Expanded Use of Trains in Hurricane Evacuations
Feb 13 2008 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency may expand the use of passenger trains to evacuate the sick and elderly in advance of hurricanes across the Gulf Coast, a FEMA official said. Glenn Cannon, a FEMA assistant...
National Guard Truck Flips Over on Way to Tenn. Tornado Disaster Site
Feb 12 2008 // A Tennessee National Guard truck on the way to help tornado recovery efforts in Macon County turned over on the side of Interstate 40. Randy Harris, a guard spokesman, said the five-ton truck was among other engineering...
Tennessee Task Force Begins Debris Removal in Wake of Tornadoes
Feb 11 2008 // A multi-agency state task force led by the Tennessee Department of Transportation to help the hardest hit areas with storm debris removal got underway Sunday. Operation “Tennessee Storm” will be aimed at debris...
Texas Urges Verification of Windstorm Insurance Inspectors
Feb 11 2008 // The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) issued a reminder to consumers that windstorm insurance inspections, which are required for properties to be eligible for wind and hail coverage through the Texas Windstorm Insurance...
More Atlantic Hurricane Activity Doesn’t Mean More Landfall Risk
Feb 10 2008 // New research on the link between the formation of hurricanes in the Atlantic basin and U.S. landfall activity suggests that using Atlantic basin hurricane activity as a proxy for landfall activity can lead to erroneous...
U.S. Disaster Plan Takes Lessons From Katrina, Calif.’s Wildfires
Feb 10 2008 // Streamlined document called ‘essential tool for emergency managers’ in public and private sectors The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a new comprehensive disaster plan for the country that...
Tenn. Gov. Responds to Deadly Tornadoes That Struck State
Feb 7 2008 // Tenn. Gov. Phil Bredesen received detailed briefings from Tennessee Emergency Management Agency officials in the wake of deadly tornadoes that struck Tennessee on Tuesday. The storms have resulted in 31 fatalities, 150...
Farmers Insurance Mobile Claims Team at Sites of Tenn. Tornadoes
Feb 7 2008 // Farmers Insurance Group of Companies has mobilized additional claims personnel to the areas impacted by the recent tornadoes in Tennessee. As of Wednesday Farmers has received more than 100 claims in Tennessee. The Farmers...
Super Tuesday Tornadoes Tear Through U.S. Mid-South
Feb 7 2008 // More than two dozen tornadoes tore through the mid-South late Tuesday night, destroying homes, barns, and industrial buildings from Texas to Ohio. The severe thunderstorm outbreak, which included tornadoes, hail, heavy...
Ark. Gov. Declares 10 Counties Disaster Areas After Tornadoes, Storms
Feb 7 2008 // Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe has declared Baxter, Conway, Independence, Izard, Pope, Randolph, Sharp, Stone, Union and Van Buren Counties state disaster areas due to the damage caused by powerful tornadoes and violent...