Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Iowa City Votes Down Purchase of Earthquake Insurance
May 22 2008 // City leaders in Johnston, Iowa have decided against earthquake insurance in the wake of two tremors this spring in Illinois and Missouri. The City Council on Tuesday, May 20th rejected spending $4,000 a year for an...
Tornado Strikes Northern Colorado
May 22 2008 // A large tornado struck Northern Colorado on May 22, 2008, striking several areas in the town of Windsor, which is about 80 miles north of Denver. Initial reports indicate one person was killed, but there were no official...
Scientists Predict $200B in Damage from Southern California Earthquake
May 22 2008 // The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the California Geological Survey (CGS) have jointly published a report detailing a hypothetical scenario the impact a 7.8 magnitude earthquake — similar to the recent earthquake...
Officials Say April Earthquake a Dress Rehearsal for Future Events
May 21 2008 // Missouri emergency management officials say they’re better prepared for a major earthquake, thanks in part to last month’s 5.2 quake in southern Illinois. Susie Stonner of the State Emergency Management Agency...
Central Pacific Hurricane Center Predicts 3-4 Cyclones
May 21 2008 // The Central Pacific Hurricane Center is predicting slightly fewer than normal tropical cyclones to develop in the Central Pacific basin during the upcoming season. Forecasters at National Oceanic Atmospheric...
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...
