Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season Starts Off Slowly
May 18 2017 // The eastern Pacific hurricane season is starting off with a whimper. While one short-lived tropical storm developed off Mexico’s Pacific coast last week, the earliest on record, computer models show another one...
Texas ‘Hailstorm’ Litigation Bill Headed to Governor’s Desk
May 17 2017 // Legislation backed by the insurance industry and some Texas business groups that curtails the ability of policyholders to sue insurance companies over property claims following extreme weather events has passed the state...
6 Critical Wildfire Preparation Recommendations
May 17 2017 // This morning while I’m sitting in my office writing this post, I’m thinking about wildfires. According to the ArcGIS website, there are 24 active wildfires in the US. 17 of them are in the state of Florida....
Dozen Earthquakes Reported in Oklahoma, Including a 4.2 Mag
May 16 2017 // Two small earthquakes recorded in Oklahoma by the U.S. Geological Survey bring to a dozen the number of temblors recorded in the state during the weekend. A 2.9 magnitude quake was recorded at 2:24 a.m. Sunday near Red...
Mississippi Gov Seeks Federal Tornado Aid for End of April Outbreak
May 16 2017 // Residents of Holmes and Montgomery counties in Mississippi could get federal help following April 30 tornadoes, if Gov. Phil Bryant gets his way. Bryant on Thursday officially asked that President Donald Trump declare a...
Evacuation Order Lifted for Georgia Residents Near Okefenokee Wildfire
May 16 2017 // A mandatory evacuation order has been lifted for two south Georgia towns threatened for days last week by a wildfire that had spread outside the boundaries of the neighboring Okefenokee swamp. Authorities say evacuation...
Weather Service Confirms Tornado Touchdown in Owasso, Oklahoma
May 15 2017 // Forecasters say a tornado that hit near Tulsa on May 11 had a preliminary ranking of EF1 with wind speeds of 90 mph to 100 mph. The National Weather Service in Tulsa says more surveys are underway to determine whether any...
Study: Expected Increase in Tornadoes Raises Risk to Mobile Homes
May 15 2017 // Tornadoes and mobile homes don’t mix to begin with, but throw in the volatility of climate change and the potential for massive property damage and deaths is even higher in coming decades, indicates a new study by...
Regulators in California Hit PG&E with $8.3M Fine for Deadly Wildfire
May 15 2017 // Regulators say they have fined Pacific Gas and Electric Co. $8.3 million for failing to maintain a power line that sparked a massive blaze in Northern California that destroyed 549 homes and killed two people. The...
Earthquake Authority Creates Online Home Vulnerability Evaluator
May 15 2017 // The California Earthquake Authority has created an online tool to help home inspection specialists evaluate a house’s vulnerability to earthquake damage. The online tool, QuakeGrade, uses information entered by an...
Study: Expected Increase in Tornadoes Raises Risk to Mobile Homes
May 15 2017 // Tornadoes and mobile homes don’t mix to begin with, but throw in the volatility of climate change and the potential for massive property damage and deaths is even higher in coming decades, indicates a new study by...
Wisconsin Under State of Emergency for Wildfire Danger
May 12 2017 // Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has declared a state of emergency as the state faces heightened wildfire conditions. Walker issued an executive order directing all state agencies to assist with potential wildfire response and...
Evacuations Continue in Georgia Wildfire Zone But Many Defy Orders
May 10 2017 // Jessica Boldin and her family evacuated 15 horses, six dogs and other animals from their ranch in rural Georgia as a vast wildfire emerging from the Okefenokee Swamp blackened trees behind their home. Flames that pushed...
Florida Ag Commissioner Says ‘No End in Sight’ as Wildfires Burn Statewide
May 10 2017 // Three schools canceled classes due to smoky conditions from a nearby wildfire as Florida’s agriculture commissioner said the state is in the “midst of its worst wildfire season in years – with no end in...
Arsonists Blamed for 320 Florida Wildfires in 2017
May 9 2017 // Florida officials say arsonists have ignited about 320 wildfires so far this year, burning more than 20,000 acres across the state. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said severe drought conditions have increased the...
2 Tornadoes Confirmed in Atlanta Area
May 9 2017 // Weather officials have confirmed that two Atlanta-area sites were touched by tornadoes on Thursday. The National Weather Service said Friday in a news release that a tornado with winds of 75-85 mph (121-137 kph) touched...
California Earthquake Authority Creates Online Home Vulnerability Evaluator
May 8 2017 // The California Earthquake Authority has created an online tool to help home inspection specialists evaluate a house’s vulnerability to earthquake damage. The online tool, QuakeGrade, uses information entered by an...
Dozens Forced to Evacuate in Southern Georgia as Wildfire Spreads
May 8 2017 // Several dozen people in Georgia’s southernmost county have been evacuated after a wildfire in the Okefenokee Swamp has begun to burn just a few miles from the St. George community. Saturday’s evacuation...
Palomar Specialty, AAA Club to Offer Earthquake Insurance in Oklahoma
May 8 2017 // Palomar Specialty Insurance Co. has partnered with AAA Club Alliance to offer residential earthquake insurance, starting in Oklahoma. According to AAA Oklahoma Vice President of Insurance Russ Iden more than half of the...
Oklahoma Earthquake Risk: What a Difference Year Makes
May 8 2017 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. For nearly the past decade, the growing number of earthquakes in Oklahoma has gained widespread attention. As described in the CoreLogic® Insights Blog Earthquake...
