Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oklahoma’s Low Tornado Count Result of Cold Weather, Experts Say
Sep 3 2014 // Oklahoma’s extremely cold winter last year and earlier this year likely kept the number of tornadoes this past spring at the state’s lowest levels since 1988, weather experts say. Only 13 tornadoes hit the...
Cyber Attacks on Banks Color Terrorism Insurance Renewal Debate
Sep 1 2014 // Bankers and U.S. officials have warned that cyber-terrorists will try to wreck the financial system’s computer networks. What they aren’t saying publicly is that taxpayers will probably have to cover much of...
UPDATE: Iceland Lowers Volcano Alert; Small Eruption No Threat to Aviation
Aug 29 2014 // Iceland reduced its aviation warning level to orange on Friday after concluding that a small eruption in the Bardarbunga volcano system that triggered a hours-long red alert actually posed no threat to aircraft. No sign of...
Ugly Is Beautiful for Hurricane Forecaster
Aug 29 2014 // When it comes to Atlantic hurricanes, brief and ugly is beautiful, at least to Phil Klotzbach, lead author of Colorado State University’s seasonal storm forecast. That’s because a ragged-looking tropical system...
Mass. DOI: Insurers Received Over 1,300 Claims From Revere Tornado
Aug 27 2014 // The Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) said the state’s insurers have so far received more than 1,300 claims from a rare tornado that ripped through the coastal city of Revere on July 28. The DOI said...
Oklahoma to Require Earthquake Insurance Education for Producers
Aug 27 2014 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has approved an emergency rule adopted by Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak that requires all licensed producers and adjusters with the property line of authority to complete one hour of...
Hurricane Cristobal to Pass North of Bermuda; No Threat to U.S.
Aug 27 2014 // The most recent report from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, at 5:00 A.M. EDT, notes that Cristobal is now hurricane strength with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph – 130 km/h, and “some strengthening is...
Pacific Hurricane Marie Weakens to Category 1 Storm; No Warnings in Place: NHC
Aug 27 2014 // The most recent report from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, at 8:00 P.M. PDT, indicates that Hurricane Marie is “gradually weakening over colder water.” The storm, located around 1190 kms [740 miles]...
Pacific Hurricane Marie Grows to Category 5 Storm
Aug 26 2014 // Hurricane Marie grew into a large and powerful Category 5 storm and moved west-northwestward far off the Pacific coast of Mexico, threatening dangerous surf conditions from Baja California Peninsula up through Southern...
Vermont Enticing Disaster Preparedness With Money
Aug 25 2014 // Vermont is preparing to implement new rules that encourage communities to take steps to reduce future flood damage in exchange for more money to help them recover from the next big flood. Communities across Vermont have...
M6.0 Earthquake is California Bay Area’s Strongest Since Loma Prieta
Aug 24 2014 // A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Napa, Calif. early Sunday morning is the strongest earthquake to hit the San Francisco Bay area since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which registered a magnitude 6.9, according to...
Hurricane Forecasters Keeping Eye on Storm Building in Atlantic
Aug 22 2014 // A potential tropical system became a bit ragged with poor definition late yesterday as it neared the Leeward Islands at the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea. A U.S. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter found a small area of...
Eight Homes, 10 Buildings Destroyed by California Wildfire
Aug 21 2014 // A wildfire northeast of Bakersfield, Calif. has destroyed eight homes and 10 other structures, authorities said, but residents of some 200 homes under evacuation orders were allowed to return home Wednesday evening. The...
High Earthquake Probability for Yellowstone Region
Aug 20 2014 // A new U.S. Geological Survey report indicates a slightly greater earthquake hazard in the Greater Yellowstone region of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho than previously thought, a geophysicist says. “The new maps show how...
Wildfire Near Yosemite In California Threatens 500 Structures
Aug 19 2014 // Firefighters from throughout California have been dispatched today to protect homes threatened by a wildfire near Yosemite National Park. The nearly 2-square-mile blaze in Madera County had destroyed eight structures and...
Earthquake Gap: Insurance Sales Falling As Risk Rises
Aug 19 2014 // While earthquake risks are rising in the U.S., fewer homeowners nationally say they have earthquake insurance, creating a potentially huge gap in coverage, according to the Insurance Information Institute. That’s a...
Heart of Atlantic Hurricane Season Starts as Storms Seem Dubious
Aug 19 2014 // The official start of the most active part of the Atlantic hurricane season arrives tomorrow with more of a whimper than a bang. If tradition holds, William Gray, who pioneered seasonal hurricane forecasting more than...
Iceland Raises Alert Level for Volcano Eruption to Second-Highest
Aug 19 2014 // Iceland’s Met Office on Monday raised its risk level to the aviation industry for an eruption at its Bardarbunga volcano to orange, which is the fourth level on a five-grade scale. Ash from the eruption of...
Chance of Below-Normal Hurricane Season Now Up to 70%
Aug 18 2014 // Forecasters with the National Weather Service raised the likelihood for a below-normal season in their most recent Atlantic hurricane season outlook. The Aug. 7 update predicts a 70 percent chance of a below-normal season,...
Mass. DOI Providing Claims Assistance to Revere Tornado Victims
Aug 14 2014 // The Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) announced this week its staff will be providing ongoing assistance for Revere residents and business owners who have open claims or other concerns related to the July 28th...
