Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Increase in Oklahoma Mobile Home Parks Ups Tornado Vulnerability
Mar 15 2013 // A new report from Lloyd’s of London found that a growing number of Oklahomans are becoming increasing vulnerable to tornadoes, according to the Oklahoma Insurance Department. The report, Tornadoes: A Rising Risk?,...
Utah Prepares For Another Busy Wildfire Season
Mar 12 2013 // The mountains still may be covered in snow, but officials already are preparing for another busy wildfire season in Utah amid growing concern over the cost to battle them. State officials told the Deseret News that the...
Japan’s Clean-Up from 2011 Tsunami, Nuclear Accident Lagging
Mar 11 2013 // Two years after the triple calamities of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster ravaged Japan’s northeastern Pacific coast, debris containing asbestos, lead, PCBs — and perhaps most worrying — radioactive waste...
Texas Windstorm Insurer Faces Tough Legislative Session
Mar 11 2013 // Texas’ property insurer of last resort in coastal counties may have a difficult time remaining intact during the 2013 legislative session. Claims from 2008’s Hurricane Ike still trickle in and ongoing...
Arkansas to Monitor Earthquakes Near Greers Ferry
Mar 7 2013 // Earthquake experts intend to place more monitors near Greers Ferry Lake after a recent jump in the number of temblors in the area. While many of the 60 quakes in the past year were too light to be felt by people, the...
From Rubble to Renewal: Kentucky Town Responds to Last Year’s Tornado
Mar 5 2013 // Tax preparer Betty Helton no longer meets her customers at a park bench in this tornado-ravaged Appalachian town. Hungry customers are back ordering burgers and shakes at Freezer Fresh. A bank moved out of a grocery store...
Colorado Wildfire Safeguards, Concerns with Alert System
Mar 1 2013 // New safeguards to prevent state-set fires from going out of control have won unanimous approval in the state Senate, and a new report is noting “serious concerns” with two mass calling systems that were used to...
Will Texas Windstorm Insurer Remain After the Legislative Session?
Feb 26 2013 // Texas’ property insurer of last resort in coastal counties may have a difficult time remaining intact during the 2013 legislative session. Claims from 2008’s Hurricane Ike still trickle in and ongoing...
Three Small Earthquakes Recorded in North-Central Arkansas
Feb 25 2013 // The U.S. Geological Survey reports three earthquakes in Arkansas – including a magnitude 3.9 quake near Trumann. No injuries or damage are reported. The USGS says the quake was recorded at 4:28 p.m. Saturday four...
10 Things to Know About the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association
Feb 25 2013 // Changes to the way the state handles coastal property insurance issues are certain to be made during the 2013 Texas legislative session. Here are 10 things to know about Texas’ property insurer of last resort, the...
Small Earthquake Recorded Near Manila, Arkansas
Feb 22 2013 // U.S. Geological Survey reports a small earthquake was recorded near the Mississippi County town of Manila, Ark. The county sheriff’s office says no injuries or damage are reported. The Geological Survey says the 2.5...
Snow Closes California Highways, Yields Tornado
Feb 20 2013 // A winter storm brought driving rain to parts of California and even a rare tornado, but the severity of snowfall in much of the state caught drivers by surprise and left hundreds stranded on mountain highways. A late...
New Windstorm Rules Drive Texas Engineers Away
Feb 19 2013 // Hundreds of engineers have dropped out of a windstorm certification program following legislative changes to become certified by the Texas Department of Insurance. The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported that more than...
National Hurricane Center Report: Sandy Was 2nd-Costliest Hurricane in U.S.
Feb 14 2013 // Superstorm Sandy was the deadliest hurricane in the northeastern U.S. in 40 years and the second-costliest in the nation’s history, according to a report released Tuesday, Feb. 12.Sandy damage in Ortley Beach, N.J....
Half of 2012’s Global Economic Losses Due to U.S. Natural Disasters: Aon
Feb 11 2013 // While global economic losses were close to average in 2012, insured losses were 36 percent higher than the 10-year average ($72 billion versus $53 billion) because the two most costly events of the year occurred in the...
Northeast Blizzard Hit Like a Hurricane
Feb 10 2013 // A blizzard packing hurricane-force winds hammered the northeastern United States on Saturday, cutting power to 700,000 homes and businesses, shutting down travel and leaving at least nine people dead. The mammoth storm...
Michigan Governor Calls for Creation of Natural Disaster Fund
Feb 8 2013 // Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is proposing setting aside state funds to use in the case of natural disasters such as forest fires, tornadoes and floods. Snyder is calling for $4 million in the budget for fiscal year 2014 that...
Scientists: Boat On Oregon Shore Likely Tsunami Debris
Feb 7 2013 // Scientists say a 30-foot boat that washed ashore on Gleneden Beach on the central Oregon coast appears to be debris from the March 2011 Japan tsunami. Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department spokesman Rick Boatner says it is...
Debate Over Terrorism Insurance to Be Renewed
Feb 6 2013 // Bipartisan legislation filed yesterday in the House of Representatives promises to renew the federal terrorism reinsurance program and the debate about whether the backup program is necessary. Introduced by Reps. Michael...
Earthquake, Tsunami Kills at Least 5 in Solomon Islands; Alerts Now Cancelled
Feb 6 2013 // A powerful 8.0 magnitude earthquake set off a tsunami that killed at least five people in a remote part of the Solomon Islands on Wednesday and triggered evacuations across the South Pacific as island nations issued...
