Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Katia Becomes Hurricane East of Leeward Islands
Sep 1 2011 // Tropical storm Katia has become the second hurricane of the season, as it passes over the warm water of the Atlantic Ocean. The most recent bulletin from the National Hurricane Center in Miami at 2:00 a.m. EDT located the...
Earthquake, Hurricane Keep Maryland Insurance Agents Busy
Sep 1 2011 // First came the earthquake; then the hurricane. Now comes the bill. And with any luck, you have a decent insurance policy that will cover the cost of most, if not all, of the damages sustained in one or both natural...
Oregon Wildfires Threaten Homes
Aug 30 2011 // Weather conditions improved for firefighters trying to contain a 45,000-acre grass fire in central Oregon, after red flag warnings expired. A dispatcher at the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center in Prineville said...
Typhoon Nanmadol Departs Taiwan, Heads for China
Aug 30 2011 // Typhoon Nanmadol headed to southeastern China on Monday after dumping more than 20 inches (half a meter) of rain in southern Taiwan, where wide swaths of agricultural land were flooded and some 8,000 people evacuated. The...
Tropical Storm Katia Forms in Eastern Atlantic
Aug 30 2011 // The Miami-based National Hurricane Center is currently tracking Tropical Storm Katia, which formed earlier today out of tropical depression 12. The latest tropical storm of the already busy hurricane season is...
Pacific Coast Towns Rethink Tsunami ‘Vertical’ Evacuation Options
Aug 29 2011 // When the next devastating earthquake strikes off the Northwest coast, it is expected to send a tsunami so fast that it could leave coastal communities with perhaps 20 minutes to escape the surge of water. For small towns...
Colorado Says It Has No Funds to Aid Earthquake Victims
Aug 29 2011 // Colorado officials say they have no money to help earthquake victims in southern Colorado. Department of Local Affairs spokeswoman Linda Rice said the state is providing technical assistance, including geological analysis,...
8 Dead as Typhoon Nanmadol Slams Northern Philippines
Aug 29 2011 // Slow-moving Typhoon Nanmadol remained dangerous Sunday despite weakening as it struck the tip of the mountainous northern Philippines, leaving at least eight people dead and scuttling a visit by a U.S. Navy battleship...
Earthquake Showed Difficulties of Evacuating D.C.
Aug 29 2011 // The nation’s capital has prepared for emergencies with sleek communication systems, intelligence fusion centers and chemical detention centers at train stations. What showed during the 5.8-magnitude quake that shook...
Investors Placed Their Bets On Hurricane Irene
Aug 28 2011 // While people in New York and the rest of the U.S. East Coast on Friday were buying batteries and water ahead of Hurricane Irene, some investors were more focused on placing their bets just in case this really is “the...
Insured Losses from Hurricane Irene in Carolinas Could Reach $400 Million
Aug 28 2011 // Hurricane Irene caused between $200 million and $400 million in insured losses in the Carolinas, catastrophe modeling company Eqecat said on Sunday. At 7:30 a.m. ET Saturday, Aug. 27, Irene made its first landfall just...
Insurance Industry Mobilizes for Hurricane Irene Claims
Aug 26 2011 // In addition to advising their policyholders on what to do to protect against Hurricane Irene, property/casualty insurers and brokers are themselves taking precautions—and positioning their claims teams for the...
Hurricane Irene Update: 50 Million People Could Be Affected
Aug 26 2011 // Parts of the southeastern United States were already experiencing dangerous swells and rip tides Thursday as Hurricane Irene exited the Bahamas. On Friday afternoon, ahead of Hurricane Irene’s forecasted arrival in...
Is ‘Old’ East Coast Prepared For a Powerful Earthquake?
Aug 26 2011 // There was a crack in the Washington Monument, and capstones were broken at the National Cathedral. In the District of Columbia suburbs, some people stayed in shelters because of structural concerns at their apartment...
East Coast Earthquake: Fear, Damage Mixed with Relief, Teasing
Aug 26 2011 // For a few minutes from Georgia to Maine, the question rang out: What was that? The answer — a rare East Coast earthquake, magnitude 5.8 — was far down on the list for most not used to the earth shaking beneath them. In...
Insurance to Pay Part of Joplin Schools’ $30M Tornado Cost
Aug 25 2011 // The Joplin School Board has begun paying the massive bills caused by destruction from the May 22 tornado. The school board approved payment of nearly $30 million for the month of July and about half of August. The...
Colorado Jostled with Earthquake Aftershocks
Aug 25 2011 // Colorado has been jostled with 13 aftershocks after Monday night’s magnitude-5.3 earthquake struck just hours before a magnitude-5.8 temblor hit Virginia, earthquake monitors said Wednesday. Geophysicist Amy Vaughan...
How to Reduce Roof Leak Damage Caused by Hurricanes
Aug 25 2011 // Wind-driven water like that occurring during Hurricane Irene penetrates openings in residential roofs but roof deck seams can be sealed to reduce any damage, according to tests by an insurance home safety institute. The...
Hurricane Irene a Test for North Carolina Island Evacuation Plan
Aug 25 2011 // With Hurricane Irene approaching, evacuations began on a tiny barrier island off North Carolina early Wednesday in what would be a test of whether people in the crosshairs of what could be the first major storm in years...
Earthquake Insurance Premiums by State
Aug 25 2011 // An East Coast earthquake? Suffering damage from a seismic shift isn’t a risk many homeowners outside of California worry about. Most standard homeowners, renters and business insurance policies do not cover damage...
