Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Hawaii’s Big Island Rattled by Strong Earthquake
Apr 21 2009 // Officials say a strong earthquake shook parts of Hawaii’s Big Island but no damage has been reported. U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says a temblor with a magnitude of 5.0 struck Tuesday,...
Signs Around Los Angeles Beaches Warn of Tsunami Threat
Apr 20 2009 // Like many Californians who put down roots in earthquake country, Robin Rudisill knows the “Big One” could strike without warning. Yet from her Venice beachfront duplex, Rudisill worries about a different...
Moderate Earthquake Rattles Northwest China; No Injuries Reported
Apr 20 2009 // Chinese seismological authorities say a moderate earthquake registering a magnitude of 5.5 Sunday struck China’s far western Xinjiang region. No injuries were immediately reported. An official from the Xinjiang...
Forecaster WSI Reduces 2009 Season Hurricane Count to 6
Apr 20 2009 // The 2009 Atlantic hurricane season will produce 11 tropical storms, of which six will become hurricanes, WSI Corp predicted Monday. The Andover, Massachusetts, private forecaster reduced its forecast from the one it issued...
Oklahoma Wildfire Damage Estimates Increased to $30M
Apr 20 2009 // An Oklahoma insurance official says insured losses from recent wildfires that destroyed more than 100 structures in Oklahoma are expected to reach $30 million. Assistant Insurance Commissioner Marc Young says that figure...
<em>09.13.08, Hurricane Ike</em>: Must See TV
Apr 20 2009 // For Galveston, Texas, and nearby coastal areas, the recovery from Hurricane Ike, the massive storm that devastated the Texas coast on Sept. 13, 2008, has been a slow and painful process. Now, a powerful new documentary...
Timing Earthquake Coverage
Apr 20 2009 // Why Trying to Time Earthquake Coverage Purchase Is Like Trying to Time the Stock Market Ask anyone who has been impacted by the recent volatility of the stock market, and they will tell you that it’s almost...
Market Timing: A Faulty Strategy on Earthquake Coverage
Apr 20 2009 // Many Clients Buy Coverage When Earthquake Activity Arises, Then Cancel When It Subsides Ask anyone who has been affected by the recent volatility of the stock market, and they will tell you that it’s almost...
Hurricane Prediction Lowered
Apr 20 2009 // While lawmakers in coastal states debated property insurance rates and reforms, forecasters lowered their 2009 Atlantic forecast to 12 tropical storms, of which six could become hurricanes. The Colorado State University...
Windstorm Insurance Debate Begins in Texas, Finally
Apr 20 2009 // Texas legislators on April 7 finally jumped into debate over how to improve the troubled windstorm insurance system that serves as a last resort for hurricane protection along much of the Gulf Coast. The House Insurance...
Arizona’s Wildfire Season Poses Risks for Homeowners
Apr 20 2009 // As the drought in the Southwest worsens, the wildfire season in Arizona grows longer, burning more acreage and threatening private property in forested areas. “The Arizona State Forestry Division estimates more than...
Timing Earthquake Coverage
Apr 20 2009 // Timing an Earthquake Coverage Purchase Is Like Trying to Time the Stock Market Anyone who has been impacted by the recent volatility of the stock market will tell you that it’s impossible to time the stock...
Improved Credit Markets Aid Shaky Florida Hurricane Insurance Fund
Apr 16 2009 // Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet received a bit of encouraging news this week about the state’s tenuous hurricane catastrophe fund. The head of the agency responsible for Florida’s investments told...
Texas AG Shuts Down Trio Targeting Hurricane Victims
Apr 16 2009 // Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has charged three men with operating an unlawful construction scheme that targeted Hurricane Ike victims. The AG’s lawsuit charges Benton R. Barber with operating several...
Tennessee Tornadoes Took 2 Lives, Damaged 500 Buildings
Apr 15 2009 // The National Weather Service has upgraded the strength of a tornado that killed a woman and her infant daughter when it hit Murfreesboro last week and said a second tornado touched down in the county. The weather service...
Maryland Woman Sentenced in Hurricane Katrina Theft
Apr 15 2009 // The U.S. Attorney’s Office says a former Maryland resident has been sentenced for stealing $60,200 in Hurricane Katrina disaster relief benefits. Forty-two-year-old Schewanda Baptiste, formerly of Waldorf, was...
Mena, Ark., Recovers From Tornado; 600 Homes Damaged or Destroyed
Apr 13 2009 // Arkansas National Guard soldiers and state prisoner work crews in Mena, Ark., removed debris April 11 while firefighters and volunteers from all over pitched in to help residents recover from a devastating tornado and...
Oklahoma Commissioner Declares Emergency After Wildfires
Apr 13 2009 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland has declared a state of emergency to allow insurance companies to more rapidly respond to the recent Oklahoma wildfires. The declaration enables emergency adjusters to be...
Wildfires Burn Tens of Thousands of Acres Across Texas
Apr 10 2009 // Smoke from wildfires burning across North and West Texas is blowing into Austin and other locations in the center of the state, and Dallas-area residents are under an air-quality warning as a result of the fires. The Texas...
Tornadoes Give Mo. Businesses Insurance, Record-Keeping Lessons
Apr 10 2009 // Businesses in Southwest Missouri learned a lot about insurance, record-keeping and personal safety from tornadoes that tore through the area last spring. In many ways, walking into Bill Lant’s feed store in Seneca,...
