Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Southern California Battles Devastating Wildfires
Nov 17 2008 // Southern Californians weathered a fourth day of devastation on Sunday, as wind-blasted wildfires destroyed hundreds of residences, shut down major freeways and forced thousands of residents in the path of flames to flee to...
Minor Earthquake Felt in Maine
Nov 17 2008 // People in western Maine were given a slight jolt Thursday when a minor earthquake struck in Rumford. According to the Weston Observatory at Boston College, the earthquake happened at 5:26 a.m. and had a magnitude of...
La. Citizens OKs $35M Settlement; Pays $90M in Hurricane Claims
Nov 17 2008 // The board of Louisiana’s last-resort insurance company approved paying up to $35 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that the firm took too long to pay off policyholders’ claims after the 2005...
Successive Hurricanes: Potential Windfall for Insureds?
Nov 16 2008 // The 2008 hurricane season came very close to presenting, on a large scale, the potential quandary caused by successive losses. On Sept.1, 2008, Hurricane Gustav came ashore and caused substantial damage from the Louisiana...
Study: California Earthquake Could Cause $200 Billion in Losses
Nov 16 2008 // If a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred on California’s Hayward Fault, it would result in economic losses between $210 billion and $235 billion, with only up to $30 billion likely to be insured, according to a study...
Millions in Southern California Take Part in Earthquake Drill
Nov 13 2008 // At 10 a.m. this morning, millions of Southern Californians are expected to millions of people in homes, schools, businesses, government offices, and public places are expected to drop, cover, and hold on, in what is...
South Carolina Holds Earthquake Drill
Nov 13 2008 // The ground may not be shaking, but emergency officials want South Carolina residents to be ready if and when it does. An earthquake drill was held Wednesday as part of South Carolina Earthquake Awareness Week. Emergency...
Texas House Panel Studies Response to Hurricane Ike
Nov 12 2008 // Hurricane Ike left thousands homeless, millions without power and destroyed houses and businesses along the Texas Gulf Coast. But it also gave state and local governments a chance to learn from their mistakes during a...
Deadline for Hurricane Gustav Disaster Funds Nears in Mississippi
Nov 11 2008 // Nov. 25, 2008, is the deadline to register for federal and state Hurricane Gustav disaster aid, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business...
Deadlines Loom in Louisiana for Post-Hurricane FEMA Assistance
Nov 10 2008 // The Louisiana Recovery Authority says even people who have insurance should register with FEMA if they were affected by hurricanes Gustav or Ike – and they need to do it soon. The deadline is Dec. 3 for people...
Hawaii Gets New Hurricane Forecaster
Nov 10 2008 // The National Weather Service’s Honolulu Forecast Office is getting a new director of operations. Richard Knabb is currently a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla. He will manage the...
New Maps Reveal Evansville’s Earthquake Risk
Nov 6 2008 // The U.S. Geological Survey is completing maps that will indicate earthquake hazards in the Evansville area. Geophysicist Oliver Boyd tells the Evansville Courier & Press that he hopes the final maps will be ready next...
Small Earthquake Reported in East Tennessee
Nov 3 2008 // The U.S. Geological Survey reported a small earthquake occurred in East Tennessee, but emergency officials say no damage has been reported. The agency recorded the earthquake was centered near Maryville and occurred at...
Small Earthquakes Hits Arkansas County, Dallas Area
Nov 3 2008 // Federal officials say a 2.7-magnitude earthquake struck on Nov. 1 near the community of Magnet Cove in Hot Spring County, Arkansas. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the earthquake hit three miles northeast of Rockport...
$395 Million Approved for Flood, Tornado Recovery in Iowa
Nov 2 2008 // Iowa communities are getting help recovering from a series of natural disasters this year with nearly $395 million in state and federal funding. The money will go to at least 3,200 projects. The biggest chunk of it, about...
Kentucky Weathering AIG and Ike Hurricanes
Nov 2 2008 // Sharon P. Clark, a 17-year veteran of Kentucky state government, was appointed commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Insurance (DOI) in June. Clark’s experience includes five years as director of the Consumer...
Willis Report: California May See Less Shaking in Earthquake
Nov 2 2008 // Ground view of collapsed building and burned area as a result of an earthquake at Beach and Divisadero, Marina District. Photo courtesy of C.E. Meyer, U.S. Geological Survey. California buildings are less likely to shake,...
California Recovers Nearly $13 Million Following 2007 Wildfires
Nov 2 2008 // Nearly one year after the October 2007 wildfires, the California Department of Insurance has recovered more than $12.7 million from insurance companies by standing up for consumers who had been shortchanged. The $12.7...
Study: California Earthquake Could Cause $200 Billion in Losses
Oct 31 2008 // If a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occured on California’s Hayward Fault today, it would result in economic losses between $210 billion and $235 billion, with only up to $30 billion likely to be insured, according to a...
Northwest Could Learn From 2004 Indonesian Tsunami
Oct 31 2008 // The tsunami that killed 230,000 people in 2004 was the biggest in the Indian Ocean in some 600 years, and it has lessons for the Pacific Northwest, geologists said. Geologists say the long gap between tsunamis in the...
