Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Private Firefighting Firms Add to Tension While Saving Vineyards, Mansions From Wildfires
May 17 2021 // Last October, firefighter Ryan Bellanca and his crew battled to keep the raging Glass Fire in California from devastating an upmarket Napa Valley vineyard. But Bellanca wasn’t working for any fire department. He owns...
Tornado in New Orleans Rips Off Roofs, Knocks Out Power
May 13 2021 // A tornado ripped off roofs, knocked down utility poles and cut off power to thousands in New Orleans early on May 12, but no serious injuries were reported in what one city official called an unexpected “dry...
California Commissioner Calls on Insurers to Do More to Boost Wildfire Prep
May 13 2021 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara called for property insurers in the state to step up and do more to help residents and businesses deal with wildfires. Lara on Thursday gave an update on the actions and...
2020’s Hurricane Zeta Upgraded from Cat 2 to Cat 3
May 13 2021 // Hurricane Zeta, which swept through southeast Louisiana at the tail end of the 2020 hurricane season, has been upgraded to a major, Category 3 storm at Louisiana landfall, according to a federal report released on May 11...
U.S. Hailstorms that Cost Insurers Billions – and Other April Natural Disasters: Aon
May 12 2021 // Insurers face multi-billion-dollar losses from U.S. hailstorms during April, according to Aon’s Global Catastrophe Recap report, which each month analyzes the impact of natural disaster events worldwide. The report...
California Wildfire Victims See Little Payout from PG&E Settlement
May 11 2021 // A trust approved by a federal judge to help compensate victims of deadly California wildfires sparked by Pacific Gas & Electric equipment paid survivors just $7 million while racking up $51 million in overhead in its...
Tornado That Struck Chesapeake Bay’s Western Shore Damaged Houses
May 10 2021 // A tornado that struck Virginia’s Northumberland County near the Chesapeake Bay destroyed one home and severely damaged a few others. But no one was injured, according to weather service officials. National Weather...
Ahead of Biden Visit, Louisiana Seeks More Hurricane Disaster Aid
May 6 2021 // U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy has asked President Joe Biden, ahead of his May 6 visit to Louisiana, to back disaster aid to help the state with recovery from the 2020 hurricanes. Louisiana’s Republican senior senator and...
3 Killed by Tornadoes from Southeast Storms; 12 Twisters Confirmed in Mississippi
May 5 2021 // Much of the South faced more severe weather Tuesday that has killed at least three people, spawned tornadoes Sunday night and Monday and damaged homes and uprooted trees from Mississippi to West Virginia. Parts of Texas,...
North, Central Texas Pummeled by Tornadoes, Hail
May 4 2021 // The National Weather Service in Fort Worth reported that its preliminary storm results survey from the severe weather that swept north and central Texas on May 3 showed two EF-2 tornadoes and three EF-0 tornadoes. The...
Storms Spawn Tornadoes Across Southeast, Damage Reported in Mississippi
May 4 2021 // Multiple tornadoes were reported across Mississippi on Sunday, destroying homes and uprooting trees before the storm system moved into Atlanta, prompting residents Monday to seek shelter in Georgia’s largest city....
Louisiana State Roadways Finally Cleared of 2020 Hurricane Debris
May 4 2021 // Eight months after Hurricane Laura devastated southwest Louisiana, the state transportation department has finished removing storm debris from state roadways. The Department of Transportation and Development said it...
ShakeAlert Earthquake Warning System Goes Live in Washington
May 4 2021 // Washington residents will have new tool to help keep them safe when an earthquake strikes on Tuesday when the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System goes live. Once launched, ShakeAlert will be able to send residents...
Storm That Damaged 32 Homes in Tennessee Was Tornado
May 4 2021 // The National Weather Services said a violent storm that damaged more than 30 homes in Tennessee last week was an EF-1 tornado, The Paris Post-Intelligencer reported. No deaths and only one minor injury were reported from...
Tornado Confirmed in Metro Atlanta As Severe Storms Strike Region
May 3 2021 // The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado in the Atlanta metro area Monday as a disturbance brought scattered yet severe storms. On Twitter, NWS Atlanta followed up a tornado warning from early Monday morning with a...
Tornado Rips Through Mississippi, Damages Buildings, Power Lines
May 3 2021 // A tornado tore through the southern U.S. city of Tupelo on Sunday, blowing the roofs off homes and tearing down trees and power lines, but there were no immediate reports of injuries. “Emergency crews are currently...
Texas, Oklahoma Hailstorms Likely Caused $3.5B in Damage: Accuweather
Apr 30 2021 // Violent spring storms packing high winds and large hailstones in Texas and Oklahoma on April 28 likely caused $3.5 billion in damage, according to Accuweather.com. Additionally, the National Weather Service confirmed an...
Louisiana 2020 Hurricane Insured Claim Costs Still Rising
Apr 30 2021 // Insurers have increased by 25% since the end of last year estimates of the claims costs for three hurricanes that struck Louisiana in 2020, according to the state insurance department. The Louisiana Department of Insurance...
Pain, Loss Linger A Decade After Tornadoes Hammered 6 States Across South
Apr 28 2021 // For Tom Sanders, it’s the void left by the death of a cousin and the man’s wife, killed when a tornado mowed through a placid Alabama valley. To Markedia Wells, it’s the stolen innocence of her sons, who...
Delos Announces New Capacity for California Wildfire Areas
Apr 27 2021 // San Francisco, Calif.-based Delos Insurance Solutions announced an agreement with reinsurance companies that the firm said will result in a five-fold increase in insurance capacity for California homeowners in areas prone...
