natural catastrophes News

Myanmar Junta Asks for Aid as Death Toll From Massive Quake Nears 150

Myanmar’s military leader requested international aid on Friday to help deal with the aftermath of a massive earthquake that they said has left at least 144 people dead. The quake on Friday measured 7.7 in magnitude, according to the US …

South Korea Contains Main Blazes in Week-Old Forest Fires

South Korean authorities have contained the main blazes in the country’s largest forest fire on record, a minister said on Friday, as rain and better weather allowed more helicopters to fly and dump water, dousing the flames. Spread by strong …

Climate Change Triggers More Extreme Weather – From Deluges to Drought

Around the globe, rising temperatures stoked by climate change are increasing the odds of both severe drought and heavier precipitation that wreak havoc on people and the environment. Rainfall can disappear for years only to return with a vengeance, as …

South Korea Battles Wildfires as Death Toll Rises to 18

Wildfires ravaging South Korea over the past week have killed at least 24 people, making it the country’s worst forest fire disaster in about three decades, as firefighters struggled to contain multiple blazes that have broken out in the country’s …

Wildfires in Western Japan Damage Homes, Forcing Evacuations

Wildfires have hit several regions in western Japan, injuring at least two people, forcing dozens of residents to evacuate and damaging a number of homes as hundreds of firefighters battled the widening blazes in the mountainous areas. The fires in …

Spain’s Storms Refill Reservoirs, Easing Nation’s Worst Drought

Jana, Konrad, Laurence and Martinho — the unprecedented string of four named storms that barreled through the Iberian peninsula in the past three weeks — came with a silver lining: the likely end of Spain’s worst drought in recorded history. …

Spain Braces for More Downpours After Floods Kill Three People

Spain is bracing for another round of torrential rains after flooding forced home evacuations, washed away cars and killed at least three people this week in the southern region of Andalusia. Authorities in Spain and Portugal issued amber alerts for …

Extreme Weather in 2024 Forced Biggest Displacement of People in 16 Years

Extreme weather last year including typhoons, heatwaves and flooding led to the biggest displacement of people since 2008, and exacerbated a food crisis in more than a dozen countries, according to a report. Tropical cyclones were responsible for many of …

Cyclone Alfred to Cost Australia’s Budget A$1.2B, Hit Growth and Increase Inflation

Cyclone Alfred will cost Australia’s March 25 budget at least A$1.2 billion [US$759 million], hit growth and put pressure on inflation, Treasurer Jim Chalmers says. In a Tuesday speech previewing the budget, Chalmers will also say that on preliminary estimates, …

Tropical Cyclone Jude Tears Through Northern Mozambique Near Coal Hub

Tropical Cyclone Jude made landfall on Mozambique’s northeastern coast in the early hours of Monday, bringing damaging winds and torrential rain near the nation’s main coal export terminal. The storm strengthened to the equivalent of a category 1 hurricane with …