Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Study: Hurricanes Harvey, Irma Triggered Uptick in Flood Insurance
Jul 1 2024 // Short but severe flooding that followed hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017 triggered a nationwide increase in flood insurance take-up driven by a county’s social network proximity to flooded areas, says a new...
A Potential Atlantic Hurricane Is About to Clash With a Cloud of Saharan Dust
Jun 28 2024 // A cluster of thunderstorms is threatening to become the Atlantic’s next tropical storm or hurricane — if it can survive a cloud of dust from the Sahara. The storms southwest of the Cape Verde islands have a 70%...
People Moves: California Earthquake Authority Governing Board Appoints New CEO
Jun 28 2024 // Tom Welsh The Governing Board of the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) named Tom Welsh CEO. Welsh was the chief legal and compliance officer. He has served as the interim CEO since January. He joined the CEA in 2019 as...
Oregon Wildfire Growing After Active Day
Jun 27 2024 // A wildfire near La Pine, Oregon that has prompted evacuation orders grew to 3,889 acres on Thursday morning. The Darlene 3 Fire, which started Tuesday, is now 30% contained. Winds and warm temperatures on Tuesday resulted...
Report: Over 1,000 Properties Affected by New Mexico Wildfires to Cost $370M
Jun 27 2024 // More than 1,000 residential properties in New Mexico may have been damaged or destroyed by wildfires in New Mexico, according to property data firm CoreLogic. “Multiple, active wildfires in south-central New Mexico...
Containment Grows on Wildfire Near Site of Most Destructive Blaze in California History
Jun 26 2024 // Residents of a California area near the town of Paradise, the site of the state’s most destructive wildfire in history, were ordered to evacuate and roads were closed this week as a wildfire spread. The Apache Fire...
Eastern Canada Wildfire Forces Evacuation of Hydro Plant Workers
Jun 26 2024 // A wildfire in an eastern Canadian province moved closer to a huge power plant on Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of workers from a nearby town, officials said. “So (this is) very concerning,” Newfoundland and...
Washington Commissioner Asks Insurers to Extend Additional Living Expenses for Wildfire Victims
Jun 26 2024 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is asking insurers to extend the additional living expenses benefit for wildfire victims who are nearing their 12-month limit on that coverage. Many policies that include...
Velocity Risk Partners with LSU to Develop Gulf Coast Hurricane Model
Jun 25 2024 // Velocity HoldCo, the parent company for Velocity Risk Underwriters, announced a joint venture with Louisiana State University (LSU) on a Gulf Coast-central hurricane model. The model uses daily data to predict US hurricane...
Wildfire Threats Make Utilities Uninsurable in US West
Jun 25 2024 // Trinity Public Utilities District’s power lines snake through the lower reaches of the Cascade Range, a rugged, remote and densely forested terrain in Northern California that has some of the highest wildfire risk in...
Four Minor Early Morning Earthquakes Hit Southern California
Jun 24 2024 // Four small earthquakes occurred in California in the early Monday morning hours, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck near Cobb at a depth of 1.1 miles, a M2.9 quake hit two miles...
Containment Grows on New Mexico Wildfires, as Rains and Cooler Weather Help
Jun 24 2024 // Containment has grown on a pair of New Mexico wildfires that destroyed thousands of structures and forced the evacuation of more than 8,000 people. The Salt and South Fork fires have burned more than 25,000 acres. The...
FEMA Is Ready for Hurricane and Wildfire Seasons, but Money a Concern
Jun 24 2024 // The head of the Homeland Security Department said Friday that the agency tasked with responding to disasters across the country is prepared as it goes into what is expected to be an intense hurricane and wildfire season...
Growing Wildfires in New Mexico Destroyed 1,400 Structures
Jun 20 2024 // A pair of wildfires in New Mexico continue to rage uncontained, destroying an estimated 1,400 structures, forcing the evacuation of more than 8,000 people, while rains also flooded parts of the state. The Salt and South...
Tropical Storm Alberto Strengthens as System Approaches Mexico
Jun 20 2024 // Tropical Storm Alberto is strengthening as the system neared the Gulf coast of Mexico, and is expected to dump heavy rain across the northeast of the country and into southern Texas. The center of Alberto is expected to...
Northern California Wildfire at 15K-Plus Acres, Containment Grows on Fire in South
Jun 19 2024 // A wildfire is raging through a large swath of western Sacramento Valley after igniting on Monday and spreading to 15,656 acres. Evacuations were ordered in rural areas around the Sites Fire in Colusa County, which is...
New Mexico Wildfires Spread to 20,000 Acres, Forcing Thousands to Evacuate
Jun 19 2024 // A pair of wildfires in New Mexico have spread to more than 20,000 acres, forcing thousands of people to evacuate and leaving one person dead. The South Fork and Salt fires have grown to more than 20,000 acres (16,335 for...
Tropical Storm Alberto to Bring Flooding to Coastal South Texas
Jun 19 2024 // Tropical storm Alberto has caused flooding and more than three feet of storm surge in parts of coastal south Texas but is not expected to strengthen to hurricane force, meteorologists say. Alberto is the first named storm...
New Mexico Town Ordered to Evacuate Due to Large, Uncontained Wildfire
Jun 18 2024 // Residents of a New Mexico town were ordered to flee their homes on Monday due to a fast-moving wildfire. The town of Ruidoso, with roughly 7,000 residents, was ordered to immediately evacuate from the South Fork and Salt...
Potential Tropical Storm in Southern Gulf of Mexico Gathers Strength
Jun 18 2024 // Tropical storm watches have been posted along the Texas and Mexican coasts as a low-pressure system gathers strength in Bay of Campeche at the southern end of the Gulf of Mexico and threatens heavy rain across Central...
