Latest Natural Disasters Headlines
All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wind Whips up Wildfire in California Canyons, Residents Flee
Dec 4 2020 // Powerful gusts pushed flames from a wildfire through Southern California canyons on Thursday, one of several blazes that burned near homes and forced residents to flee amid elevated fire risk for most of the region that...
Many Californians Being Left Without Homeowners Insurance Due to Wildfire Risk
Dec 4 2020 // Acquiring home insurance has long been a mundane but necessary chore. In California, for hundreds of thousands of residents, it’s turned into a labyrinthine quest that leaves people with expensive, bare-bones...
Flood Insurance Lessons Learned from the 2020 Hurricane Season
Dec 4 2020 // At long last, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has officially ended. The grim statistical tally highlights a dramatic year, the most active in recorded history. This year saw 30 named storms and 13 hurricanes, of which 6...
2020 Hurricane Season Set Multiple Records
Dec 3 2020 // A record-setting Atlantic hurricane season that saw the highest number of named storms officially came to a close Monday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season set...
Louisiana Begins Clearing Hurricane-Driven Sediment from Channel so Ships Can Pass
Dec 2 2020 // Port officials have begun clearing a shipping channel in Louisiana after sediments pushed into the waterway by hurricanes made the water too shallow for some vessels to pass safely. The work on Port Fourchon’s Belle...
Hawaii Gets Through 2020 Hurricane Season Sans Major Impact
Dec 2 2020 // The 2020 hurricane season set records with the number of storms in Atlantic Ocean regions, but Hawaii escaped largely unscathed in the season that has now drawn to a close. The Central Pacific basin area experienced only...
Damage Toll from Hurricane Zeta Totals Nearly $90M in Mississippi
Nov 30 2020 // Hurricane Zeta left a trail of destruction and millions in damage in Mississippi when it came ashore Oct. 28, state officials said. The state has documented tens of millions in damage from the storm, which had 100 mph...
Tornado Causes Damage, Injuries in Arlington, Texas
Nov 30 2020 // A pre-Thanksgiving Day tornado swept through parts of the Dallas-area city of Arlington on Nov. 24, damaging several apartment complexes and other buildings, displacing 75 families and causing minor injuries to three...
Minor Earthquake Reported in Massachusetts
Nov 30 2020 // A minor earthquake was registered Sunday in Massachusetts in roughly the same area where a more significant one struck earlier this month, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The agency’s National Earthquake Information...
California Regulator Raising Concern with PG&E’s Wildfire Safety Measures
Nov 25 2020 // The California Public Utilities Commission has raised concerns over certain deficiencies that it says could affect PG&E Corp.’s ability to provide safe and reliable service, the power provider disclosed in a...
Reno Fire Department Says Wildfire Destroyed 5 Homes, Damaged 24
Nov 20 2020 // Authorities now say five homes were destroyed and 26 damaged by a wind-driven wildfire that roared through a Reno, Nev., neighborhood. Of the homes damaged Tuesday, three were heavily damaged and 21 had minor damage due to...
Louisiana Issues Hurricane Zeta Data Call
Nov 19 2020 // Louisiana is seeking information from property/casualty insurers in the state about the impact of Hurricane Zeta. This latest data call from the Louisiana Department of Insurance is the third hurricane-related data call...
Several Northern California Agencies Suing PG&E Over 2019 Wildfire
Nov 19 2020 // Sonoma County and several Northern California agencies sued Pacific Gas & Electric Co. on Tuesday over damage caused by a wildfire that burned a large swath of land last year and caused nearly 100,000 people to...
Tornado in Arkansas on Sunday Injured 4 People, Destroyed Homes
Nov 17 2020 // A tornado in northeast Arkansas on Nov. 15 left four people injured and destroyed buildings and mobile homes, authorities said. The severe weather Sunday was near Romance, an unincorporated community about 23 miles (37...
Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake Confirmed in Remote Corner of Nevada
Nov 17 2020 // A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck a remote corner of Nevada early Friday, shaking the desert and a nearby town, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The quake struck at 1:13 a.m. and was centered about 21 miles southeast...
Most Powerful Atlantic Hurricane of 2020 Hits Central America
Nov 17 2020 // Hurricane Iota slammed into Central America late Monday with ferocious winds and rain, threatening to cripple a region already reeling from a deadly storm two weeks ago. Iota, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in a...
Parts of Florida, Carolinas Take Beating from Tropical Storm Eta
Nov 16 2020 // After hanging over Florida for several days, the former Tropical Storm Eta became a post-tropical cyclone early Friday, racing off the Southeast Atlantic coast and bringing heavy rains and gusty winds to the Carolinas...
3 Typhoons in 3 Weeks Kill 100-Plus People in Philippines, Causing Damages of $518.5M
Nov 16 2020 // Three strong typhoons over the past three weeks have killed more than 100 people in the Philippines and damaged farms and infrastructure worth almost 25 billion pesos ($518.5 million), based on reports from its disaster...
Update: Hurricane Iota Threatens Honduras, Nicaragua, Just Days After Storm Eta
Nov 16 2020 // Hurricane Iota is set to slam into Central America Monday as the Atlantic’s strongest storm of the year, bringing catastrophic winds and torrential rain to a region still reeling from a storm two weeks ago. It will...
California’s Wine Country Adapting to Annual Wildfire Threat
Nov 13 2020 // Harvest season in Northern California’s wine country is what dream weddings are made of: ripe grapevines and golden sunsets provide ceremonies an alluring backdrop that every year draws millions of visitors. But...
