2021 natural catastrophes News

Update: Deadly, Rare Tornado Devastates Towns in Southern Czech Republic

Hrusky, Czech Republic — Emergency workers and residents combed through wreckage in southern Czech Republic on Friday after a tornado ripped roofs off buildings and sent cars flying through the air, killing at least five people and injuring hundreds. The …

Russia Fights Wildfires in Siberia and the Far East

Russian emergency workers fought wildfires burning Sunday on more than 550 square kilometers (212 square miles) of territory mostly in Siberia and the Far East. The state agency responsible for fighting forest fires, Avialesookhrana, said the largest blaze was in …

Insurance Council of Australia Declares Flood Catastrophe for Regions of Victoria

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared a catastrophe for regions of Victoria affected by significant storms and flooding of the last few days. The ICA’s catastrophe declaration serves to escalate and prioritize the insurance industry’s response for affected …

May’s Global Disasters Include Hailstorms, Floods, Cyclones, Quakes, Volcanic Eruption

U.S. insurers face a multi-billion-dollar payout from May’s convective storms, which spawned extensive hail, tornado, wind and flood damage across a series of separate events during the month, according to broker Aon plc in the latest edition of its monthly …

Busier-Than-Normal Cyclone Season Predicted for East Asian Nations

SINGAPORE – Half of the roughly 20 tropical cyclones expected to form in the western Pacific Ocean through September this year are predicted to hit land in east Asian nations, forecasters said on Friday, making for a season that is …

Heavy Rain Causes Floods in New Zealand’s Canterbury Region, Forcing Evacuations

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – Several hundred people in New Zealand were evacuated from their homes Monday with some recounting dramatic helicopter rescues as heavy rain caused widespread flooding in the Canterbury region. Authorities declared a state of emergency after …

India Oil Giant Under Fire for Offshore Disaster During Cyclone Tauktae

When India’s weather office sent out cyclone warnings on May 13 and most vessels moved to safety, one barge working on Oil and Natural Gas Corp.’s field off the Mumbai coast stayed put. That decision would prove fatal when Tauktae, …

Storm Surges Inundate Villages in Eastern India as Cyclone Yaas Moves Inland

BHUBANESWAR, India – Storm surges inundated dozens of villages in eastern India on Wednesday after a powerful cyclone moved inland from the Bay of Bengal, damaging thousands of mud homes in two coastal states and killing at least one person, …

India Braces for Second Severe Cyclone in 10 Days

India braces for the second severe storm in about 10 days, with authorities in the eastern region preparing to evacuate people to safer places at a time when the country is battling the world’s worst outbreak of COVID-19. Cyclone Yaas, …

India Continues Rescue Operations After Powerful Cyclone Tauktae Batters Region

AHMEDABAD/MUMBAI – Naval vessels and aircraft scoured the waters off India’s west coast late on Wednesday after the most powerful cyclone in more than two decades battered the region, sinking an oilfield accommodation barge and killing 26 aboard, authorities said. …