damage News

Small 3.6 Earthquake Confirmed in Northern California

A small magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area, jolting thousands of people awake and causing minor damage, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. The earthquake occurred at 3:39 a.m. Saturday and was centered in El Cerrito, according to …

Scientists Say Eruption of Hawaii Volcano Continues to Ease

The eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island continues to ease, scientists said, reinforcing an earlier pronouncement that the mountain’s first flare-up in nearly 40 years might soon end. “We have good news to report,” Ken Hon, …

Lava on Hawaii’s Big Island Could Block Main Highway, Interrupt Businesses

Many people on the Big Island of Hawaii are bracing for major upheaval if lava from Mauna Loa volcano slides across a key highway and blocks the quickest route connecting two sides of the island. The molten rock could make …

California Trucking Firm Owner Sentenced in Deadly Blast

A Southern California trucking company owner who ordered the illegal repair of a tanker that led to a deadly explosion was sentenced last week to 10 years in federal prison. Carl Bradley Johansson, 64, of Newport Beach also was sentenced …

Hawaii Volcano Eruption Has Some on Alert, Draws Onlookers

The first eruption in 38 years of the world’s largest active volcano is attracting onlookers to a national park for “spectacular” views of the event, and it’s also dredging up bad memories among some Hawaii residents who have been through …

What Hazards Are Posed by Hawaii’s Mauna Loa?

Lava is shooting 100 feet to 200 feet into the air as Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, erupts for the first time in nearly 40 years. For now, lava is not threatening any homes or communities and …

California Commissioner Issues Moratorium on Homeowners Insurance Cancellations in L.A. and Kern Counties

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara ordered insurance companies to preserve residential insurance coverage following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Nov. 19 emergency declaration. The commissioner’s bulletin shields policyholders within the wildfire perimeter of the Route Fire and in adjacent ZIP codes from …

Safety Agency Says Wing Broke Before Plane Crash in Washington

A wing from a Cessna 208B broke away before the plane crashed Friday into a field northeast of Seattle, killing the four people on board, the National Transportation Safety Board said. The NTSB said the wreckage has been recovered and …

Four Die in Washington After Alaska Company’s Plane Crashes

Four people were killed in a fiery plane crash Friday morning northeast of Seattle, authorities said. The single-engine Cessna 208B crashed in a field, the Federal Aviation Administration said, not too far from a small airport near Snohomish. The four …

Investigators Say Car Was Buried in California in Insurance Fraud Scheme

A car was buried in the backyard of a Northern California mansion 30 years ago as part of a scheme to commit insurance fraud, authorities said Thursday. The convertible Mercedes was discovered last month by landscapers in the affluent town …