Disaster (Flood,Coastal,EQ,W-Fire,etc.) News

Hurricane Alex Could Reach Land Today in Mexico, Texas

Hurricane Alex strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday and was expected to make landfall later in the day but skirt Mexican oil rigs and U.S. oil fields, alleviating concerns in crude markets. The first named storm of the …

Special Reuters Report: Oil Spill a Gusher for Lawyers; Litigation May Take Years

BP payout should far exceed what Exxon spent on Valdez The company’s $20 billion fund may not be enough Accountability may take years if not decades to assess Many federal laws allow civil, criminal liability From a legal perspective, BP’s …

More Oil Spills to Come, Says Professor

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not simply a random accident. There will be more of these spills to come, as the days of easy oil are over, says an anthropologist at Washington University in …

Senate Committee Votes to End Oil Spill Liability Cap Retroactively

A U.S. Senate committee Wednesday voted to eliminate limits on liability that oil companies would face for damages stemming from offshore spills like the one in the Gulf of Mexico. The change, if approved and made law, would apply retroactively …

If Today’s Bid Fails, Next Likely Vote to Restart Flood Insurance: July 12

The future of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) remains in limbo even as Hurricane Alex makes its way to the Texas coast today. Washington lobbyists say a vote could come today but if that doesn’t happen it could be …

Hurricane Alex to Hamper BP’s Gulf Oil Disaster Containment Effort

Tropical Storm Alex is expected to reach hurricane strength on Tuesday, with high winds and vast waves set to hamper BP Plc’s latest efforts to contain the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Shares in London-based energy giant BP fell …

Texas Prepares as Tropical Storm Alex Heads Toward Hurricane Status

As of 10 a.m. CDT on June 29, Tropical Storm Alex was nearing hurricane strength in the western Gulf of Mexico and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects it to reach hurricane status later in the day. The storm is …

BP Says Storm Waves Will Delay Oil Capture

BP Plc’s plan to increase oil-capture capacity this week at the Gulf of Mexico leak to up to 53,000 barrels a day will be delayed by high waves expected to be generated by Tropical Storm Alex, a company executive said …

California Launches Disaster Corps

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has launched the first-in-the-nation Disaster Corps to professionalize, standardize and coordinate trained disaster volunteers statewide. Disaster Corps volunteers will be registered by their local government organization under the Disaster Service Worker Volunteer Program and will meet …

TS Alex -Season’s 1st Named Storm- Strengthens over Gulf of Mexico

Alex, the hurricane season’s first named tropical storm, reached that level on Friday, but weakened as it moved across the coast of Belize and El Salvador and over Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Two people were reported to have been swept away …