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

Obama to Name Gulf Oil Spill Panel; BP Safety Record Faulted

President Barack Obama will create a presidential commission to probe the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and energy giant BP said Monday it had “turned the corner” in its efforts to contain it. London-based BP Plc said its …

South Carolina Had Small Earthquake

Federal experts say a small earthquake struck near the South Carolina coast last week. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake occurred about 6 miles south southeast of Summerville shortly after 5 a.m. Wednesday. It had a magnitude of 2.8 …

Coming Hurricane Season Could Complicate Gulf Oil Spill Disaster

BP’s oil spill could make for one of the highest-stakes U.S. Gulf hurricane seasons on record. Storms may scuttle clean-up efforts, force containment vessels to retreat, or propel spilled crude and tar balls over vast expanses of sea and beach, …

U.S. Being Bankrupted By Disasters, Professor Tells Federal Reserve

America is emerging from a deep recession caused by financial messes on Wall Street, but Dr. J. David Rogers says the Federal Reserve is still being bankrupted by natural disasters. “The National Flood Insurance Program was bankrupted by Katrina and …

BP Reports Some Success in Containing Gulf Oil Spill

Energy giant BP reported a limited success at containing the oil that is gushing unabated into the Gulf of Mexico Sunday but a skeptical U.S. government said it was “not a solution.” Reports of huge oil plumes in the Gulf, …

Mississippi Governor Vetoes $20 Million for Wind Insurance Pool

Gov. Haley Barbour on Friday rejected a proposal to put a $20 million subsidy into a wind pool insurance fund. To do so, Barbour vetoed part of the state Department of Insurance budget. He said the $20 million is part …

Property Insurers Watching Ominous Hurricane Forecasts

After significant catastrophe losses in first quarter 2010, U.S. property/casualty insurers and global reinsurers are hoping their balance sheets don’t face further financial risks, even as conditions appear ripe for the upcoming hurricane season to be potentially as active as …

Corps Raises 100-Year Flood Estimate for Fargo, North Dakota

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has raised its 100-year flood estimate for the Red River in Fargo and neighboring Moorhead, Minn. The change raises the previous estimate about a foot to 42.6 feet. The new estimate was based on …

Survivors Can’t Forget Fierce Hurricane That Hit Florida in 1935

The seven elderly guests on stage at Island Christian Church were just kids 75 years ago when a Category 5 hurricane barreled into their homes in the Upper Florida Keys, leaving a trail of destruction and death. A packed crowd …

Hurricane Scale No Longer Has Storm Surge, Inland Flooding Estimates

The five-category system that describes a hurricane’s strength and the havoc its winds could bring to the U.S. has been updated for the 2010 storm season. Gone from the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale are estimates for storm surge and inland …