Latest Natural Disasters Headlines

All the headlines from our Natural Disasters Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Norway’s Equinor Shuts Oil Platform as Precaution After Earthquake in North Sea

Mar 21 2022 // Norway’s Equinor has shut its Snorre B oil platform as a precautionary measure following an earthquake in the North Sea, although no damage has been reported so far, the company said on Monday.It was not yet clear...

Experts Warn Central U.S. Needs to be Ready For Next Earthquake

Mar 21 2022 // Experts have warned for decades that a large swath of the central U.S. is at high risk for a devastating earthquake. They know that overcoming complacency is among their biggest hurdles.Hundreds of emergency managers,...

Actuaries: Climate Change, WUI Building Led to Worsening Wildfires in U.S. and California

Mar 17 2022 // Increasingly large and dangerous wildfires are being driven by the effects of climate change and more building in the wildland-urban interface, and while that notion may not be entirely new, the scope of the increase laid...

Update: Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Hits Near Japan’s Fukushima

Mar 16 2022 // A magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck northern Japan near Fukushima prefecture late on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring dozens, as well as disrupting power and some factories.About 2,000 buildings were still without...

Chemical Analysis Shows Effects of Wildfire Smoke on Grapes and Wines in Western U.S.

Mar 16 2022 // NEWSWISE – As wildfire season in the West grows in length and severity, it is taking a toll on the wine industry through the effects of wildfire smoke on the quality of wine grapes. Volatile compounds in the smoke from...

M5.1 Earthquake Confirmed in South-Central Alaska

Mar 14 2022 // A moderate earthquake has been recorded in Alaska, the Alaska Earthquake Center confirmed.The Saturday morning quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 and was felt throughout the south-central part of the state, according...

TWIA Board to Meet on March 22 to Decide on Reinsurance for 2022 Hurricane Season

Mar 10 2022 // The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Board of Directors will hold an interim meeting on March 22 at 1:30 p.m. CT to determine TWIA‘s catastrophe funding and reinsurance needs for the 2022 hurricane season.The...

HUD: Texas Agency Discriminated in Hurricane Harvey Flood Relief Funding

Mar 10 2022 // Texas’ administration of flood relief money from Hurricane Harvey broke federal law by discriminating against Black and Hispanic residents in the Houston area, according to a decision by the federal housing agency...

Iowa Tornadoes Deadliest Since 2008; Storm Caused Estimated $1 Billion in Damage

Mar 9 2022 // Four of the seven people killed in devastating storms that tore through central Iowa were members of the same family who had sought shelter inside a home that was razed by a powerful tornado, authorities said.Two children,...

Kansas Wildfire Kills 1, Destroys Several Homes

Mar 8 2022 // One person was found dead March 6 as firefighters worked to contain a wildfire that burned 12,000 acres in south-central Kansas.Reno County Emergency Management officials said one person who had been reported missing...

Experts Warn Central U.S. Needs to be Ready For Next Earthquake

Mar 8 2022 // Experts have warned for decades that a large swath of the central U.S. is at high risk for a devastating earthquake. They know that overcoming complacency is among their biggest hurdles.Hundreds of emergency managers,...

Nevada Utility to Inspect Power Lines Near 2020 Reno Wildfire

Mar 7 2022 // Nevada’s largest utility plans to inspect power lines near a Reno neighborhood where a 2020 wildfire destroyed five homes and damaged two dozen others, a blaze that investigators blamed on arching power lines in gale...

Florida Panhandle Wildfire Forces Evac of Areas Still Recovering from Hurricane Michael

Mar 7 2022 // Hundreds of residents near Panama City, Florida, were forced to evacuate from a wildfire that destroyed at least two homes and damaged others in an area still recovering from Hurricane Michael in 2018.Local news sites...

$12.8M in Funding Authorized for Arizona Wildfire Recovery

Mar 4 2022 // The U.S. Department of Agriculture has agreed to provide $12.8 million in emergency funding to help parts of Arizona recover from three major wildfires in recent years, two members of the state’s congressional...

Colorado Wildfire Victims Hitting ‘Green’ Building Code Hurdle

Mar 3 2022 // Some homeowners recovering from Colorado’s most destructive wildfire in history, which decimated entire neighborhoods near Denver late last year, say they could end up paying tens of thousands of dollars more to...

Insured Losses From February’s Windstorms in Europe Could Reach €4.5 Billion: RMS

Mar 2 2022 // Insured losses from February’s windstorms Dudley and Eunice will likely fall between 3.0 and 4.5 billion Euro (US$3.4 and US$5.1 billion), with Germany accounting for around 40% of the total loss, according to risk...

California Commissioner Wants to Require Insurers to Factor Wildfire Safety Steps into Pricing

Feb 25 2022 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced new regulations he believes will improve wildfire safety and drive down the cost of insurance for homeowners and businesses.The proposed regulations, which could be...

Insured Losses for 2 Recent European Windstorms Estimated at €3B-€5B: Verisk

Feb 25 2022 // Insured losses due to wind from Winter Storms Dudley/Ylenia and Eunice/Zeynep will range between €3 billion and €5 billion (US$2.2 billion-$5.6 billion), the majority of which are expected in Germany, UK, and the...

Extreme Wildfires Expected to Increase 30% by 2050

Feb 24 2022 // Indonesia’s peatlands, California’s forests, and, now, vast swathes of Argentine wetland have all been ravaged by extreme wildfires, heralding a fiery future and the dire need to prevent it.With climate change...

California Wildfire at 20% Containment, Evacuation Orders Lifted

Feb 18 2022 // A wildfire near Bishop, California, is only 20% contained, however evacuation orders have been lifted.The Airport Fire, which started on Wednesday, has burned 4,136 acres. At one point it had threatened 150 structures,...