Latest Natural Disasters Headlines

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

Canada’s Wildfire Season Ranks Among Worst but Less Severe Than Feared

Sep 12 2024 // With summer drawing to a close in Canada, the 2024 wildfire season is shaping up as one of the most destructive on record, largely due to the devastation caused by a blaze that ripped through a tourist town in the Canadian...

Vermont Lags in Risk Management for Natural Disasters Including Flooding

Sep 12 2024 // Vermont has failed to complete many actions in its five-year hazard mitigation plan aimed at reducing the risk from natural disasters such as flooding, according to a new report from the state auditor’s office.The...

China Braces for Another Typhoon After Yagi Slammed South Coast

Sep 12 2024 // Typhoon Bebinca is forecast to hit the east coast of China early Monday, threatening to bring excessive rainfall that could disrupt oil refineries and LNG import terminals and paralyze transport.The expected landfall of...

Thailand Raises Flood Warnings as Deaths Rise After Typhoon Yagi

Sep 12 2024 // Thailand warned a new storm may cause more floods and landslides, while death toll from Typhoon Yagi and the monsoon rains continued to rise.More than 40 provinces were placed on alert for possible flash floods as a new...

Francine Makes Landfall in Louisiana as Powerful Category 2 Hurricane

Sep 12 2024 // Hurricane Francine packed power just as it slammed into the coast of Louisiana, reaching Category 2 strength with 100 miles per hour winds and a dangerous storm surge.The storm made landfall in Terrebonne Parish, around 6...

LDI Urges Residents to Check for ALE Coverage Ahead of Hurricane Francine

Sep 11 2024 // The Louisiana Department of Insurance issued guidance for residents who have a homeowners policy with Additional Living Expenses (ALE) coverage ahead of Hurricane Francine.ALE coverage pays for additional living expenses...

Hurricane Francine Bears Down on Louisiana With Dangerous Winds

Sep 11 2024 // Hurricane Francine is closing in on Louisiana with high winds and dangerous storm surge, picking up speed as it nears the coast.Francine is a Category 1 hurricane with top winds holding steady at 90 miles (145 kilometers)...

New Southern California Wildfire Threatens Mountain Communities

Sep 11 2024 // A quick-moving wildfire raced toward Southern California mountain communities as authorities warned residents to evacuate.The Bridge fire exploded on Tuesday, burning into the Wrightwood community and nearby Mountain High...

Hurricane Debby Florida Losses Top $121M; 60% of Claims Closed

Sep 11 2024 // A month after Hurricane Debby made landfall in northern Florida, the number of property insurance claims has reached almost 20,000, and total estimated insured losses are more than $121.5 million, the Florida Office of...

Factories in Vietnam’s Export Hubs May Face Weeks of Disruption After Typhoon Yagi

Sep 11 2024 // Typhoon Yagi caused severe damage to many factories and flooded warehouses in northern Vietnam’s export-oriented industrial hubs, with some shuttered plants expected to need weeks to return to full operation,...

Francine Strengthens to Hurricane as It Barrels to Louisiana

Sep 11 2024 // Francine strengthened into a hurricane and is expected to make landfall in Louisiana Wednesday after causing some offshore oil platforms to be shuttered, but it will likely miss major natural gas export plants.On its...

Tropical Storm Francine Churns Toward Louisiana as Path Shifts

Sep 10 2024 // Tropical Storm Francine is set to become a hurricane Tuesday as it churns toward Louisiana after shifting east, forcing some oil drillers to halt production but following a path that will likely avert key natural gas...

Another Fast-Growing Southern California Wildfire Forces Evacuations

Sep 10 2024 // A Southern California wildfire that broke out in Orange County’s Trabuco Canyon Monday has exploded to more than 8,500 acres overnight.By Tuesday morning, the Airport Fire had forced the evacuation of some homes in...

Residents in Louisiana City Still Recovering From 2020 Hurricanes

Sep 10 2024 // LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Every other day Lois Malvo waits for her son to bring six buckets of water from a spigot in the backyard. He then bathes his 78-year-old mother using water heated on the stove and washes her with...

Toxic Debris from Hawaii Wildfire Could Fill 5 Football Fields 5 Stories Deep

Sep 10 2024 // Hinano Rodrigues remembers being 4 or 5 years old, carrying a bucket across a highway to the ocean in the Maui community where he still lives.At dawn, he would accompany his grandmother to a reef at low tide, where she...

Tropical Storm Francine Strengthens, Spurring Oil Shutdowns

Sep 9 2024 // Tropical Storm Francine strengthened as it moved north in the Gulf of Mexico, prompting oil drillers to evacuate crews and halt some offshore crude production, while the US Coast Guard warned shippers of approaching...

Typhoon Yagi Kills 14 in Vietnam as Officials Warn of Heavy Rain, Flooding

Sep 9 2024 // At least 14 people have died and 176 others injured in Vietnam after Typhoon Yagi slammed the country’s north, state media said Sunday, as officials warned of heavy downpours despite its waning power.Described by...

California Policyholders May Be On the Hook for Wildfire Losses

Sep 9 2024 // California homeowners could be required to pay a surcharge if the state’s insurer of last resort is unable to cover losses from a catastrophic wildfire.The California Department of Insurance sent a bulletin to...

Fast-Growing California Wildfire Threatening 35,000 Structures

Sep 9 2024 // A fast-growing wildfire in Southern California, has burned 27 square miles, forcing thousands to evacuate had is putting roughly 35,000 homes and buildings at risk.The Line fire near San Bernardino more than quadrupled in...

Hertz Tower Demolition Marks End of Hurricane-Damaged Landmark in Lake Charles

Sep 9 2024 // BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An abandoned, 22-story building in Lake Charles, Louisiana — once an icon in the city that became a symbol of destruction from hurricanes Laura and Delta — was imploded Saturday after sitting...