Latest Natural Disasters Headlines

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

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...

Crews Slow Progress of Sierra Wildfire, But Evacuations Orders Remain

Sep 5 2024 // Firefighters battling a California wildfire that has burned through more than 5 square miles of the high Sierra made significant progress slowing its growth on Wednesday, but hundreds of residents whose homes are...

CSU Forecasters Predict Quiet Hurricane Activity to Start September

Sep 4 2024 // The first two weeks of September are expected to be quiet for Atlantic hurricane activity, according to experts at Colorado State University.The CSU Tropical Meteorology Project, which has been forecasting the Atlantic...

Natural Disasters to Cause $151 Billion in Annual Insurer Losses

Sep 4 2024 // Urban expansion, property exposure and climate change could fuel a 40% increase in annual natural-catastrophe losses for the global insurance industry, according to a new report.The annual loss could rise to $151 billion...

Judge to Ask Hawaii Supreme Court About Barriers to $4B Wildfire Settlement

Sep 4 2024 // The Hawaii Supreme Court will be asked to weigh in on an issue that threatens to thwart a $4 billion settlement in last year’s devastating Maui wildfires.Judge Peter Cahill on Maui agreed to ask the state high court...

Canada’s 10 Worst Natural Disasters Totaled C$30 Billion in Annual Insured Losses

Sep 3 2024 // Insured losses have surged in the past decade as climate change in Canada sparks wildfires, intense hailstorms and thunderstorms with severe flooding in major cities.Insured losses from natural disasters averaged C$2.2...

Western States Top Wildfire Risk Scores in New Analysis

Sep 3 2024 // California, Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Arizona are the states most at risk for wildfires, earning an “F” rating, according to a new analysis by Guidewire detailing wildfire risk in the U.S. at local,...

Hurricane Debby Claims Already Two-Thirds of Idalia Claims in Florida, as Insurance Market Strengthens, Regulator Says

Sep 2 2024 // The number of Florida claims from Hurricane Debby, filed within 10 days of the storm, stood at almost two-thirds of the number of claims filed from Hurricane Idalia in a three-month period.Debby claims by Aug. 16 had...