Latest Natural Disasters Headlines

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

Report: 2.6M Homes with a Cost of $1.3 Trillion at Moderate to Very High Risk of Wildfire

Aug 15 2024 // More than 2.6 million homes across 14 states with a total reconstruction cost of $1.3 trillion are at moderate to very high risk of wildfire damage during the 2024 wildfire season, a new report shows.The 2024 CoreLogic...

Tornado Havoc Has Ohio Residents Facing Week-Long Power Cuts

Aug 14 2024 // Thousands of FirstEnergy Corp.’s customers in Ohio will potentially be without power through this after two tornadoes hit the northeastern part of the state last Tuesday.About 252,000 customers of The Illuminating...

Tropical Storm Ernesto Drenches Puerto Rico on Path Northward

Aug 14 2024 // Tropical Storm Ernesto pounded Puerto Rico with torrential rain and winds as it brushed by the island on a track that’s likely to see it become a hurricane later Wednesday.Ernesto was about 85 miles (135 kilometers)...

Record-Breaking Wildfires Scorched 1.4M Acres in Oregon, Authorities Say

Aug 14 2024 // Wildfires in Oregon have burned more acres of land in 2024 than in any year since reliable records began, authorities said, with the mid-August peak of fire season still on the horizon.Blazes have scorched more than 1.4...

M4.4 Earthquake Near Pasadena Felt out to California’s High Desert

Aug 13 2024 // The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed that a magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck an area southeast of of Highland Park, California on Monday.The quake was 7.4 miles deep and struck at 12:20 p.m. PST, according to the USGS....

Athens Braces for Wildfire Flare-Ups as High Winds Return

Aug 13 2024 // Greek firefighters are working to bring the remnants of a huge wildfire near Athens under control, after wind speeds picked up again on Tuesday afternoon.The biggest blaze of the summer started northeast of the capital...

Report: 10 of Top U.S. Metros at Moderate to Very High Risk of Wildfire Are in California

Aug 13 2024 // Ten of the top 15 metropolitan areas for wildfire risk concentration are in California, while more than 2.6 million homes across 14 states with a total reconstruction cost of $1.3 trillion are at moderate to very high risk...

Colorado Wildfire That Destroyed 27 Homes Was Human-Caused, Officials Say

Aug 12 2024 // The Colorado wildfire that tore through 15 square miles (39 square kilometers) and destroyed 48 buildings, over half of which were homes, was human-caused, investigators said.The Alexander Mountain Fire burning near...

Gallagher Re: Insured Losses From Hurricane Debby to Be ‘Very Manageable’

Aug 12 2024 // Insurers and reinsurers’ losses from Hurricane Debby are expected to be in the low single-digit billions of dollars, a figure that would be “very manageable” for the industry, according to a report from...

New York, Mid-Atlantic States On Tornado Watch as Debby Remnants Move North

Aug 9 2024 // A tornado threat is expected today from the Mid-Atlantic states northward into eastern New York, according to the National Weather Service. The risk for a few tornadoes will likely focus initially over the Mid-Atlantic...

Hurricane/Tropical Storm Debby Should be Manageable for Insurers, Early Data Show

Aug 9 2024 // Reports from Gallagher Re and the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation suggest that Tropical Storm Debby will not be a heavy lift for property insurers and reinsurers.“Early assessments suggest wind-related...

Taylor Swift Shows in Vienna Canceled After Terrorism Threat

Aug 8 2024 // Taylor Swift shows planned for this week in Vienna have been canceled after Austrian police arrested two people on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack.Concerts for the American pop megastar were canceled after the...

Severe Storms (Mostly in US) Account for 70% of Global Insured Natural Disaster Losses

Aug 8 2024 // Global insured losses from natural catastrophes totaled US$60 billion during the first half of 2024, or 62% above the 10-year average, according to preliminary estimates from Swiss Re.Severe thunderstorms (mainly in the...

Fast-Moving Southern California Wildfire Torched Hillside Homes, Forcing Evacuations

Aug 7 2024 // A fast-moving wildfire that swept into a Southern California hillside community this week destroyed five homes and damaged three others, authorities said.The flames erupted Monday afternoon and chased residents from the...

Virginia Declares State of Emergency in Anticipation of Tropical Storm Debby

Aug 7 2024 // Governor Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency for Virginia based on National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center forecasts that indicate the state could see significant rainfall and flooding from Tropical...

Small Tornado Briefly Swept Into Buffalo, Damaging Buildings, Scattering Tree Limbs

Aug 7 2024 // A small tornado took Buffalo by surprise Monday, damaging buildings, flipping cars and sending debris swirling over downtown.A spiraling column was caught on multiple videos shortly before 1 p.m. One video showed the cell...

Hurricane Debby Data Due to Florida OIR Thursday and Friday

Aug 7 2024 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation said it is reminding property insurers in the state to file Hurricane Debby claims data Thursday and Friday this week.Insurers should use the Simplified 2024 Catastrophe Reporting...

‘We’re Going to Survive and It’s Going to Come Back’: A Year After Maui Wildfire, Survivors Press on

Aug 7 2024 // They have combed the ashes for mementos, worried about where they would sleep, questioned their faith and tried to find a way to grieve amid the great, unsettling devastation. Residents have faced a year of challenges,...

UK Faces High Wildfire Risk After Spell of Warmer Weather

Aug 6 2024 // Europe’s wildfire risks are extending as far north as the UK after a recent spell of hot weather.Parts of southeastern England, including areas around London, face high wildfire risks later this week, according to...

Hurricane Debby Brings Six Deaths, Widespread Flood Losses in Florida, Georgia, SC

Aug 6 2024 // Hurricane Debby left at least six people dead Monday along with widespread flooding in the same parts of Florida and Georgia that were swamped by Hurricane Idalia less than a year ago.Debby made landfall near Steinhatchee,...