Natural Disasters

LEBANON, N.J. — A 4.7 magnitude earthquake shook New York City and much of New Jersey on Friday, with anecdotal reports suggesting the shaking was felt as far away as Boston, Philadelphia and Stamford, Connecticut. The quake, which occurred at... Read More

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Two weeks of storms that have turned roads into icy death traps, frozen people to death from Oregon to Tennessee and caused power outages that could take weeks to fix continued to sock both coasts with another round... Read More

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Residents of the Pacific Northwest suffered more misery as an ice storm bore down Wednesday, threatening to turn mountain highways treacherous and zap power in bitterly cold temperatures. Much of the region was under an ice... Read More

WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — A series of powerful earthquakes that hit western Japan have left at least 55 people dead and damaged thousands of buildings, vehicles and boats. Officials warned Tuesday that more quakes could lie ahead. Aftershocks continued to... Read More

PARIS (AP) — Melting glaciers are an “unprecedented challenge for humanity,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday, as he launched a call for nations to work together on slashing planet-warming emissions, protecting the environment and collaborating on scientific research into the... Read More

When Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle five years ago, it left boats, cars and trucks piled up to the windows of Bonny Paulson's home in the tiny coastal community of Mexico Beach, Florida, even though the house rests on... Read More

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — More heavy rain was in the forecast Wednesday in New England, where residents were cleaning up after downpours dropped nearly 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in six hours and flooded parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — After three nasty years, the La Nina weather phenomenon that increases Atlantic hurricane activity and worsens western drought is gone, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday. That’s usually good news for the United States and other parts of the... Read More

WASHINGTON — A month after Syria experienced the first of two earthquakes in the early hours of Feb. 6, and as it continues to experience aftershocks that further compound the country’s devastation after more than a decade of civil war,... Read More

HOUSTON (AP) — Hundreds of bats lost their grip and plunged to the pavement underneath a bridge in Houston after going into hypothermic shock during the city's recent cold snap, according to wildlife rescuers who saved them by administering fluids and keeping... Read More

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, has started to erupt for the first time in nearly four decades, prompting volcanic ash and debris to fall nearby, authorities said Monday. The eruption began late Sunday night in... Read More

TALLAHASSEE — Hurricane Ian’s march through Florida and the Caribbean left at least 35 people dead in the Sunshine State, along with another three in Cuba, and caused anywhere from $66 billion to $75 billion in damage, depending on the... Read More

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Yellowstone National Park area's weather forecast the morning of June 12 seemed fairly tame: warmer temperatures and rain showers would accelerate mountain snow melt and could produce “minor flooding." A National Weather Service bulletin recommended... Read More

WASHINGTON -- President Joe Biden announced Tuesday he would meet with state governors next week to map out a strategy for handling disasters from severe weather. Heat and drought in western states is creating wildfires and crop damage. The National... Read More

WASHINGTON — First used in 1993, HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Recovery Program enhances the agency’s already flexible grants that help cities, counties, and states recover from presidentially declared disasters. These special recovery grants supplement disaster programs of the Federal... Read More

District Chief Paul Duarte’s team, the first to reach the Pine Gulch fire as it began spreading across western Colorado about three weeks ago, put months of planning to the test as they prepared to battle their first major wildfire... Read More

WASHINGTON - In the aftermath of a bizarre earthquake and the above average number of named storms this season, officials are examining how natural disaster response should continue while overlapping with the nation’s ongoing efforts to combat the coronavirus. State... Read More

A week after a derecho ripped through their state, Iowans remain in the midst of a humanitarian crisis as they attempt to recover from the devastating wind storm. Nearly 47,000 residents remain without electrical power, over 8,200 Iowan homes were... Read More

A new virtual map unveiled this week provides a comprehensive and precise look at the risk of flooding across America through a free online tool called Flood Factor. The website, developed by the First Street Foundation, a non-profit research and... Read More

WASHINGTON — State lawmakers across the country are calling for huge investments to mitigate the effects of wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, droughts and other natural disasters made more devastating and frequent by climate change. Following the hottest decade on record, which... Read More