catastrophe News

Hurricanes Are Now Twice as Likely to Zip from Minor to Whopper than Decades Ago, Study Says

With warmer oceans serving as fuel, Atlantic hurricanes are now more than twice as likely as before to rapidly intensify from wimpy minor hurricanes to powerful and catastrophic, a study said Thursday. Last month Hurricane Lee went from barely a …

Calif. Lawsuit Says Oil Giants Deceived Public on Climate, Seeks Funds for Storm Damage

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The state of California filed a lawsuit against some of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, claiming they deceived the public about the risks of fossil fuels now faulted for climate change-related storms and wildfires …

Responders Dig for Bodies in Moroccan Mountain Villages After Earthquake

IMI N`TALA, Morocco (AP) — The stench of death wafted through the village of Imi N’Tala high up in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, where last week`s catastrophic earthquake razed the hamlet`s mud-brick buildings and killed dozens of residents. On Tuesday, bulldozers …

Heavy Rains Wash Across U.S. Northeast, Forecasters Warn of Catastrophic Floods

Torrential downpours pounded the U.S. Northeast on Monday, threatening catastrophic flooding across the region, where rains have washed out roadways, overwhelmed rivers, forced numerous rescues by boat and caused at least one fatality, officials said. Some 13 million Americans were …

Unusual Battle of Climatic Titans Will Steer Hurricane Season

Two clashing climatic behemoths, one natural and one with human fingerprints, will square off this summer to determine how quiet or chaotic the Atlantic hurricane season will be. An El Nino is brewing and the natural weather event dramatically dampens …

Chile Wildfires Spread amid Heat Wave as Death Toll Rises

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile extended an emergency declaration to yet another region on Saturday as firefighters struggled to control dozens of raging wildfires that have claimed at least 22 lives amid a scorching heat wave that has broken records. …

New Abnormal: Climate Disaster Damage ‘Down’ to $268 Billion

This past year has seen a horrific flood that submerged one-third of Pakistan, one of the three costliest U.S. hurricanes on record, devastating droughts in Europe and China, a drought-triggered famine in Africa and deadly heat waves all over. Yet …

Swiss Re: Natural Disasters Cost Insurers $115 Billion this Year

Hurricane Ian and other natural catastrophes, such as European winter storms, floods in Australia and hailstorms in France and the U.S., have cost insurers an estimated $115 billion so far this year, according to a report published by Swiss Re …

Viewpoint: Ranking Hurricane Ian Among the Ten Worst Natural Disasters in US History

We are in the early stages of sifting through the debris of Hurricane Ian and calculating the financial and human toll it took after coming ashore in Southwest Florida with 150 mph winds and 20 inches of rain. The insured …

In Ian’s Wake, Florida Residents Endure Slow Wait for Power

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — Nearly a week after Hurricane Ian smashed into Florida and carved a path of destruction into the Carolinas, hundreds of thousands of people faced another warm day without electricity Tuesday as rescuers pressed on with …