natural disaster News

Florida to Borrow Billions to Backstop Insurers After Hurricanes

Florida is planning to borrow as much as $3.8 billion to infuse a state fund that reimburses property insurers for losses when homes are damaged or destroyed by hurricanes. The Florida State Board of Administration Finance Corporation expects to sell …

New FEMA Rules Aim to Cut the Red Tape of Disaster Recovery

Anyone who has lived through a natural disaster and then applied to the federal government for assistance knows that it can be a lengthy, frustrating and bureaucratic process. New rules announced Friday by the federal agency in charge of emergency …

10,000 People Missing and Thousands Feared Dead After Libya Floods

CAIRO (AP) — Emergency workers uncovered hundreds of bodies in the wreckage of Libya’s eastern city of Derna on Tuesday, and it was feared the toll could spiral with 10,000 people reported still missing after floodwaters smashed through dams and …

Hawaii’s Biggest Disaster Kills 55 With 1,000 Still Missing

Rescue and clean-up crews are now pouring into the historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina, which has been leveled to ash and rubble in what the governor describes as the state’s largest-ever natural disaster. Fast-moving wildfires killed at least 55, and …

Indonesia Landslide Death Toll Hits 32; 22 Still Missing

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Rescue workers recovered more bodies buried under tons of mud following a landslide that crashed onto a hilly village on Indonesia’s remote Natuna islands, bringing the death toll to 32, officials said Thursday. The landslide, triggered …

Report: 90% of US Counties Hit with Disaster in Last Decade

Ninety percent of the counties in the United States suffered a weather disaster between 2011 and 2021, according to a report published Wednesday. Some endured as many as 12 federally-declared disasters over those 11 years. More than 300 million people …

Puerto Ricans Await Aid, Fret About Post-Hurricane Recovery

TOA BAJA, Puerto Rico (AP) — City worker Carmen Medina walked purposefully through the working-class community of Tranquility Village under a brutal sun, with clipboard, survey forms and pen in hand — part of a small army of officials trying …

Canadians Clean Up After Fiona Sweeps Homes Out to Sea; One Dead

PORT AUX BASQUES, Newfoundland — It will take several months for Canada to restore critical infrastructure after the powerful storm Fiona left an “unprecedented” trail of destruction, officials said on Sunday, as crews fanned out in five provinces to restore …

Trailers Offer Kentucky Flood Victims Temporary Home

David Stephens’ children romped around the small patch of grass they’ve turned into a makeshift playground, running and laughing – seemingly without a care in the world. Their father, though, is gripped by worry about the future. And he marvels …

Kentucky Flood Victims File Suit Against Mine Companies

JACKSON, Ky. (AP) _ Dozens of eastern Kentucky flood victims have filed a lawsuit that says two coal companies contributed to the damages they suffered. Nearly 60 people who live along River Caney in the Lost Creek community of Breathitt …