Latest Natural disasters News
AP PHOTOS: Scenes of devastation from the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami
On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Sumatra, causing a massive wave that devastated Asian coastal communities across thousands of miles. Some 230,000 people died as the tsunami leveled remote villages, ports and tourist resorts in Indonesia,...
Indonesians mark 2 decades since the tragic tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — Two decades after a catastrophic tsunami destroyed her village, Tria Asnani still cries when she recalls how she lost her mother while trying to escape the giant waves. Asnani, now a school teacher, was only 17 at the time. Her father, who was a...
Hawaiian Electric Company's shaky credit prompts proposal for help from state
Still reeling financially from the devastating wildfires that killed at least 102 people and destroyed much of Lahaina in 2023, Hawaiian Electric Co. wants the state to back the utility’s contracts with wind and solar farms. The idea is to make sure new projects can come online...
Flood gates are dropped from a plan to protect the Jersey Shore's back bays from catastrophic storms
MANASQUAN, N.J. (AP) — The federal government has dropped huge gates at the mouths of three inlets, as well as internal waterway barriers from a plan to protect New Jersey's back bays from the type of catastrophic flooding they endured during Superstorm Sandy. Instead, the U.S....
AP PHOTOS: 2024 brought natural disasters and turbulent politics to Latin America
Snow blanketed Santiago, the Chilean capital, in May 2024 — a rare and stunning sight that marked the coldest month in the city in over 70 years. The unusual weather event stood in stark contrast to the severe drought that gripped the Amazon rainforest just a few months later,...
Farmers, business owners, fire survivors face uncertainty after $100B in disaster relief flounders
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — American farmers, small business owners and wildfire survivors are among those who will suffer if Congress cannot agree on a new spending bill after President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan that included more than $100 billion in disaster aid. ...
Number of dead and missing still unclear as first aid arrives in quake-hit Pacific nation of Vanuatu
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Amid the havoc wrought by a violent earthquake two days earlier, Ivan Oswald and his staff prepared for lunchtime service Thursday at Nambawan Cafe, on an idyllic stretch of Vanuatu’s waterfront. The menu for the usual lunchtime rush was replaced...
14 dead and hundreds injured in magnitude 7.3 quake in Vanuatu. Some people are trapped in rubble
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A magnitude 7.3 earthquake that struck off Vanuatu killed at least 14 people, injured hundreds more and caused widespread damage across the South Pacific island nation, officials said early Wednesday. Frantic rescue efforts got underway after the...
California got millions to train workers in disaster relief, but it’s leaving money on table
In January 2023, and continuing throughout the spring, rain swelled many of California’s reservoirs and creeks, engulfing homes and businesses and killing 21 people. One federal estimate says it cost the state nearly $5 billion. Now, nearly two years later, it’s Alexis...
Oil spill in Kerch Strait after two Russian oil tankers seriously damaged in storm
MOSCOW (AP) — Two Russian oil tankers have been seriously damaged following a storm in the Kerch Strait, spilling oil and sparking an emergency rescue operation, Russian officials told state news outlets Sunday. Some reports said at least one of the vessels later sank. ...
