Latest Natural disasters News
Three of Tonga's smaller islands badly damaged by tsunami
SYDNEY (AP) — Three of Tonga's smaller islands suffered serious damage from tsunami waves, officials and the Red Cross said Wednesday, as a wider picture begins to emerge of the destruction caused by the eruption of an undersea volcano near the Pacific archipelago nation. U.N....
Celeb-heavy Los Angeles suburb gets tough on water wasters
In a wealthy enclave nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains that is a haven for celebrities, residents now face more aggressive consequences for wasting water — including the threat of having their water flows slowed to a trickle if they repeatedly flout conservation rules. The Las...
Woman missing in wildfire was last seen trying to save dogs
DENVER (AP) — As a fast-moving wildfire began burning homes in suburban Denver, an emergency responder warned Edna Nadine Turnbull to evacuate. But the 91-year-old went back inside her home to rescue her dogs. Turnbull and her pets were never seen again. Authorities...
Texas wildfire no longer growing, some evacuations lifted
A wildfire in a central Texas state park is no longer growing and no injuries were reported after the blaze, suspected to have been caused by a prescribed burn, charred 1.2 square miles (3.2 square kilometers) in the city of Bastrop, officials said Wednesday. Texas A&M Forest...
Heavy rains in Madagascar cause flooding in capital, 10 dead
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Heavy rains in Madagascar have flooded parts of the capital city, Antananarivo, killing 10 people and making more than 12,000 homeless, officials said Wednesday. With the rains continuing and a possible cyclone approaching the Indian Ocean island,...
Texas wildfire forces evacuations; planned burn may be cause
A wildfire in a Central Texas state park forced the evacuation of dozens of homes Tuesday in the city of Bastrop — the site of a deadly blaze more than a decade ago — and officials said a prescribed burn may be to blame. The fire started in Bastrop State Park as wind gusts of up...
EXPLAINER: Why Tonga eruption was so big and what's next
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — People around the world looked on in awe at the spectacular satellite images of an undersea volcano erupting in a giant mushroom cloud in the Pacific. Many wondered why the blast was so big, how the resulting tsunami traveled so far, and what will happen next. New...
Fishermen protest after eruption causes oil spill in Peru
LIMA, Peru (AP) — An oil spill on the Peruvian coast caused by the waves from an eruption of an undersea volcano in the South Pacific nation of Tonga prompted dozens of fishermen to protest Tuesday outside the South American country’s main oil refinery. The men gathered outside...
Despite huge volcano blast, Tonga avoids widespread disaster
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The blast from the volcano could be heard in Alaska, and the waves crossed the ocean to cause an oil spill and two drownings in Peru. The startling satellite images resembled a massive nuclear explosion. And yet, despite sitting almost on top of the...
US plans $50B wildfire fight where forests meet civilization
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration said Tuesday it will significantly expand efforts to stave off catastrophic wildfires that have torched areas of the U.S. West by more aggressively thinning forests around “hot spots” where nature and neighborhoods collide. As...
