After 20 years, the post-tsunami generation stays vigilant for future disasters

LHOKNGA, Indonesia (AP) — Qurrata Ayuni, a 28-year-old survivor of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated her hometown two decades ago, has transformed her resilience into purpose. Defying Aceh's male-dominated coffee culture, she runs a café that serves as a welcoming space for everyone,...

Spain's monarch pays tribute to the victims of Valencia floods in his Christmas Eve speech

MADRID (AP) — Spanish King Felipe VI used his traditional Christmas Eve speech to remember the victims of the catastrophic Valencia flash floods, and urged the country to remain calm while addressing hot-button issues such as immigration and housing affordability. In a pre-recorded...

Tonga's parliament elects a new prime minister after his predecessor quit this month

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Tonga 's parliament elected Aisake Eke as the country's new prime minister on Tuesday in a special session of the house on Christmas Eve, after his predecessor quit earlier this month just ahead of a no-confidence vote by lawmakers. Eke assumes office less...

Man dies after large wave trapped him beneath debris on California beach, likely related to storm pummeling West Coast

AP PHOTOS: Scenes of devastation from the aftermath of the 2004 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. ...