natural disaster

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Philippines Girds for 'Calamity' Ahead of Super-Typhoon

Areas still stricken by last storm evacuate; Parma expected to hit within hours

(Newser) - Filipinos braced to be whipped by powerful winds and pelted with rain from a second typhoon in eight days, fleeing by the tens of thousands from low-lying areas and suspending cleanup operations in the flooded capital. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a nationwide "state of calamity" and ordered mass...

Fresh Quake Rattles Tonga
 Fresh Quake Rattles Tonga 
Oct 2, 2009 1:46 AM CDT

Fresh Quake Rattles Tonga

6.3 shaker jolts islands as relief efforts continue

(Newser) - The latest in a series of strong earthquakes to shake the South Pacific hit Tonga today. The epicenter of 6.3 magnitude quake was some 100 miles south of the 8.0 quake that hit the region earlier this week, spawning tsunamis that killed nearly 200 people and left thousands...

Samoa Tsunami Toll Hits 150
 Samoa Tsunami Toll Hits 150 
Oct 1, 2009 8:39 AM CDT

Samoa Tsunami Toll Hits 150

Villagers describe terror of being trapped underwater

(Newser) - Stunned Samoans combed through the sodden wreckage of their lives and told of the terror of being trapped underwater or flung inland by a tsunami that ravaged towns and killed at least 150 people in the South Pacific. Officials expect the death toll from Tuesday's disaster to rise as more...

Indonesia Quake Toll Hits 75; Thousands Trapped

Death toll at 75 and rising quickly

(Newser) - The powerful earthquake that rocked western Indonesia today has trapped thousands under collapsed buildings—including two hospitals—and triggered landslides. At least 75 people were killed on Sumatra island, and the death toll was expected to climb sharply. The magnitude 7.6 temblor comes a day after a quake in...

Tsunami Toll Reaches 100, Obama Sends Disaster Aid

Second earthquake near Indonesia triggers new wave warnings

(Newser) - The death toll from the tsunami triggered by last night's 8.3-magnitude earthquake near Samoa has risen to more than 100, with fatalities reported across a number of islands. Barack Obama declared American Samoa a disaster area and has pledged "swift and aggressive" aid to the territory, where at...

Taiwan Mudslide Buries 500 in Wake of Typhoon

Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, China hit; at least 35 dead

(Newser) - A typhoon-spawned mudslide engulfed a mountain village in southern Taiwan, burying up to 600 people, a police official and a rescued villager said today. Earlier, Typhoon Morakot had struck the Philippines, leaving at least 22 dead. Another typhoon slammed into Japan's west coast today, bringing heavy rain that triggered floods...

1M Flee as Typhoon Hits China
 1M Flee as Typhoon Hits China 
Aug 9, 2009 5:49 AM CDT

1M Flee as Typhoon Hits China

(Newser) - Some one million people on China's southeast coast have fled ahead of a massive typhoon spawning 30-foot waves and packing 74 mph winds, reports the BBC. Typhoon Morakot made landfall early today in Fujan Province after authorities sent more than 8 million text messages warning residents to evacuate. Morakot dumped...

West Coast, Alaska Could Be Due for Monster Tsunami

(Newser) - Alaska and the US West Coast could be pounded by a tsunami far more powerful than researchers had previously thought, LiveScience reports. Analysis of soil samples shows evidence of two earthquakes in the past 2,000 years capable of producing waves that dwarf a 1964 tsunami one researcher calls “...

Outlook Grim for Calif. Fire as Winds Continue

(Newser) - Poor firefighting conditions today—following a windy night—have allowed the Santa Barbara, Calif., wildfire to grow, and it has now consumed 3,500 acres and 75 homes, KNBC-TV reports. The fire, which has forced 30,000 people to flee their homes, is just 10% contained. Winds today are expected...

13K Flee as Calif. Fire Rages
 13K Flee as Calif. Fire Rages 
May 7, 2009 3:05 PM CDT

13K Flee as Calif. Fire Rages

(Newser) - 13,575 people have fled their homes as a wildfire that has consumed 1,300 acres rages in Santa Barbara, Calif., the Los Angeles Times reports. Another 13,000 are on alert, Bloomberg adds. Officials are unsure how many homes have been destroyed, but it’s in the “dozens....

Alaskan Volcano Ready to Blow Again

(Newser) - Alaska’s Mount Redoubt volcano is rumbling again, and an explosive eruption could come at any time, the Anchorage Daily News reports. “Seismic and rockfall activity increasing,” warned a volcano observatory. “Eruption likely in coming days; could occur at any time with little or no warning.”...

6.0 Quake Shakes Mexico City
 6.0 Quake Shakes Mexico City 
Apr 27, 2009 12:40 PM CDT

6.0 Quake Shakes Mexico City

(Newser) - A strong earthquake struck central Mexico today, causing tall buildings in the capital to sway and sending office workers into the streets. The 6.0-magnitude quake was centered near Chilpancingo, about 130 miles southwest of Mexico City, and 50 miles from the resort of Acapulco, according to the US Geological...

Flooding Threatens Another ND Town

(Newser) - Earthmoving equipment and National Guard helicopters hauled sand today to reinforce leaky dikes that prompted evacuations in Valley City, a town threatened by the Sheyenne River, the latest North Dakota stream to rise above its banks. The Sheyenne was headed for a crest at around 22 feet in the next...

3 Dead in Ark. Tornado
 3 Dead in Ark. Tornado 
Apr 10, 2009 1:49 PM CDT

3 Dead in Ark. Tornado

(Newser) - A tornado that swept through the mountain community of Mena, Ark., killed three people and injured at least 30 others, authorities said today after a house-to-house search. The twister descended quickly on Mena shortly after 8 last night after a series of siren blasts warned residents of tornadoes in the...

Funerals for Italy's Quake Victims Begin

No survivors were found today

(Newser) - The first wave of funerals for Italy's earthquake victims took place today. In small towns throughout the ravaged Abruzzo region, thousands mourned the loss of their neighbors, BBC reports. A mass funeral will take place in the regional capital Friday, marking a national day of mourning. With aftershocks hampering rescue...

Woman Pulled From Quake Rubble; Toll Hits 235

(Newser) - Rescuers today pulled a 20-year-old female student alive from the rubble of the earthquake in Italy, more than 42 hours after it struck, Sky News reports. "She's safe!" the woman's uncle told AP. She appears to be fine, except for a minor arm injury. As strong aftershocks rattled...

Aftershocks Rock Italy as Quake Toll Hits 207

Strong aftershocks, weather hamper rescue efforts

(Newser) - Strong aftershocks briefly halted the search for survivors and sent rescuers scrambling for safety in central Italy today, as the death toll from yesterday's earthquake hit 207. At least 1,500 people were injured and 17,000 were made homeless. One person was pulled alive from the rubble today after...

Death Toll in Italy Quake Rises to 150
 Death Toll in Italy 
 Quake Rises to 150 
UPDATED
Apr 6, 2009 2:33 PM CDT

Death Toll in Italy Quake Rises to 150

(Newser) - The death toll in today’s Italian earthquake rose to more than 150 as rescue workers and volunteers continued the search for survivors, the Times reports. About 15,000 buildings were damaged, and residents are being warned to stay away until engineers can evaluate them. “We are working without...

More Levees Doomed: Fargo Mayor

(Newser) - The bloated Red River briefly breached a dike early today, pouring water into a school campus in Fargo, ND. The mayor called it a "wakeup call" for a city that needs to be vigilant for weaknesses in levees that could give way at any time. "The campus is...

300 Feared Dead in Australia Fires

Task Force begins investigation

(Newser) - More than 300 people may have died in the devastating bushfires that have torched 850 square miles of southeast Australia, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. While the official death toll stands at 173, an official warned that number would rise “steeply” as rescuers discover more bodies. Several people are...

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