In 2024, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 393 natural hazard-related disasters. These events caused 16,753 fatalities and affected 167.2 million people. Economic losses totaled US$241.95 billion. The year 2024 was marked by extreme temperature events in Asia that caused thousands of deaths, severe droughts in Africa affecting over 25 …
Last week, the nation focused its attention on the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the most destructive hurricane in U.S. history. As bad as the storm was, though, it wasn’t the worst storm that could have possibly hit New Orleans. That’s true of many, many other places, too. And now, …
Climate change is bringing small risks that tropical cyclones will form in the Persian Gulf for the first time, in a threat to cities such as Dubai or Doha which are unprepared for big storm surges, a U.S. study said on Monday. Tampa in Florida and Cairns in Australia, two …
Cape Verde Islands is on alert as Hurricane Fred nears, with damaging winds, heavy rain and high tides. Sarah Keith-Lucas has the latest details. A hurricane with winds of up to 120km/h (75mph) has hit the island nation of Cape Verde, off the coast of West Africa. The government grounded …
The National Risk Atlas, a new document with maps providing a comprehensive disaster risk profile of the country, was on Monday published by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR). The atlas - the first of its kind - is scheduled to be officially launched on September 10. …
Fueled by the very warm waters of an ever-strengthening El Niño, the 2015 Pacific hurricane season reached new heights over the weekend thanks to hurricanes Kilo, Ignacio and Jimena, whirling elegantly across the ocean — no threat to land. For the first time on record, two major hurricanes — Category …
A powerful windstorm toppled trees, killing two people in Washington state as work crews scrambled on Sunday to restore power to 450,000 customers, a TV report showed. A father driving with his three-year-old daughter in Gig Harbor, just west of Tacoma, was killed on Saturday when a tree fell on …
Dust particles from the deserts of Mongolia and northern China are blown eastward to the Pacific during strong storms, where they then settle in the ocean for phytoplankton to feed on. These dust particles contain many valuable minerals, including nutrient-rich iron. You may have heard some mixed opinions about the …
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CMC) - Five people were killed in Haiti as Tropical Storm Erika drenched sections of French speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) member state. The Associated Press reports that one person was killed in a mudslide to the north of here while four others were killed in a traffic accident …
Tropical Storm Erika weakened slightly on Thursday as it dumped torrential rain on islands in the Eastern Caribbean and appeared to be headed for the U.S. East Coast early next week, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Erika could reach hurricane status near Florida's east coast by Monday morning, the …
Four people died and several others were missing as tropical storm Erika hit the Caribbean island nation of Dominica on Thursday. A visually impaired senior citizen and two children were killed when a mudslide crashed into their house in the southeast of the island, and another man's body was found …
At least 75 people have been injured and a 70-year-old man is missing after a powerful typhoon wreaked havoc across southern Japan, causing widespread disruptions to flights and train services, power outages and the evacuation of more than 200,000 households. Japan Airlines was forced to cancel about 130 flights and …
A tornado swept through the eastern edge of Dubbo, damaging housing, scattering debris, uprooting trees and scaring residents late on Monday afternoon. The tornado has damaged seven homes, according to a NSW SES spokesman. Dubbo State Emergency Services regional controller David Monk said the SES was responding to 10 calls …
Tropical depression Kilo veered farther away from the Hawaiian islands on Monday, sparing the state a direct hit, though heavy rain generated by the system triggered flood warnings, the National Weather Service and state officials said. Kilo, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (56 kmh), turned away from the …
Philippine army helicopters on Monday airlifted food, water and relief supplies to thousands of families who fled their homes during a typhoon as more bodies were pulled out from under landslides, disaster officials said. More than 30,000 people were evacuated in the northern Philippines due to fears of flooding and …
Tropical Storm Danny is on track to become the first hurricane of the 2015 Atlantic season by Friday and could approach the Caribbean islands by the late weekend, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday. It is still too early to predict whether Danny, currently a tropical storm with …
This report shows the results of a nationwide risk assessment aimed to develop a comprehensive disaster risk profile for Rwanda. It covers five major natural hazards prevailing in Rwanda namely; droughts, floods, landslides, earthquakes and windstorms. The elements at risk considered in the assessment are: population, agriculture, health, education, housing …
Climate change presents substantial threats to physical and mental health and may also create social instability, conflict and violence, a new study has revealed. The study by researchers from Columbia University and the University of Washington said that climate variability and change may also lead to widespread migration away from …
Extreme weather such as intense storms, droughts and heatwaves will cause more frequent and severe food shortages as the global climate and food supply systems change, British and American experts warned on Friday. The pressure on the world's food supplies is so great, and the increase in extreme weather events …
In another sign that El Niño is gaining strength and could soak California this winter, sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean have increased to their highest level so far this year. That temperature increase — 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit above the average — was recorded Aug. 5 by the National …
The impacts of climate change on human health have been documented globally and in the United States. Numerous studies project greater morbidity and mortality as a result of extreme weather events and other climate-sensitive hazards. Public health impacts on the U.S. Gulf Coast may be severe as the region is …
