Natural Disasters

The Billion Dollar Weather Disasters That Struck the US Last Year

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says 2021 was the nation's second worst year on record for costly weather and climate-related events.

  • By Bill Lucia

How Governments Can Prevent Highway Snow Disasters

Transportation experts recommend ways for averting a weather fiasco like the one that shutdown Interstate 95 in Virginia, trapping thousands of motorists in their vehicles for more than a day.

  • By Andre Claudio

Devastating Colorado Fires Cap a Year of Climate Disasters, With One Side of the Country Too Wet, the Other Dangerously Dry

U.S. disasters in 2021 told a tale of two climate extremes. A climate scientist explains why wet areas are getting wetter and dry areas drier.

  • By Shuang-Ye Wu , The Conversation

Smashed Cars, Burnt Trees, Soggy Insulation: Post-disaster Cleanup Is Expensive, Time-consuming and Wasteful

COMMENTARY | Government agencies have detailed plans for responding to disasters, like the Dec. 10-11, 2021 tornados. But one issue doesn’t get enough attention: cleaning up the mess left behind.

  • By Sybil Derrible Juyeong Choi  and Nazli Yesiller, The Conversation

California’s Water Supplies Are in Trouble as Climate Change Worsens Natural Dry Spells

The State Water Project cut its initial allocations for water agencies to 0% for 2022. A California water expert explains why.

  • By Roger Bales, The Conversation

Snowy Roads Will Be Cleared, But It Will ‘Take Extra Time’

The ongoing labor shortage has exacerbated existing plow driver hiring problems, transportation officials said.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Natural Disasters Can Set the Stage for Cyberattacks

Indiana and some other state and local governments are trying to prepare by holding drills or creating preparedness plans.

  • By The Pew Charitable Trusts

The Safest and Least Safe Cities in the U.S.

Columbia, Maryland tops a list for safest cities, while St. Louis is at the bottom, according to a recent report.

  • By Andre Claudio

States Use Hurricane Ida Damage to Push Infrastructure Bill

Governors of both parties are lobbying Congress to ensure resilience measures are included.

  • By Elaine S. Povich, Stateline

Why People Resist Disaster Preparedness Spending

COMMENTARY | If the New Orleans region had invested more aggressively in disaster preparedness instead of disaster relief, the total cost of Hurricane Katrina could have been just $7 billion.

  • By Sara Savat-Wustl, Futurity

Climate Change Is Already Rejiggering Where Americans Live

Some Hurricane Ida survivors may have no choice but to leave. Sooner or later, people across the country will be in the same bind.

  • By Jake Bittle, The Atlantic

Autonomous Drones Could Speed Up Search and Rescue After Flash Floods, Hurricanes and Other Disasters

COMMENTARY | Drones that do not require individual pilots could cover ground quickly and identify people in need of help.

  • By Vijayan Asari, The Conversation
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We’re Hitting the Limits of Hurricane Preparedness

Cities simply don’t have enough time to run from a storm like Ida.

  • By Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic

Western States Prepare for Battle in Historic Wildfire Season

States are poised to spend hundreds of millions, even billions, in state funding while U.S. senators urged the Biden administration to provide additional relief money quickly.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

In a California Town, a Recreation Boom Kindles Wildfire Anxiety

COMMENTARY | As outdoor tourism returns, residents of Mammoth Lakes, still scarred by the 2020 fire season, are justifiably on edge.

  • By Astra Lincoln, Undark

A $26 Billion Plan to Save the Houston Area From Rising Seas

Lawmakers are poised to decide the fate of a massive project to protect the coast around Houston from rising sea levels.

  • By Eric Bender, Undark

Hurricanes, Wildfires, Tornadoes, Floods – Whatever Your Local Risk, Here’s How to be More Weather-ready

COMMENTARY | Everyone should understand what kinds of severe weather hazards could affect their family and home and be ready for them. Here are some ways to do it.

  • By Erik Salna, The Conversation

Why Hurricanes Devastate Some Places Over and Over Again – a Meteorologist Explains

COMMENTARY | Wind currents set most tropical storms on a course westward from Africa toward the Caribbean, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

  • By Athena Masson, The Conversation

Report: Flooding has Devastating Effects on Affordable Housing

People of color, seniors and the disabled are most at risk of flooding's financial and health risks, according to academic research on coastal areas in the U.S.

  • By Brent Woodie

The 'Fingerprints of Climate Change' Are Visible in New Climate Normals, NOAA Says

The 30-year data set, to be released May 4, shows while some U.S. regions are growing warmer, others have cooler average temperatures.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Analysis: One Way or Another, Texans Will Get the Bill for Fixing the Electric Grid

It's going to be expensive to make sure the state's electricity stays on during winter storms like the one that blacked out most of Texas last month, and the money will come, one way or another, from average Texans.

  • By Ross Ramsey, The Texas Tribune