Natural Disasters News

The sprinklers outside the California's state Capitol are off and the lawn is withering, the lemon- and cucumber-infused "water stations" at the state pension building are gone, and prison inmates are taking shorter showers while campers at some popular parks can't take them at all.

Thousands of utility customers in the Valley were without power for up to several hours Friday evening following a massive dust storm, but a temporary "ground stop" for all incoming flights at Phoenix Sky Huge dust storm envelops Phoenix area Thousands of utility customers in the Valley were without power for up to several hours Friday evening ... (more)

At least one gym in California is trying to conserve water during what is called the state's worst drought in nearly four decades using a technology appropriate for its Silicon Valley setting.

The chief designer of the new, $6.4 billion eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge says more than 2,000 bolts and rods on the span that have been called into question are safe and can remain in place, a newspaper reported.

About 300 homes - twice as many as previously estimated - have burned in a massive wildfire in north-central Washington, a county sheriff said Friday.

Earthquakes occur in 3 parts of Alaska One of the earthquakes was a magnitude of 5.9. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/1mNNYl9 Your Take contributions have not been reviewed for accuracy by USATODAY.

Overall U.S. food inflation will remain near the historic norm in 2014, even as prices for meat and seafood are pushed higher by disease and widespread drought, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday.

Stocks are ending the week on a sour note, putting the S&P 500 in reverse on the road to 2,000.

Hilary Anderson was in grade school then, but she remembers the “swampland of molasses” in the kitchen after Southern California's last destructive earthquake throttled her Simi Valley home.

A law expanding background check requirements on Colorado gun sales has been in effect for about a year, and an Associated Press analysis of state data compiled during that span shows the projected impact was... A law expanding background check requirements on Colorado gun sales has been in effect for about a year, and an Associated Press analysis ... (more)

The chief doctor who has been leading the fight against the Ebola virus epidemic in Sierra Leone has contracted the disease himself, officials from the country's Ministry of Health said.

Groundwater losses from the Colorado River basin appear massive enough to challenge long-term water supplies for the seven states and parts of Mexico that it serves, according to a new study released Thursday that used NASA satellites.

State wildlife officials have captured and released two more black bears in the Sierra and they're on the lookout for another one on the edge of Reno.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new combination pain pill from the maker of OxyContin that is designed to discourage abuse by painkiller addicts.

The U.S. Forest Service has banned exploding targets in southern Idaho, southwestern Wyoming, Nevada, Utah and a small portion of eastern California because of wildfire and public safety concerns.

U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said Wednesday that the hot windy weather known as "red flag" days have not lined up with the lighting strikes that start most fires, particularly in drought-parched California.

Wetter, cooler weather has helped firefighters make progress in their efforts to get the largest wildfire in Washington state's history under control.

The provincial government is defending its unpopular decision to halt B.C.'s use of the veteran Martin Mars water bombers in favour of newer aircraft to fight wildfires.

Another 153 firefighters from across Canada have arrived in British Columbia as the province braces for more hot, dry weather that could send the wildfire danger soaring.

A plane making a second landing attempt in stormy weather crashed at an airport on a small Taiwanese island late Wednesday, killing 51 people and injuring seven, fire officials said.