Natural Disasters News Archives

A wildfire burning outside the Cleveland National Forest in Orange County has been fully contained.

Teaching new mothers how to breastfeed could save 1.3 million children's lives every year, but many women get no help and give up trying, the World Health Organisation said on Friday.

Technicians handle samples to be tested for swine flu at the Dr. Carlos Malbran Institute of Biological Research in Buenos Aires, Thursday, July 30, 2009.

A wildfire burned in the resort community of Whistler, B.C., on Thursday following a lightening strike.

Federal agencies pledged Thursday to send nearly $60 million in grants to help California communities, farms and dairies suffering from ongoing water shortages.

WEATHER WHERE YOU WITH METEOROLOGIST JOHN DIVAS WALLY AND I THINK THAT 'S WHAT I GUESS A FIFTH NAMES THE TODAY WAS THAT NIGHT BREAK FROM ALL THAT RAIN AND JEFFREY NICE BREAK A BOMB INJURED TWO FELL HERE IN ALBANY COUNTY IN THE GREATER ALBANY AREA LACKING YOU 'RE LUCKY BECAUSE SOME AREAS TO THE NORTH WEST OF THE REGION A VICTIM OF A FEW INCHES IN ...

The Transportation Department says a series of recent thunderstorms triggered the mudslide that closed the North Cascades Highway near Rainy Pass.

The number of swine flu cases "may have plateaued", with 110,000 new cases in England last week, the Government has said.

ABC News has hired a top government doctor as part of an expansion of its medical coverage.

Pregnant women who develop swine flu should be given antiviral treatment as soon as possible, say the authors of a new study.

Bottles of flu vaccine rotate on a plate as they make their way through the assembly line at the ID Biomedical Corp.

Northwesterners more accustomed to rain and cooler climate sought refuge from a heat wave on Wednesday, as Seattle recorded the hottest temperature in its history and Portland edged closer to its own record-breaker. The National Weather Service in Seattle recorded 102 degrees by midday at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, breaking a previous ...

The government has taken delivery of 20 million doses of a vaccine against the new pandemic H1N1 swine flu, and should be ready to start an immunization campaign in October, officials said on Wednesday.

They're deceptively simple-looking detectors: one an antenna with built-in GPS, the other electronic sensors inside a large, upside-down metal salad bowl.

A 700-acre wildfire in north-central Washington's Union Valley has prompted the evacuation of about 20 homes.

Cars and houses were damaged by a tornado which hit an island town, it was revealed today.

Water no longer flows over the Blanco River dam due to the long-term drought in Central Texas.Fish had to be rescued.

It's feeling more like Phoenix in the Pacific Northwest this week, with temperatures throughout the region spiking along with demand for the cool comforts of air conditioning, water fountains and icy treats.

An obese man takes a walk in in Washington, DC. Americans need to change the way they live if they want to beat the obesity epidemic that is robbing the United States of millions of dollars every year and threatening a generation with shorter lives, experts said Monday.[Agencies] WASHINGTON a ' Obesity's not just dangerous, it's expensive.

The NHS may not be able to cope with a swine flu epidemic this winter as intensive care beds will be overwhelmed, a Lords report has warned.

Swine flu has been hitting pregnant women unusually hard, so they are likely to be among the first group advised to get a new swine flu shot this fall.

Students of an Islamic school with a suspected case of the H1N1 influenza virus lie in a makeshift room at a hospital in Surabaya.

Elderly swine flu victims should be sent to the back of the queue for anti-viral treatment when supplies of the drugs are limited, according to new research.

Lingering drought in South Texas had growers worried about the fate of their crops this scorching summer.

As droughts recur and cities many miles away consider tapping the Savannah River, officials along South Carolina's lower coast worry whether there will be enough water in 50 years when local demand could nearly triple.

About 35 pandas at a reserve in southwestern China face an uncertain future after nearly a quarter of their habitat was destroyed by last year's powerful earthquake that killed nearly 70,000 people, according to a study published Monday.

A STRONG 6.2 earthquake hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu and Indonesia's Sumatra island today, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

She also claims in a memoir to see visions of the future. But one thing she apparently didn't envision is the puzzlement, laughter and even nervousness that have greeted her book.

The Interior Ministry says Spain remains on high alert as firefighters combat wildfires in hot, tinder-dry conditions across the southern half of the country.

ROBBING THAT DEBRIS FUNNY AGAIN DOWN THE LICENSE LATE AND CALLED POLICE REPORTING LIVE ON THE NORTH SIDE TONIGHT CAN ASSURE NEEDS FOR W. O. A. I. THANK YOU CAN IS WHERE W. O. A. I. FOLLOWING BREAKING NEWS RIGHT NOW POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR A SUSPECT AFTER A STABBING ON SAINT MARY 'S STREET DOWNTOWN ONE MAN WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL WE 'RE TOLD ...

The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 2.6 struck tonight in Santa Clara County.

Geologists say a small earthquake has rattled southern Alaska in the Prince William Sound area.

Authorities say a 5.5-magnitude earthquake has struck eastern Taiwan rattling buildings in Taipei but causing no casualties or damage.

Forest-fire evacuees in B.C.'s Okanagan region returned home Saturday, resigned to the fact they'll likely be chased out again by fire and resolved to be better prepared when it happens.

Off-duty police officers are patrolling streets, looking for people illegally watering their lawns and gardens.

PORT MORESBY: A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck off Papua New Guinea's island of Bougainville on Saturday but there were no immediate reports of any damage, seismologists said.

Leaders in Congress are being asked to alter the way the U.S. Census Bureau counts Hurricane Katrina victims who remain displaced four years after the storm.

Photo taken on July 25, 2009 shows the collapsed Chediguan Bridge which is part of the No.

Egypt has warned vulnerable Muslims not to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, after a woman returning from Saudi Arabia died of H1N1 flu.

New adverts for the Government's National Pandemic Flu Service in England are set to be launched.

July 24, 2009, 4:58 PM / Spain was placed on maximum wildfire alert Friday as authorities elsewhere in the Mediterranean also battled blazes and braced for a weekend heat wave.

U.S. health officials say swine flu could strike up to 40 percent of Americans over the next two years and as many as several hundred thousand could die if a vaccine campaign and other measures aren't successful.

The unprecedented level of interest in a website to help diagnose swine flu was down to curiosity rather than people visiting the site because they had the disease, the Government's Chief Medical Officer said.

A storm system just off the south Jersey shore will move north and east overnight spreading rain bands across much of our area.

The French Army were branded 'imbeciles' today after an artillery exercise caused a massive fire which destroyed dozens of houses and left hundreds homeless.

Arab health ministers banned children, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses from attending the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia this year over fears the mass gathering could speed the spread of swine flu.

The 2009 hurricane season has been off to a slow start, but experts say the real activity usually doesn't begin until August.

Hundreds of police, soldiers and rescue workers were today searching for nine people missing after torrential rains triggered floods and landslides in southern Japan.

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Communities , Health Thursday 23rd July 2009 - 8:50am National swine flu service goes live to relieve mounting pressure on NHS A national swine flu service aiming to speed up access to drugs for thousands of infected people goes live today.

The H1N1 flu outbreak has already been declared a global pandemic, and now the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore is testing an experimental vaccine aimed at preventing the spread of the disease.

Washington -- Scientists believe they have found a 'missing link' in the evolution of the virus that causes AIDS.

TORONTO - Canada has recorded its first case of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu virus in a man who had been given the drug to prevent infection.

The 7.8 magnitude tremor caused the southwest of the South Island to move about one foot nearer while the east coast moved less than half an inch, meaning the island actually stretched.

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Communities , Health Wednesday 22nd July 2009 - 8:48am Swine flu 'spreading faster than any previous pandemic' At least 30 people have died in the UK after contracting swine flu as the virus spreads faster than any previous flu pandemic, officials said.

The Salvation Army is struggling with dwindling donations across the country that will make it hard to give long-term assistance after a disaster, and a spokesman for the charity says "we have to hope and pray" this year's hurricane season is mild.

Some Muslim countries are advising pregnant women not to attend the hajj pilgrimage.

An early morning storm rolling through the Valley brings rain, lightning and thunder, says azfamily.com's April Warnecke.

Swine flu has been linked to 700 human deaths worldwide since April - and nations could consider closing schools to slow its spread, the WHO has said.

Drought in Texas has led to an estimated $3.6 billion in crop and livestock losses, and without ample rains, the year's final tally could top the state record set in 2006, Texas agriculture officials say.

Mayor Ray Nagin wants hurricane-displaced people who plan to return to New Orleans counted as residents in the upcoming U.S. Census even if they live elsewhere.

Ministers have been asked to consider closing schools this autumn to help curb the number of swine flu infections.

Mr Burnham said the service, which will also offer online help to take pressure off GPs and other front line health services, will be in operation by the end of the week "subject to testing". He told the Commons it would be accompanied by a "major public information campaign" and, after the launch, people would no longer need to ring their GP.

Health officials in Britain have issued a torrent of conflicting advice on swine flu, telling people to avoid travel, stay away from crowds and even advising women to delay getting pregnant until the virus subsides.

Governors attending their national convention on Mississippi's Gulf Coast have seen signs of Hurricane Katrina recovery _ glitzy casinos packed with tourists, new condominium towers rising along the beach, the major expansion of a bustling state port.

South Africa is launching clinical trials of the first AIDS vaccines created by a developing country, a feat by scientists who forged ahead even when some of their political leaders shocked the world with unscientific pronouncements about the disease.

A lightning-sparked wildfire in the Inyo National Forest near Bishop surged to 2,000 acres on Sunday and forced the evacuation of a small community and several campgrounds, authorities said.The fire - by far the largest of 23 likely started by lightning in the forest over the weekend - thrived in hundred-degree heat Sunday after it started on ...

Airlines have put in place measures to turn back passengers showing swine flu symptoms, they said Sunday.

Typhoon Molave hit land in south China early Sunday, with heavy rain forecast in most parts of the Guangdong Province in the following two days, local observatory said.

Under the Obama administration's economic stimulus plan, needy communities were supposed to be a priority when doling out money to rebuild highways and jump-start the economy.

Next > KELOWNA, B.C. a ' The forest fire burning in Kelowna, B.C. has claimed nine houses, forced the evacuation of 4,500 more a ' and continues to spread.

Britons going on their summer holidays have been warned not to travel if they had swine flu.

A raging forest fire in Kelowna, B.C., has forced 3,000 residents to flee their homes.

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials say drought-stricken Texas farmers and ranchers will have to wait until the fall for their share of $3 billion in federal assistance.

Click on picture to enlarge. AP Photo: Jens Meyer The ruin of a residential house and a destroyed street in Nachterstedt, Germany, Saturday, July 18, 2009.

Three earthquakes with an average magnitude of 4.8 on the Richter scale hit New Zealand on Saturday.

The last time the government embarked on a major vaccine campaign against a new swine flu, thousands filed claims contending they suffered side effects from the shots.

Federal health officials today downplayed reports suggesting that a swine flu vaccine may not be ready by fall and resisted the notion that the United States is vulnerable because of its dependance on overseas manufacturers who might be inclined to keep their supplies.

A 45-acre brush fire in the Castaic area was 10 percent contained [Friday] afternoon, a county fire official said.

With the hot summer temperatures, agencies all across the Valley are stepping up their efforts to protect at risk senior citizens.

The World Health Organization said on Thursday that the H1N1 flu pandemic was the fastest-moving pandemic ever and that it was now pointless to count every case.

The World Health Organization says it will stop counting individual cases of swine flu.

A strong 6.0-magnitude aftershock has rattled New Zealand, two days after the country's biggest earthquake in nearly 80 years.

Fire crews converged on a growing wildfire in the American River Canyon that quickly burned dozens of acres Thursday, according to a Cal Fire spokeswoman.

Extra evacuation buses. More storm shelters. A guide to doing hurricane preparation on a budget.Because of the recession, the nation's coastal communities are preparing to help more people evacuate if a hurricane approaches, especially residents who cannot afford to escape on their own."The way the economy is, nobody is able to just pick up and ...

A swine flu pandemic could be more devastating than a terrorist attack, a police officer has warned as the UK death toll from the virus reached 29.

LONDON - An ugly scramble is brewing over the swine flu vaccine _ and when it becomes available, Britain, the United States and other nations could find that the contracts they signed with pharmaceutical companies are easily broken.

South Africa passed the 100 mark for recorded cases of swine flu today, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said.

Department of Conservation and Civil Defence officials are surveying the aftermath of a massive earthquake at the bottom of the South Island.

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The right lane on southbound Interstate 17 has been reopened near Black Canyon City as responders battle a brush fire right off the highway.

The dry and windy conditions Wednesday in southwestern Colorado have complicated efforts to contain a large wildfire as it swells in size.

The world's top health official cast doubt over plans to vaccinate millions of people against the "unstoppable" swine flu pandemic, saying immunisations would not be available for months.

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Communities , Environment Wednesday 15th July 2009 - 11:22am New Zealand on tsunami alert after 7.8 magnitude earthquake A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of New Zealand triggering a tsunami warning today.

The bodies of a mother and her two children buried in a massive mudslide were found Tuesday.

Two Southern California wildfires are slowly being surrounded after scorching more than 1,500 acres of brush north of Los Angeles and in San Diego County.

The U.S. Surgeon General has been described as "the nation's doctor," a "national nanny" and the person who puts warning labels on cigarette packs.

Jul 14 - Jordan is fighting an uphill battle to deal with a chronic water shortage as officials pin their hope on two strategic projects in the southern desert.

A small earthquake has rattled Los Angeles International Airport, but there are no immediate reports of damage or injuries.The U.S. Geological Survey said in a preliminary report that the magnitude-3.2 temblor struck Monday at 9:14 p.m. It was centered under the airport runways.City Fire spokesman Devin Gales said no damage has been reported and ...

Next > CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. a ' NASA scrubbed the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour on Monday, marking the fifth consecutive time the flight has been delayed.

Taiwanese authorities say a 6.3-magnitude earthquake has struck off the east coast of the island, rattling buildings in Taipei, but causing no casualties or damage.

President Barack Obama named Dr. Regina Benjamin as U.S. surgeon general in an announcement late this morning at the White House.

The new H1N1 influenza virus bears a disturbing resemblance to the virus strain that caused the 1918 flu pandemic, with a greater ability to infect the lungs than common seasonal flu viruses, researchers reported on Monday.

A six-year-old girl has become the latest victim of swine flu, taking the number of UK deaths linked to the virus to 16.

The search resumes this morning for a mother and her two children feared dead after a mudslide destroyed their Utah home.

A brush fire flared up near a golf course and quickly spread across vegetation, growing to 90 acres, a fire captain said.

GUANTUNXIANG, China -- Thousands camped in tents in southwestern China on Saturday after a magnitude-6.0 earthquake destroyed thousands of homes, killed one person and injured 320, government-run news media reported.

Below-average rainfall and insufficient water in the Euphrates and Tigris rivers have left Iraq bone dry for a second straight year, wrecking swaths of farm land, threatening drinking water supplies and intensifying fierce sandstorms that have coated the country in brown dust.

Dive teams and helicopters continued to scour a northwestern Ontario lake Saturday for a man who vanished after a tornado ripped through a hunting and fishing resort.

Jul. 12 - Ten hikers are killed and ten left missing after being swept away by a flash flood in a gorge near the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing.

Lightning forced Nasa to delay the space shuttle Endeavour's planned launch yesterday by at least a day, the latest blow to the seven-astronaut mission.

WASHINGTON: People who are obese but otherwise healthy may be at special risk of severe complications and death from the new H1N1 flu virus, US researchers reported on Friday.

A fast-moving brushfire is threatening homes in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley.

A small earthquake has rattled the San Diego coast but there are no reports of damage or injuries.

People will be allowed to take two weeks off work without a doctor's note under new government plans if they contract swine flu People with swine flu could stay off work for two weeks without a doctor's note under government plans to deal with the pandemic.

Friday, July 10, 2009 2:08 PM Kristopher Weiss-Ohio Department of Health The State of Ohio will receive $9.8 million in one-time pandemic preparedness funds for states and communities to use in their continued planning and preparations in the event a more severe form of H1N1 flu develops in the coming months.

Two American men were killed and another was missing after a tornado uprooted two cabins and dropped the buildings into a northwestern Ontario lake.

L'AQUILA, Italy -- Leaders of rich and developing countries launched a new approach to global hunger Friday, saying they wanted to spend $20 billion on seeds, fertilizers, tools and other aid for small farmers over the next three years so poor nations could feed themselves.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports a 2.0 magnitude earthquake struck Friday morning near Cleburne, the latest in a series of low-intensity tremors in that area.

Scientists have detected a spike in underground rumblings on a section of California's San Andreas Fault that produced a magnitude-7.8 earthquake in 1857.

Drought, followed by a late freeze, followed by floods combined to reduce the yield.

Actor George Clooney meets residents as he tours earthquake damage on the sidelines of a G8 summit, in St.

This map shows the epicenter of the magitude-6.0 earthquake in Yao'an county, Southwest China's Yunnan province, July 9, 2009.

Triple digit temperatures have many Texans using more electricity and a lot more water to keep cool.

The number of swine flu deaths has doubled in just two days to 14 as it emerged that London is just days away from an epidemic.

A Gig Harbor couple escaped injury when lightning struck a tree and traveled through the car they were sitting in to wait out the storm.

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is making another big contribution to help the victims of a wildfire that destroyed more than 250 homes at Lake Tahoe two years ago.

South Carolina's top prosecutor says his office has settled with several gas retailers investigated for price gouging.

President Barack Obama arrived in this earthquake-ravaged town not far from Rome this morning for the start of the three-day G-8 summit where global economic , environmental and security issues will be at the top of the agenda.

The world-famous Getty Center art complex and nearby Mount St. Mary's College were evacuated Wednesday as a brush fire burned on slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains near the Getty's parking area facilities.

About 200 infectious disease experts have gathered in Toronto to discuss the H1N1 flu virus that has become a global pandemic.

Health and veterinary officials on Tuesday reported that two hog barn workers had been ill with a new strain of flu.

If not for the triple-digit heat, central Texas rancher Debbie Davis could almost think it was a different season entirely.

The world's most powerful leaders gathered in Italy on Tuesday on the eve of a G8 summit aimed at finding common ground on how to tackle the global economic crisis, climate change and turmoil in Iran.

No damage or injuries have been reported following a small earthquake that rattled parts of central Virginia.

Led by Suzanne de la Monte, MD, MPH, of Rhode Island Hospital, researchers studied the trends in mortality rates due to diseases that are associated with aging, such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes and cerebrovascular disease, as well as HIV.

With the world's most powerful leaders gathering in this city just three months after a devastating earthquake, Italian security officials have prepared an emergency evacuation plan to airlift the leaders to safety in case of another powerful tremor.

The Air Force is developing a new video sensor and creating 2,500 analyst positions to help gather and interpret the increasing flood of aerial surveillance data coming from the warfront and get it back to the troops on the ground, officials said Monday.

A quarantine of San Quentin State Prison inmates has been expanded in response to a possible swine flu epidemic.

BLACK BUTTE RANCH, Ore. Fire crews battled a wildfire near a popular central Oregon community Monday morning but no structure appear to be in danger.

Jul 06 - Three months on -- to the hour -- hundreds flock to l'Aquila's Piazza Duomo to commemorate the victims of Italy's deadliest earthquake since 1980.

A RED Cross official has sharply criticised 'complacency' towards the impact of communicable diseases on poor countries, contrasting it with responses to flu or heart disease in rich nations.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the world body may need over $1 billion to fight the swine flu pandemic for the rest of this year.

Oregon Department of Transportation officials say all lanes on Interstate Five in Medford are now open.

Nearly 1,000 protesters from a Muslim ethnic group rioted in China's far west, overturning barricades, attacking bystanders and clashing with police in violence that killed an unknown number of people, including a policeman, state media and witnesses said.

Firefighters are battling a wildfire spreading across 40 acres in the Angeles National Forest, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Forest Service.

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A free swine flu vaccination is to be offered to the general population in the coming months, as part of a major plan to avoid the worst affects of a global pandemic.

Indian paramilitary rescue teams rushed on Saturday to an island in one of Asia's largest rivers, where nearly 100,000 people took refuge after heavy monsoon rains flooded their homes, said a local administrator.

A downed power line at the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo appears to have ignited a nine-alarm grass fire that burned for more than six hours Friday night and this morning, a Vallejo assistant fire chief said.

More rain is forecast over the rest of the weekend. Torrential rain battering southern China has forced more than 150,000 people from their homes, toppled hundreds of houses and punched a dangerous hole in the spillway of a dam, Xinhua news agency reported.

The World Health Organisation still expects the swine flu pandemic to subside in the northern hemisphere over the summer, despite its persistence in the likes of the United States and Britain.

REDSTONE, Colorado - Highway 133 south of Carbondale was reopened late Friday evening, after a series of mudslides temporarily closed a 13-mile stretch between Carbondale and Redstone earlier in the day.

Gordon Brown will receive advice about what to do in the event of an earthquake during the G8 summit in Italy next week.

Creating a new coal plant in Kent could lead to 100,000 more people in the developing world losing their water supply during dry seasons, it has been claimed.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. Lt. Col. Luke Thompson sometimes skims his C-130 cargo plane just 150 above the ground, battling smoke, shifting winds and rugged terrain on his way to blast thousands of gallons of gooey pink fire retardant onto the front lines of a wildfire."It's kind of like pushing an elephant around on ice," he said.The Air Force ...

As swine flu runs rampant in the Southern Hemisphere winter, world health experts are concerned that some hard-hit countries have been reluctant to take forceful measures to protect public health.

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has struck the Gulf of California, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Firefighters are battling a fire that has burned about 100 acres of dense brush near Temecula and forced nearby businesses to evacuate.

Tomato plants have been removed from stores in half a dozen states as a destructive and infectious plant disease makes its earliest and most widespread appearance ever in the eastern United States.

The Ohio Department of Health confirmed Thursday that a Butler County male in his 40s, who was infected with H1N1 influenza, died June 29.

The new virus, H1N1, has a protein on its surface that is not very efficient at binding with receptors in people's respiratory tracts, researchers at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology report in Friday's edition of the journal Science.

BRITAIN'S health minister Andy Burnham says the country could have 100,000 new cases of swine flu every day by August.

The German shepherds died Tuesday in a car in the parking lot of police headquarters in Nottingham .

The World Health Organization said Wednesday it is working to mathematically model the spread of swine flu in an attempt to better understand how the outbreak developed from a handful of cases to a global epidemic in less than two months.

A brush fire has erupted off Interstate 5 near Castaic in Angeles National Forest.

Britain's hottest week in years is threatening to become a wash-out as parts of the country were put on flood alert.

Mississippi's still king of cellulite, but an ominous tide is rolling toward the Medicare doctors in neighboring Alabama: obese baby boomers.

July 1, 2009 -- The National Earthquake Center confirms a small earthquake shook parts of New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania Wednesday morning.

A very strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude 5.9 struck off Crete Wednesday, Greek authorities said.

This June 1, 2009 photo shows Jeff Trosen, right, and his son, Broc, working to free a stuck combine in a field of corn north of Arvilla, N.D. The Trosen's have nearly 1,200 acres of unharvested corn left and are hoping for drier conditions for planting soybeans where possible.

Children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with chronic diseases should stay away from the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to prevent catching swine flu, health experts recommended Tuesday.