Tag Archives: natural disasters

TX Food Supply Chain Disrupted, Some Stores Empty

The Texas Tribune reports: Texans are running out of food. From farm to table, freezing temperatures and power outages are disrupting the food supply chain that people rely on every day. Across the state, people are using up supplies they had stockpiled and losing more as items start to spoil in dark refrigerators. Some are storing their remaining rations in …

Read More »

Fox News Confirms: Ted Cruz Is On Vacation In Mexico

Fox News reports: Sen. Ted Cruz flew to Cancun, Mexico, with his family this week as Texas dealt with a winter storm that left millions without power, Fox News has confirmed. Photographs of Cruz, R-Texas, at an airport began circulating on social media late Wednesday, with people alleging that the senator had left the state for Cancun amid a major …

Read More »

7.4 Magnitude Quake Hits Southern Mexico [VIDEO]

The Weather Channel reports: A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake has rattled the Mexican state of Oaxaca and prompted tsunami warnings for Mexico and parts of Central America. The quake struck at 10:29 a.m. local time Tuesday about 7 miles southwest of Santa María Zapotitlán, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said tsunami waves of 3 to 9 …

Read More »

7.7 Mag Quake Shakes Caribbean, Tsunami Warning

The Guardian reports: A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake has struck in the sea south of Cuba, triggering a tsunami warning for Cuba, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but tsunami warnings were quickly issued. The quake also hit the Cayman Islands, leaving cracked roads and what appeared to be sewage spilling from …

Read More »

Australian Bushfires Merge To Form “Megafire” [VIDEO]

The Washington Post reports: Australia’s bushfire crisis worsened Thursday night into Friday as hot, dry and windy conditions redeveloped across the country’s hard-hit southeast, causing two large blazes to merge into one. The new “megafire” measures about 1.5 million acres, about the size of the state of Delaware or roughly eight times as large as New York City. “What we’re …

Read More »

Puerto Rico Hit By 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake [VIDEO]

CNN International reports: A 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocked Puerto Rico early Tuesday morning, just one day after a 5.8 magnitude quake shook the island, according to the US Geological Survey. The 6.4 quake struck at 3:24 a.m. local time about 6 miles south of Indios, Puerto Rico, the USGS said. The mayor of Guayanilla, just north of Indios, reported damage to …

Read More »

AUSTRALIA: State Of Emergency For New South Wales

CNN reports: The Australian state of New South Wales has declared a state of emergency and could begin forced evacuations from fire-stricken areas, as emergency crews battle deadly blazes and brace for a dangerous weekend ahead. State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Thursday that the emergency declaration would come into effect Friday morning as weather conditions are expected to deteriorate significantly …

Read More »

Australia: Wildfires Again Spur Emergency Declaration

Reuters reports: Australia’s most populous state declared its second emergency in as many months on Thursday as extreme heat and strong winds stoked more than 100 bushfires, including three major blazes on Sydney’s doorstep. A day after Australia recorded its hottest day on record, thick smoke blanketed the harbor city, shrouded the Opera House and brought many outdoor activities to …

Read More »

Cruise Ship Tourists Killed In Volcano Eruption [VIDEO]

NBC News reports: A volcano open to tour groups unexpectedly erupted off the coast of New Zealand on Monday, killing at least five people, authorities said. Officials were unsure of the exact number of people who were missing or injured. Search-and-rescue operations on the island have stalled because it is too dangerous to approach the island, said John Tims, deputy …

Read More »

CALIFORNIA: Fierce Winds Drive New Wildfires [VIDEO]

ABC News reports: A wind-whipped fire erupted in San Bernardino, forcing mandatory evacuations and ravaging several homes in the area, as the blaze quickly grew to 200 acres early Thursday morning. The blaze, called the Hillside Fire, was burning at a rapid rate of spread and quickly expanded to 200 acres by about 2:30 a.m., officials said. Six homes were …

Read More »

CALIFORNIA: “Extreme Red Flag” Wildfires Alert Issued

The Los Angeles Times reports: Even after several years of devastating wind-driven fires in Southern California, forecasters fear that the next two days could bring new levels of danger. “Extreme” fire weather began in the Los Angeles area at 11 p.m. Tuesday and was expected to persist for 30 hours, bringing isolated gusts of up to 80 mph. It’s an …

Read More »

Los Angeles Wildfire Threatens Thousands Of Homes

The Los Angeles Times reports: A growing brush fire was threatening thousands of homes in Brentwood and other Westside hillside communities, burning several homes and prompting widespread evacuations early Monday. The Getty fire broke out shortly before 2 a.m. along the 405 Freeway near the Getty Center and spread to the south and west, rapidly burning more than 500 acres …

Read More »

CA Gov Declares Statewide Emergency Over Wildfires

CBS News reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide emergency as wildfires and extreme weather conditions forced almost 200,000 people from their homes. He said in a statement Sunday that officials are deploying “every resource available” to respond to the wildfires, including a large blaze in Northern California’s wine country driven by powerful winds. Smoke from a second …

Read More »

CA Wildfires Force Mandatory Evac Order For 180,000

NBC News reports: Two massive wildfires are flanking Northern and Southern California, as power outages expand, almost two hundred thousand people are under evacuation orders, and tens of thousands of acres burn. North of San Francisco, new evacuation warnings were issued early Sunday as the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County scorched 30,000 acres and remains only ten percent contained. The …

Read More »

CALIFORNIA: Wildfire Blackouts To Affect Two Million

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: Massive blackouts affecting more than 2 million people are expected this weekend throughout the Bay Area, Northern California and Central California, the third time this month that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. will have turned off power to avert catastrophic wildfires. PG&E said about 850,000 homes and businesses in its service territory might start losing …

Read More »

California Utility Admits It May Have Sparked Wildire

The Associated Press reports: California’s biggest utility admitted its electrical equipment may have ignited a ruinous wildfire spreading across the state’s wine country Friday, despite blackouts imposed across the region to prevent blazes. The disclosure came as firefighters simultaneously battled flames in both Northern and Southern California: the fire amid Sonoma County’s vineyards, and a wind-whipped blaze that destroyed homes …

Read More »

CALIFORNIA: Blackouts Over Wildfires May Affect 500K

NBC News reports: Hundreds of thousands of residents of Northern California whose power will be shut off in the next two days got even worse news Wednesday: Another, even larger, blackout is likely over the weekend. The state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Corp., or PG&E, began shutting off electricity to nearly a half-million people Wednesday afternoon, the second …

Read More »

California Launches Earthquake Early Warning System

NPR reports: Scientists cannot yet predict when the next deadly earthquake will strike, but emergency response authorities in California plan to unveil the first statewide quake warning system Thursday, which marks the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The warnings will be issued in two ways: a cellphone app called MyShake and the more traditional wireless notification system …

Read More »

Multiple Wildfires Erupt In Southern California [VIDEO]

NBC News reports: A wind-whipped wildfire in the San Fernando Valley grew to over 4,000 acres overnight, hours after a blaze in neighboring Riverside County tore through a mobile home park. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in the San Fernando Valley, parts of major highways were shut down and at least 10 schools were closed Friday. In the earlier blaze Thursday, …

Read More »

BAHAMAS: Aerial Footage Reveals “Utter Devastation”

The Weather Channel reports: Hurricane Dorian delivered yet another night of slashing winds and driving rain to the already devastated northwestern Bahamas, and there appeared little hope of relief Tuesday as the deadly storm began slowly moving away from the islands. Aerial video from Great Abaco Island, where Dorian made a second landfall, begins to provide an idea of how …

Read More »