Natural Disasters

The United States is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. As time goes on, more places will have to deal with natural disasters occurring in addition to the pandemic, like the tornadoes that hit Iowa in April. State and local authorities are preparing emergency shelters, deciding where to send…

Gary Robbins — Los Angeles Times A 4.9 earthquake struck Friday evening at 6:53 PM near Anza in Riverside County in Southern California. The quake was felt strongly in San Diego County, and even felt in downtown Los Angeles and other areas of LA County and the Inland Empire. The quake erupted…

Structural engineers are a type of civil engineers that are specialized in understanding the stability of any structures, like the framework of buildings and bridges. Structural engineers have a particular role in the context of emergency preparedness and disaster response - at the scene of a…

Due to the disastrous impact of Storm Dennis, people in the United Kingdom over this past weekend have been hit with strong winds, heavy rain, and potential flooding. It has been reported that two people have died off the coast of southeast England. For more information, click here.  

Five months after Hurricane Dorian, which destroyed thousands of homes in the Grand Bahama and Abaco Islands, recovery efforts have been slow. Many people were evacuated, so there is a shortage of labor to rebuild the islands. Piles of debris on the streets pose a safety hazard, and utilities are…

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a 7.7 magnitude major earthquake struck at 2:10 pm E.T on Jan. 28 in the Caribbean Sea and specifically in the area south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica. The earthquake was felt by people in Jamaica, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Miami, Florida. A…

California is no stranger to wildfires, seeing many in 2019 with some even leading to weeks of power outages. In response, Operation Sierra Storm at South Lake Tahoe called a meeting with leaders of Cal Fire’s new Wildfire Resilience Program, PG&E and the National Weather Service to discuss…

The fires continue to rage in Australia and consume a region larger than the size of Denmark. The New York Times asked residents in the affected areas to describe their experience fighting off and fleeing the fires. People detail their fear while packing a car with only the essentials to survive.…

The Australian wildfires were met with an outpour of support from across the world. There were legitimate fundraising efforts such as one by Australian comedian, Celeste Barber, who raised over 34 million dollars on Facebook to support firefighters. There were also scammers who found the disaster…

Hurricane Maria devastated the Caribbean in 2017, claiming over 3000 lives. On Saturday, Puerto Rico’s emergency director, Carlos Acevedo, was fired after a warehouse filled with water pallets and emergency supply boxes was found in the city of Ponce, prompting an investigation. Acevedo denied…

The Taal Volcano in Batangas province, 37 miles south of Manila, Philippines caused evacuations for thousands of people and shut down the Manila International Airport. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology classified the volcano as level 4, one lower than the highest, which…

-- CNN Typhoon Kammuri hit the most densely populated island of the Philippines, Luzon, Monday reaching winds of 130 miles per hour. The hurricane is a category 4 and has led to evacuations throughout the country, many of which are forced for citizens' safety.   For the full article by Joshua…

The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory in Southern California on Thanksgiving Day, saying that the rain could cause mudflows in areas that were previously affected by the Getty Fire and Palisades Fire. For a mudslide to happen, all it takes is an intense amount of rain in a short…

Australia is experiencing the second driest January-October period in recorded history for over a century. With about 60 fires currently blazing in the southeastern state of New South Wales, at least 6 people have died and about 600 homes destroyed. For more information, click here.