Recent Natural Disasters | Calamities | Hazards

Snowstorm in Dallas area of Texas has caused hundreds of traffic accidents and led to more than 600 flight cancellations. As of 4:30 p.m. CST, 595 flights have been canceled at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Reuters has written quoting Flight tracker FlightAware.com.

M 4.1 light earthquake shakes Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina today, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported. According to the EMSC, the quake's epicenter was located 25 km S of Sarajevo. It was 1.24 miles deep. There could be slight damage in the southern suburbs of Sarajevo, mainly because of the shallow depth of the hypocenter.

Sandstorm in Fujairah region of United Arab Emirates (UAE) today has claimed lives of two people. "The sandstorm caused a road accident on Dibba-Masafi Road leading to death of two UAE nationals," The Gulf Today has written quoting Lieutenant Colonel Saeed Al Hassani, Head of Public Relations and Information at the GHQ of Fujairah Police.

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management has urged Kansans to make sure they are prepared for the new round of winter storms this weekend. According to Angee Morgan, deputy director of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM), "the National Weather Service is forecasting, widespread accumulating snow likely by late Sunday." Snowfall accumulation will vary from 1-3 inches in some areas to about 4-6 inches in other areas and KDEM will be monitoring the weather and will activate the State Emergency Operations center in Topeka, if needed, to coordinate any state emergency response operations that might be requested.

A landslide that hit Limun in Sorolangun district, Jambi has claimed lives of at least three people and injured three others Thursday evening. Heavy rainfall triggered the landslide disaster when they were conducting illegal mining activities in the district, The Jakarta Post has written quoting Jambi Provincial Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Almansyah.

Recent flooding in Madagascar's capital Antananarivo and the surrounding area have claimed lives of at least 14 people and displaced more than 21,000 people. According to  the National Risks and Disasters Management Agency (BNGRC),  a red alert has been issued in the lowlands of Antananarivo.  Prime Minister Jean Ravelonarivo visited affected areas early Friday and speedboats were being used to evacuate hard-hit areas, AFP has mentioned.

M 7.1 massive earthquake shakes Indonesia today, the Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika (BMKG) reported. The earthquake is however harmless due to its greater depth below the Flores Sea. It was 355.4 miles deep. The United States Geological Survey  (USGS) expects moderate to light shaking in Riangpuho, Bedalewun, Hinga, Klubagolit, Kampungsusah, Wuaona, Ende and Labuhanbajo.

Lightning in Makawanpur district of Nepal has claimed lives of at least two people and injured three others Thursday afternoon. Injured were students of local Shankar Lower secondary School in Manthali-3 and are having  treatment at Aashrang Health Post in Aashrang of Lalitpur, The Himalayan Times has written. At least 14 domestic flights have been cancelled in Pokhara, Simara, Bhadrapur and Biratnagar due to poor visibility, eKantipur has written quoting officials at the Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu.

Heavy rains and hailstorms have claimed lives of at least six people in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province  and the adjoining Federally Administered Tribal Areas on Wednesday. Fatalities include three women who died when the roof of a house collapsed due to the heavy rains in Zangali area. Two kids were also wounded and are having treatment at the Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar.

Recent flooding in Bolivia has displaced more than 4,000 people in the town of Cobija after the river Acre burst its banks. "Bolivia's Vice President met with emergency officials delivering food supplies to this northern region bordering Brazil, and called this the worst flooding the area has seen in years," Reuters has written.

At least three flights have been cancelled following the eruption at Popocatepetl volcano east of Mexico City. "Operations in Puebla were suspended at 6:30 a.m. (7:30 a.m. EST) to allow airport personnel to clean runways and other areas covered in ash," CTV News has written quoting a statement from the government's airport oversight agency on Wednesday. 

M 3.7 light earthquake shakes Twentynine Palms, California today, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake's epicenter was located 21 km S of Twentynine Palms. It was 2.05 miles deep. Earthquake was felt in Indio, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and surrounding areas.

Governor Robert Bentley has declared a State of Emergency for all Alabama counties in preparation for winter weather on Tuesday. Following the state of emergency, all state agencies are directed to take necessary actions to be prepared to respond to the anticipated winter conditions including sleet, ice and snow. Various portions of the state are expected to experience ice, sleet, snow and freezing rain beginning Wednesday morning and lasting through Thursday, the National Weather Service office in Alabama said.

Avalanches caused by a heavy winter snow have claimed lives of at least 124 people in northeastern Afghanistan, a Natural Disaster Management Authority said The Associated Press (AP). According to Mohammad Aslam Syas, the deputy director of the Afghanistan Natural Disaster Management Authority, the avalanches buried homes across four northeast provinces with worst hit to be Panjshir province, located around 100 kilometers northeast of the capital, Kabul.

At least seven suspicious craters have been spotted in Serbia including five of them in a region known as the "end of the world". "We know now of seven craters in the Arctic area with five are directly on the Yamal peninsula, one in Yamal Autonomous district, and one is on the north of the Krasnoyarsk region, near the Taimyr peninsula, " The Serbia Times has written quoting Vasily Bogoyavlensky, deputy director of Russia's Oil and Gas Research Institute.

At least 380 people have been evacuated following a huge sinkhole in Naples, Italy. Sinkhole suddenly opened up on a street in Pianura on Sunday. The junction of two residential streets collapsed at around 5 am. No damage was done to surrounding buildings but 380 people in the area had to be found emergency accommodation as a precautionary measure, The Independent has written quoting the Italian newspaper Il Mattino.

Palaszczuk Government has activated Natural Disaster Recovery and Relief Arrangements for Central Queensland. Now, the financial assistance is available for people needing urgent help after Tropical Cyclone Marcia following the activation of Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) in conjunction with the Commonwealth Government, The Queensland Government has mentioned in the media statement. “The Commonwealth Government has approved financial assistance for personal hardship, reconnection of essential services and for the restoration of essential public assets and infrastructure,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

Winter weather in Tennessee has claimed lives of at least 22 people in last six days, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) confirmed. "Tennessee currently remains at a Level II-State of Emergency. The original elevation to a Level III – State of Emergency for this winter storm was at 9 p.m. on Feb. 16, 2015," TEMA mentioned in its 5 p.m. update.

Tropical Cyclone Marcia has smashed parts of Yeppoon and Rockhampton as it moves down the Queensland coast in Australia. "Around 100 properties in Yeppoon and Rockhampton deemed uninhabitable after rapid damage assessments and 1500 homes suffered structural damage", The Brisbane Times has mentioned in its live blog. Around 48,000 homes have been left without power in Yeppoon, Rockhampton and Bundaburg as the storm moved south.

An avalanche in Valais Alps in Switzerland has claimed lives of four Italian skiers on Saturday.  Avalanche occurred in an area of the Swiss Alps in the canton of Valais known as "Death Valley." "They were skiing cross-country near a guesthouse in the Great Saint Bernard Pass, not far from the Italian border, when a massive sheet of snow dislodged and swept them away," The Guardian has written.

A landslide in Bosnia and Herzegovina coal mine has claimed lives of at least four people. Landslide occurred at an opencast lignite mine at Dubrave in northeast Bosnia and Herzegovina, Reuters has written quoting police and officials. The people were buried while illegally collecting coal, probably with the intention to steal coal. However, the area could not be approached with big machines because of mud and huge piles of earth.

An avalanche in Afghanistan's Badakhshan Province  has claimed lives of at least twelve people. The disaster occurred in Raghistan district last night which also injured two others, Bakhtar News Agency has written quoting Ahmad Jaweed Jaweed, member of provincial council and people representative in Raghistan district. Heavy snowfall has also destroyed ten houses in Raghistan district.

Recent flooding in Peru has claimed lives of at least 20 people, Sputnik reported quoting the country's civil defense agency. Torrential rains and floods in Peru have affected 22 of the country's 25 regions. Recent flooding in Peru has damaged more than 800 houses, with 14,500 buildings being partially damaged. According to the Telesur television, at least five schools are among the destroyed buildings.

Below are best natural disaster movies of 2014. Pompeii (February 18, 2014) Pompeii was a volcanic disaster movie produced and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. The movie was inspired by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 that destroyed the Pompeii city of the Roman Empire. The movie was shot in Toronto, Ontario.

A landslide in Assam's Hailakandi district of India has claimed life of two labourers and injured one other. Injured people is having treatment at Silchar Medical College and Hospital.

A lightning in Waku VDC of Solukhumbu district of Nepal has claimed lives of at least three people. "The lightening has also damaged peltric set with the capacity of 11 KW," Nepal Republic Media has written quoting the local police. The village is just south of Mount Everest.

We are getting reports of an earthquake felt in Seattle today. There are hundreds of visitors online currently from Seattle. Tremor has been reported in and around Seattle around 11:20 EST. Did you feel an earthquake in Seattle today? If so please mention it via the comment section below. News developing...

Cyclone Marcia which formed off Queensland's coast of Australia is expected to intensify to make landfall as a category two cyclone early on Friday. Tropical Cyclone Marcia has developed over the central Coral Sea and is expected to make landfall on the eastern Queensland coast between St Lawrence and Hervey Bay early on Friday, The Australia Government Bureau of Meteorology has mentioned in the update issued at 11:04 pm EST Wednesday. The Bureau of Meteorology said  gales to develop about coastal and island communities between Sarina and Double Island Point on Thursday during the late afternoon or evening. Destructive wind gusts to 150 km/hr may develop about the coast and islands near the centre on Friday morning.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Civil Emergency Message for multiple counties in Central Alabama. The Civil Emergency Message has been issued for Marion, Winston, Lamar, Fayette, Walker, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Sumter, Greene, Hale, Perry, Bibb, Shelby, Jefferson, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Clay, Randolph, Calhoun, Cleburne, Cherokee, Etowah, Blount, and St. Clair counties of Alabama.

Recent flood in Argentina's Cordoba province has claimed lives of at least seven people. Heavy rainfall triggered flood in Ascochinga, Jesús María, Juárez Celman, Río Ceballos, Unquillo and Mendiolaza areas of Argentina. Three of them were swept away by strong currents in the town of Rio Ceballos when the local river burst its banks. "There are 1,000 evacuees in the Sierras Chicas area and Córdoba City who have not been able to return to their homes," Buenos Aires Herald reported as quoted by the governor José Manuel De la Sota.

A tsunami has been observed as earthquakes with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 and 5.7 struck the Pacific off northeastern Japan on Tuesday. "A 20-centimeter wave was observed at Kuji port in Iwate roughly an hour later and a 10-cm wave in Miyako," the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said as quoted by the Kyodo News Agency. According to JMA, an earthquake with magnitude 6.9 struck at 8:06 am in the Pacific Ocean about 210 kilometers east of Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, at a depth of around 10 km and registered 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in parts of Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi and Akita prefectures.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has said it will install 20 landslide early warning system (EWS) units in regions across Java Island in Indonesia. BNPB chairman Syamsul Ma’arif said it during the official opening of a EWS tower in Sumberejo village, Batur subdistrict, Banjarnegara regency.

At least two persons have gone missing following an avalanche in Humla of west Nepal. Police, assisted by locals, have launched a search operation to rescue the victims, Rastriya Samarchar Samiti (RSS) has reported quoting DSP Krishna Bahadur Kunwar.

Recent flooding in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia has displaced 5,986 people in 307 neighborhoods located in 97 subdistricts. "Around 28 tactical posts have been established to provide aid for flood victims," The Jakarta Post has written quoting spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Fuego volcano eruption in Guatemala has closed an airport and forced the evacuation of at least 100 people. "Fuego Volcano erupted Saturday and spewed ashes to an altitude reaching 5,500 meters above sea level," CNN has written quoting Guatemala's national disaster agency. Fuego volcano eruption in Guatemala also stopped all air traffic at La Aurora International Airport.

Recent floods in Albania has claimed life of a woman. The 38-year-old woman was swept away when the Verdova River on Albania's eastern border with Macedonia. "Albania is hit by some of the worst floods it has ever seen, compounded by tree clearances and soil erosion," Reuters has written.

Yes, there was just a 3.4 magnitude earthquake in Oklahoma. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake's epicenter was located just 5 km SE of Cherokee. It was 3.1 miles deep. Oklahoma Geological Survey has recorded at least 12 earthquakes in last 24 hours.

An earthquake has been widely felt across the Kashmir region early Thursday. The earthquake which jolt Kashmir valley at 6:17 am morning also send people out of their homes. The seismology center has not provided the detail information yet.

A single bolt of lightning has claimed lives of six children and a woman in Zimbabwe. The seven were sheltering in two thatched huts when the lightning struck in Mugwinyi village in Bikita districton Monday. The seven victims, most of them minors, were at their thatched homestead when a bolt of lightning "suddenly struck", killing them instantly, AllAfrica has written quoting the National police spokesperson, Charity Charamba.

At least eight people have been killed by the storm caused by a strong southwesterly wind known in Turkey as lodos. The storm hit the Marmara, Aegean, Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea regions of the country. Huge storm also caused flooding in province of Edirne close to the border with Greece. "Military vehicles and helicopters were dispatched to rescue the inhabitants, with Edirne governor Dursun Ali Sahin describing the flooding as the disaster of the century," Reuters reported.

Landslide in Zambo Norte, Philippines has claimed lives of two persons, including a nine years old child. The landslide occurred in Roxas town in Zamboanga del Norte Monday morning. The victims were killed after they were “covered with soil and buried” when a landslide occurred in their community, Manila Bulletin has written quoting Police Regional Office Spokesman Dahlan Samuddin.

The latest update of the Yellowstone volcano by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has shown total 178 registered earthquakes in the Yellowstone National Park region in January 2015. The largest event in Yellowstone National Park  was a small earthquake of magnitude 1.9 on January 20, at 9:03 PM MST, located 6 miles north of West Yellowstone, Montana.

An avalanche in the Swiss Alps has claimed lives of four people and injured three others. The victims were part of a group of nine skiers that was swept away by the avalanche on the eastern slope of Piz Vilan in the eastern Swiss district of Landquart, The Local has written quoting the cantonal police.

M 2.8 weak earthquake shakes Zagreb, the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported. According to the EMSC, the quake's epicenter was located 4 km W of Kašina and 11 km N of Zagreb, Croatia. It was 3.1 miles deep.

Update 18:15 UTC -According to Nepal based ekantipur.com, Pabitra Garbuja got slightly injured after she slipped while running out of her house in Nadipur. -One person in Lakeside, Pokhara reported: "We rushed out of the home as the tremor was felt. It was biggest ever!" At least two tremors were felt in an interval of three seconds.