Recent Natural Disasters | Calamities | Hazards

November 15, 2018: At least 72 people have been killed in wildfires across California including 66 civilians and 6 firefighters. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the National Interagency Fire Center, this is one of the most destructive wildfire seasons on record in California, with a total of 7,579 fires burning an area of 1,667,855 acres, the largest amount of burned acreage recorded in a fire season.

May 28, 2018: A flash flood emergency has been issued for Ellicott City, Maryland, as water rushed down the city’s main street. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan  declared a state of emergency in a community west of Baltimore hit by flash floods.

May 18, 2018: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III, in partnership with the State of Delaware, hosted the Delaware Flood Insurance Partners Roundtable. FEMA, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), and the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) planned and coordinated the roundtable to bring together key stakeholders to discuss insurance.  The meeting included key local, state, federal, and private sector partners, including Delaware State Agency partners, floodplain managers, emergency managers, realtors, lenders, and insurance agents from across the state to engage in a critical discussion on increasing flood insurance coverage in Delaware and reducing flood risk. According to the FEMA, “The Delaware Flood Planning Tool developed by DNREC, allows users to see current and proposed floodplain map information, and to allow design professionals to download watershed flood models to determine the impacts of propose

May 21, 2018: West Virginia will receive $7.9 million to improve emergency preparedness . According to the news release, the state will receive more than $3.9 million under the State Homeland Security Program, more than $3.7 million under the Emergency Management Performance Grants program and $150,000 under the Nonprofit Security Grant State Program. About half of the funding is to help with protection against acts of terrorism and other catastrophic events, while the $3.7 million will help prepare for all hazards and the $150,000 will assist nonprofit organizations with preparedness.

May 18, 2018: Magnitude 3.5 earthquake rattled Northern Texas today at 07:45 pm, The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported. The epicenter was located 8 km NW of Venus and 9.4 km SSW of Mansfield, Texas. It occurred at a shallow depth of 5km. The tremor was well felt in Alvarado, Venus, Mansfield, Burleson, Midlothian, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Kennedale, Forth Worth and adjoining areas.

May 16, 2018: Violent storms in parts of the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic have claimed lives of at least five people. A woman, aged 58, died after a tree fell on her vehicle in the town of Newburgh, New York. An 11-year-old girl died in Newburgh, New York, when a large tree fell on the vehicle she was in, police said.  A 41-year-old woman was killed in New Fairfield, Connecticut, when a tree struck her car during the storm Tuesday. Similarly, in Danbury, Connecticut, a man was also killed when a tree fell on his vehicle. According to CNN, in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, a 31-year-old man was killed when a tree fell on his car, the county coroner's office said.