Texas declares major disaster after trillion-gallon flood
A major disaster was declared in Texas after nearly a trillion gallons of rain caused catastrophic flooding, triggering emergency declarations and rescue operations across affected areas.
Natural disaster news covering earthquakes, wildfires, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, disaster response, and recovery efforts.
A major disaster was declared in Texas after nearly a trillion gallons of rain caused catastrophic flooding, triggering emergency declarations and rescue operations across affected areas.
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of Chiapas, Mexico, near the Guatemala border, triggering a tsunami alert for dangerous waves within a 300 km radius. The shallow quake was felt from southern Mexico to El Salvador, prompting evacuations. Two people were injured, and at least 10 aftershocks between magnitude 4.9 and 6 were recorded by the USGS.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford will visit Thunder Bay to meet with wildfire evacuees amid criticism of the province's emergency response. Nearly 200 wildfires are burning across Ontario, scorching more land than last year. Minister of Emergency Preparedness Jill Dunlop has requested federal assistance, including military support, to speed up evacuations.
Climate change is causing increasingly common heavy rain in the US, leading to deadly flash floods that will become more frequent and intense. Over the past month, states including Alaska, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania experienced record rainfall and flooding. Experts warn that government infrastructure investments are insufficient for the new wetter normal.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford defended the province's wildfire response as smoke from 129 active wildfires blanketed central Canada and the eastern U.S., triggering air-quality warnings. Ten communities have been evacuated. Ford announced C$650 million for 11 new aircraft and pushed back against Michigan Republicans' criticism.
Rescue crews searching rubble in Chongqing, China, detected signs of life on Saturday, indicating at least one survivor remains trapped. Ten people were rescued and sent to the hospital. The landslide killed at least 8 and left 34 missing, with over 1,100 evacuated.
Floods in Raigad district, Maharashtra, have destroyed about one million Ganesh idols and damaged 3,000 workshops ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi. Sculptor Dilip Mhatre lost 500 idols worth $8,300. The industry employs 150,000 seasonally and generates 3.5bn rupees annually.
A massive fire in Drammen, southern Norway, destroyed about 100 homes and prompted evacuations of over 400 people. The blaze, described as the largest in Norway in over a century, was mostly brought under control by Saturday. No deaths were reported; one firefighter was slightly injured and several people were treated for smoke inhalation.
A 30-year-old man surnamed Xie swam for three hours clutching a tyre to reach his parents in a flooded village in Qinzhou, Guangxi. His mother had called saying his father went to secure harvested rice and hadn't returned. Floods in Guangxi have killed 39 and affected nearly 400,000 residents.
A disaster-tracking app is experiencing significant growth as natural disasters become more frequent and widespread globally. The app's expansion is driven by the increasing need for real-time alerts and information.