The Week: Most Recent natural-disasters

The Midwest's deadly tornadoes: 5 miraculous stories

The Week — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:13:00 -0500

A flurry of tornadoes in the South and Midwest killed 40 people last week, leaving a path of destruction across five states. But it wasn't all bad. Here, five inspiring stories of survival and miraculous luck:

1. The kids who survived being blown from their home
Latonya Stevens blacked out when a tornado ripped apart her North Carolina home. When she came to, only one of her four kids was at her side, and Stevens, fearing the worst, ran outside shouting, "Where's my babies!" The missing children — ages 3, 4, and 7 — had been in their rooms upstairs, and were swept away along with...

The 'terrifying' earthquake footage from inside the Washington Monument

The Week — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:40:00 -0400

The video: The National Park Service announced this week that the Washington Monument will be closed indefinitely, as the magnitude 5.8 earthquake that rocked much of the Northeast last month did more damage to the iconic obelisk than was originally disclosed. The organization also released two videos taken from security cameras located in the monument's observation deck, revealing debris falling from the violently shaking structure as terrified visitors quickly scrambled for safety. (Watch the videos below.) According to the AP, there's a crack — 4 feet long, 1 inch wide ...

Should scientists be held responsible for earthquake deaths?

The Week — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:04:00 -0400

On Tuesday, six Italian scientists and one former government official went on trial for manslaughter for failing to adequately warn the citizens of L'Aquila before a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck on April 6, 2009. Though a series of smaller quakes preceded the fatal temblor, which razed much of the medieval city and killed 309 people, the seven defendants decided at a meeting held a week before it hit that the region was safe. The civil defense official told the public that there was "no danger." Do the scientists really have blood on their hands?

No. This is a "travesty of justice": Charging...

6 controversial reactions to Hurricane Irene

The Week — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:11:00 -0400

When faced with a massive natural disaster that killed at least 38 people, caused many billions of dollars in damage, and left countless people homeless or without power, it isn't always easy to know the right thing to say. Here, a look at six people (or companies) who may have grabbed the Hurricane Irene spotlight for all the wrong reasons:

1. Michele Bachmann
What she said: "I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?'"

Reaction: "We are willing to...

Why the Weather Channel is so addictive

The Week — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:40:00 -0400

As hurricane mania kicked into high gear over the weekend, NPR's Linda Holmes spent some 14 hours with her eyes glued to The Weather Channel (and if TWC's stellar ratings are any indication, she wasn't alone). What is it about 24-hour storm coverage that viewers find so fascinating? For starters, says Holmes, the steady stream of factoids from TWC's experts soothes storm anxiety by giving viewers an encyclopedic knowledge of storm surges and cold fronts. We're amused by watching TWC's weather nerds' excitement grow as the storm builds, and we harbor at least some sympathy for drenched reporters...

Better safe than sorry

The Week — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:05:00 -0400

Did the media and the government oversell the dangers of Hurricane Irene?

Almost as soon as the winds in New York City began to slow, the media began turning a critical eye on the hyperbole surrounding the storm. Before it made landfall, federal and state governments warned of disaster from North Carolina to the top of the Atlantic seaboard. When, thankfully, the storm turned out to be weaker than predicted — much weaker than some predictions — the natural response was to criticize those who set off the alarms in the first place.

For instance, media critic Howard Kurtz of ...

Hurricane Irene in pictures

The Week — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:10:00 -0400

Hurricane Irene made landfall on the coast of North Carolina Saturday, churning its way up the East Coast and delivering its share of devastation even though it failed to strike with the force many media outlets were predicting and was downgraded to a tropical storm before hitting New York City Sunday morning: Damages from the storm are expected to climb to more than $13 billion nationally. Here's a look at Irene's path, and what the storm left in its wake:

Hurricane Irene: By the numbers

The Week — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:12:00 -0400

After slapping the East Coast from North Carolina to Vermont for two wet, windy days, Hurricane Irene slipped into Canada Sunday evening as a weakened tropical storm. The damage was less severe than the worst predictions — but still considerable — and communities along the Eastern Seaboard are still bracing for flooding as rivers continue to rise. Here, a by-the-numbers look at some of the punishment Irene exacted on everything from electrical grids to box-office receipts:

14
Number of U.S. states and territories abused by Hurricane Irene, including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico...

Hurricane hype: Was Irene 'overblown'?

The Week — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 09:14:00 -0400

Hurricane Irene — which was downgraded Sunday to Tropical Storm Irene — dumped water all along the East Coast this weekend, flooding towns, washing out roads, and blowing down trees from North Carolina's Outer Banks to Vermont's border with Canada. It was bad — at least 22 people died — but it was hardly the end-times scenario warned of on cable TV and by local and national politicians. In fact, "there seems to be a growing consensus that the storm was overblown by the media," says Charlie Spiering in The Washington Examiner. Government officials don't agree: "People say...

Hurricane Irene: How bad will it be?

The Week — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:44:00 -0400

Hurricane hysteria is in full force. As news outlets across the country have been extensively reporting for days, Hurricane Irene is barreling toward the East Coast, and is expected to cause extensive damage from North Carolina all the way up through Massachusetts and New England. Irene will reach the North Carolina coast on Saturday before taking "dead aim at New York City" on Sunday, says the Daily News. Currently, Irene ranks in the "top 50 most intense hurricanes ever observed in the Atlantic basin," according to The Wall Street Journal. Just how bad might the storm...

Eric Cantor's 'callous' disaster-aid refusal

The Week — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:55:00 -0400

As the East Coast braces for Hurricane Irene and Virginia shakes off a mild earthquake, one of the country's most powerful Republicans, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, is vowing to prevent disaster relief money from reaching the states unless Democrats agree to budget cuts. Is this insensitive grandstanding, or is he just making sure the government doesn't spend money it doesn't have?

Cantor is putting politics ahead of victims: "Just as Republicans held the country hostage over the debt ceiling," says Michael Stickings at The Moderate Voice, "Cantor is now trying to do the same over disaster...

The latest tweets on Tropical Storm Irene

The Week — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:15:00 -0400

The East Coast's 'historic' earthquake: 6 interesting facts

The Week — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:34:00 -0400

On Tuesday, a rare 5.8-magnitude earthquake spooked the East Coast; while its epicenter was in rural Virginia, it was felt as widely as Georgia, New York, Ohio, and even Canada. (Earlier in the day, Colorado also experienced its biggest temblor in more than 40 years, a smaller 5.3-magnitude quake near the New Mexico border.) Although much less powerful than the temblors that frequently shake the West Coast, the Virginia quake "was an historic earthquake for the East Coast," says Columbia University seismologist Lynn Sykes. Here, six compelling facts about the East Coast's biggest earthquake in...

The costliest year of natural disasters ever: By the numbers

The Week — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:58:00 -0400

The damage caused by natural disasters from January through June has made 2011 the most costly year ever recorded for such catastrophes — and the year's only half over. How do the costs break down? Here, the record losses, by the numbers:

$265 billion
Total cost of damages caused by natural disasters in the first six months of 2011, according to German insurer Munich Re

$220 billion
Total cost of damages caused by natural disasters in all of 2005, which is the year that held the previous cost record, says Tim Wall at Discovery News

$130 billion
Total cost of damages in 2010...

Could New Mexico's wildfire cause a nuclear catastrophe?

The Week — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:19:00 -0400

A fire blazing across New Mexico is lapping at the edges of a large nuclear lab, raising fears about the safety of the nuclear waste stored within. The fire, which broke out on Sunday, has scorched more than 100 square miles of the Santa Fe National Forest, and is creeping ever closer to the edge of the nuclear plant's property. Is this as dangerous as it sounds? Here, a brief guide:

Why is this lab so important?
The Los Alamos National Laboratory has been the site of nuclear tests and research since World War II. It is the birthplace of the atomic bomb, and created the bombs that were used in the...

Arizona's 'monster' wildfire: How long will it burn?

The Week — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:15:00 -0400

What started as an innocent campfire has set a huge portion of eastern Arizona ablaze, and caused the evacuation of roughly 10,000 residents so far. While firefighters work to extinguish what could become the worst fire ever recorded in Arizona, they concede that the situation is largely "in nature's hands." Here, a guide to the "monster" inferno raging in the Grand Canyon State:

Just how bad is the fire?
Since May 29, the Wallow Fire has charred 600 square miles of land and destroyed roughly 30 homes. As the blaze creeps toward the New Mexico border, more than 5,000 structures remain threatened...