5.3 million to participate in California earthquake "ShakeOut" drill
"At ten o'clock, the massive, make-believe 7.8-magnitude earthquake rolls along the San Andreas fault." -- Patricia Nazario
View ArticleThe 7.5-magnitude Indonesian quake and the evolution of tsunami warning systems
"They were talking about installing a siren system in Sumatra and Java where there are major risks for tsunami activity." --Stuart Weinstein on the tsunami warming system
View ArticleSerious flooding hits North Dakota
Volunteers in Fargo spent Wednesday sandbagging as quickly as they could as estimates of how high the Red River would crest were raised. Donald Schwert, Professor of Geology at North Dakota State...
View ArticleHunting asteroids before they hunt earth
On Oct. 5 at an observatory on Mount Lemmon in Arizona an astronomer noticed a comet headed this way. He sent the coordinates to the Minor Planet Center at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for...
View ArticleHail to the sandbaggers!
Fargo, North Dakota is being protected from rising floodwaters by an energetic band of volunteers who are filling and stacking sandbags to construct temporary dikes. Among those volunteers is Sarah...
View ArticleIs the Big One near?
Over the course of two days last week, 50 to 60 small earthquakes shook the Earth at the foot of the San Andreas Fault. Some fear the chances of a Big One hitting the Los Angeles area are greater now...
View ArticleA river rages through it: Fargo residents talk about disaster
The Red River in Fargo, North Dakota broke a 112-year-old record last Friday morning when it rose past 40.33 feet — the highest level ever measured. Across the river the situation isn't much better...
View ArticleDevastating earthquake hits Italy
As residents of the central Italian city L'Aquila slept, a deadly earthquake hit the surrounding region, killing at least 50 people. Entire blocks of buildings were destroyed, displacing around 10,000...
View ArticleEarthquake rocks Central Italy
Just after 3:30 this morning local time, central Italy was rocked by an earthquake measuring at least 5.8 on the Richter scale – though the U.S. Geological Survey measured it at 6.3. It's a significant...
View ArticleItalians comb through rubble after quake amid aftershocks
As residents of the central Italian city L'Aquila slept on Sunday, a deadly earthquake hit the surrounding region. Entire blocks of buildings were destroyed, rendering an estimated 17,000 people...
View ArticleFunerals begin for earthquake victims in central Italy
Early this morning in L'Aquila, Italy, the funerals began for some of the 289 people killed in Monday's earthquake. While normally in the Catholic tradition no funerals are allowed on Good Friday, the...
View ArticleA Katrina lawsuit gets underway
Today in New Orleans a trial gets underway that could ultimately determine what kind of damages thousands of victims of Hurricane Katrina can demand from the government. Five residents and one business...
View ArticleSmokey Bear Turns 65
Smokey Bear turned 65 on Sunday. He represents the longest running public service campaign in U.S. history, and it's still going strong. Joining The Takeaway is Helene Cleveland, fire prevention...
View ArticleWildfires Blaze Around Los Angeles
Wildfires blazing around the Los Angeles area have threatened nearly 12,000 homes in their path. The fires killed two firefighters yesterday, destroyed at least 18 homes, and are now threatening the...
View ArticleCalifornia Fires Take a Toll on Residents
Wildfires continue to blaze in Southern California. According to The Los Angeles Times, what's now being called "the Station fire" is now 22% contained after scorching over 127,000 acres. Parts of Los...
View ArticleSoutheast Struggles to Recover From Floods
Georgia and much of the Southeast is recuperating from the heavy rains and floods that destroyed homes and cars this week. Ten people have officially been reported dead because of the floods. Georgia...
View ArticleIn the Philippines, After the High Water
The floodwaters in the Philippines are starting to recede now that Typhoon Ketsana (locally known as Typhoon Ondoy) has passed through, but the situation in Manila and the surrounding areas is still...
View ArticleSamoa Islands Swamped by Typhoon
An 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the shore of Samoa and American Samoa early yesterday. The huge earthquake launched a tsunami that has devastated the Samoa islands and killed at least 75 people...
View ArticleSecond Earthquake Hits Indonesia
A second earthquake struck Indonesia last night. This follows yesterday's devastating quake that has killed over 500 people, many trapped under collapsed buildings. The death toll is expected to climb...
View ArticleEarthquakes and Relief Efforts
Aid groups are rushing into Indonesia on the heels of a second earthquake that shook the country yesterday. Indonesia's Health Ministry says nearly 3,000 people may still be trapped under rubble after...
View ArticleTimothy Egan and 'The Big Burn'
If you go to any national park or protected wilderness in the U.S. today, you will find the friendly, heroic figure of the forest ranger: a uniformed caretaker of natural splendor, and watcher for...
View ArticleHelping Kids to Cope (and Help) When World Tragedies Strike
Kids often feel scared and powerless when a disaster – like the Haiti earthquake – hits. But there are constructive ways to talk with them about traumatic world events, and to channel their anxieties...
View ArticleAid Comes to Galveston, 16 Months After Hurricane
In the last three weeks, millions of dollars have poured into Haiti. But at home, it's taken nearly 16 months for Galveston, Tex. to receive federal aid since Hurricane Ike swept through the city. The...
View ArticleTakeouts: Preparing for Floods in North Dakota, Greenspan's Sober Report on...
ENVIRONMENT TAKEOUT: It's flood season in North Dakota. Prairie Public Broadcasting reporter Todd McDonald gives us the latest on the flood preparations in Fargo and tells us why some people are still...
View ArticleRisk: From Wall Street to European Skies
From airlines champing at the bit to get back in the air over western Europe despite Iceland's volcanic ash, to some dirty dealings at Goldman Sachs, questions of risk and risk-taking are dominating...
View ArticleFloods Hit Nashville Music Scene
The devastating floods that hit the South earlier this month are responsible for dozens of deaths and billions of dollars in financial damage. But musicians in Nashville are experiencing a unique loss....
View ArticleRescue Efforts Underway to Find Survivors in Arkansas Flooding
Rescuers are still searching for victims missing after flash floods swept through a campground in southwest Arkansas on Friday, claiming the lives of at least 19 people, including six children.Heavy...
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How a Heat Wave Helped Make a President
When you think of the biggest natural disasters in U.S. history, what are the first things that come to mind? Certainly Hurricane Katrina, maybe one of the several San Francisco earthquakes, the great...
View ArticlePakistan Aid Gap May Offer US an Opportunity to Restore Relations
Pakistan’s floods are producing some mind-boggling numbers: 3.5 million children are at risk of disease, and roughly one-fifth of the country is under water. 20 million people have been displaced from...
View ArticleA Journey Down Pakistan's Indus River
In Pakistan, the Indus River is vital to the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis, and, as we saw last month, has the power to destroy just as many. As the flood waters receded, the BBC's...
View ArticleDead Blackbirds Fall from Sky in Arkansas by the Thousands
Thousands of blackbirds fell from the sky over the Arkansas town of Beebe just before midnight on New Year's Eve, leaving people in the area scratching their heads and speculating about the possible...
View ArticleThousands of Australians Evacuated During Worst Floods in Decades
The Australian state of Queensland — a state with the area the size of France and Germany combined — has been hit by flooding, inundating 20 towns and affecting more than 200,000 people. It’s one of...
View ArticleHeavy Rains, Flooding Hit Brazil
More than five hundred people have been killed by flooding and mudslides in southeastern Brazil. Authorities have sent nearly a thousand rescue workers to the region. The floods have affected poorer...
View ArticleBrazil Responds to Massive Flooding
Floods in mountain towns north of Rio de Janeiro have killed at least 600 people, and weather forecasters say more rain is on the way. The death toll has risen steadily as rescuers reach remote areas...
View ArticleDeadly Tornados Tear Through South States
This morning, survivors of the six southern states hit by Wednesday’s rash of deadly tornadoes continue the hard work of surveying and cleaning the damage. We speak with Julie Steel, News reporter for...
View ArticleNatural Disasters Cost US $32 Billion in 2011 So Far
Though we're only halfway through 2011, natural disasters have already cost the U.S. $32 billion, and that number will continue to climb. Over the weekend, the Suris River crested in Minot, North...
View ArticleVolcanic Ash Grounds More Flights
Volcanic ash still gushing from an Icelandic volcano that first erupted three weeks ago is threatening to halt flights over Europe once again.The Associated Press reports that aviation officials in...
View ArticleSpeeding Away
As we’ve discovered from our mail from our national radio audience, a lot of people listen to SELECTED SHORTS in their cars. In this program, the characters are in their cars—running from a bad love...
View ArticleOpen Phones: Do Emergencies Make You a New Yorker?
New York Times Metro reporter James Barron takes your calls on how living in New York City through an emergency - whether it’s a blackout or a hurricane - makes you a New Yorker.
View ArticleThis Japanese woman never gave up on her hometown. Even after the tsunami
Tomoko Kobayashi is one of the few residents who keeps coming back to the town of Odaka in Japan every day. Residents there were ordered to evacuate after the tsunami hit Japan in 2011. Tomoko hopes to...
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