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Natural disasters

Weather prevents dock inspection on Wash. coast
A dock that apparently was ripped away from Japanese waters by a tsunami and drifted for more than a year and a half has washed ashore on one of the ...
2012 another record-setter, fits climate forecasts
As 2012 began, winter in the U.S. went AWOL. Spring and summer arrived early with wildfires, blistering heat and drought. And fall hit the eastern ...
Storms improve outlook for Mississippi River
A release of water from the Missouri River and recent snow and rain are offering some relief for the Mississippi River. Though still dangerously low, ...
Amid Newtown tragedy, scam artists creep in
The family of Noah Pozner was mourning the 6-year-old, killed in the Newtown school massacre, when outrage compounded their sorrow. Someone they ...
GOP proposes smaller, $24B Sandy aid package
Senate Republicans on Wednesday proposed a $24 billion emergency aid package for Superstorm Sandy victims, less than half of what Democrats hope to ...
Final goodbye: Roll call of some who died in 2012
Neil Armstrong would always be taking that first step onto the moon, and Dick Clark was forever "the world's oldest teenager." Some of the notables ...
For minor crimes, NYers sentenced to Sandy relief
New Yorkers who got into minor trouble in Manhattan have been sentenced to Sandy. Last week, 70 people who were given community service after pleading ...
Ecuador volcano blasts more hot rock from crater
The Tungurahua volcano in central Ecuador keeps spewing gas, ash and red-hot rock, forcing hundreds to evacuate from their homes. The country's ...
Artisans are thriving again in post-quake Haiti
The sharp tang of varnish hangs in the air as a dozen women and a few men cut and scrape logs into bowls destined for U.S. department stores. In other ...
Ecuador volcano blasts lava high above crater
Volcano monitors say Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano shot lava a half mile (1 kilometer) above its crater overnight and blasted hot rock and gas nearly ...
Lack of food stunts Chad children, damages minds
One morning, a little girl called Achta sat in the front row of this village's only school and struggled mightily with the assignment her teacher had ...
Mental health toll emerges among Sandy survivors
The image of his brother trapped in a car with water rising to his neck, his eyes silently pleading for help, is part of a recurring nightmare that ...
Crop insurance juicy target in 'fiscal cliff' deal
Rural lawmakers worry that $9 billion in annual federal crop insurance subsidies are an easy target for spending cuts in a "fiscal cliff" deal so ...
Large earthquake strikes off Mexico coast
The U.S. Geological Survey says a large earthquake has struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico but there are no immediate reports of ...
NYC artists seek help to scrub away Sandy's stains
Superstorm Sandy was not kind to the arts community. It not only upended paintings, equipment, tools and paper, turning them into tangled and soggy ...
Senate turns to Sandy aid bill Monday
The Senate will be turning its attention to a $60.4 billion disaster aid package for Superstorm Sandy victims next week while President Obama and ...
US holiday sales slowly pick up after Sandy
U.S. consumers shook off Superstorm Sandy last month and stepped up holiday shopping, helped by a steady job market and lower gas prices. Retail sales ...
Golden Globe noms an encore for Bon Jovi, Buscemi
For a pair of Golden Globe nominees, Superstorm Sandy was still on their minds and probably ringing in their ears. Jon Bon Jovi and Steve Buscemi each ...
Like 9/11 concert, musicians turn out for Sandy
Call the "12-12-12" benefit show "The Concert for New York City" 2.0. Eleven years after the benefit concert in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist ...
Chilean town shaken by reminders of deadly quake
One jolt hit in the middle of the night. Another caught fishermen at a nearby beach. Then the ground shook at supper. And then again, and again: More ...
Music, comedy strike defiant tone at Sandy concert
Musicians were so intent upon helping victims of Superstorm Sandy that they didn't seem to want their benefit concert in New York to end. The final ...
Colorado River seen as depleting regional resource
The federal government isn't going to tap the Missouri River to slake the thirst of a drought-parched Southwest, the government's top water official ...
Senate Dems offer Sandy disaster aid package
Senate Democrats on Wednesday finished cobbling together a $60.4 billion disaster aid package for New York, New Jersey and other states hit by ...
Most Googled in 2012: Whitney, PSY, Sandy
The world's attention wavered between the tragic and the silly in 2012, and along the way, millions of people searched the Web to find out about a ...
After Sandy, NYC eyes moving power gear higher
A major push is on to move New York City's electrical infrastructure to higher ground or upper floors after Superstorm Sandy sent seawater pouring ...