Disasters

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

First, the good news: A new analysis of global wildfire activity in 2025 shows that the year had the second-lowest area burned since 2002. 

But at the same time, the study also revealed that the world experienced some of the most destructive and deadly fire events in recent history, including the catastrophic Los Angeles fires of January 2025 that killed dozens and burned over 12,000 homes.

"Nearly 3 million Cubans experience water shortages every day because of a severe oil shortage that government officials blame on a U.S. energy blockade, authorities said late Wednesday during a roundtable discussion regarding the impact of the ongoing blockade."

"Search crews are expected to navigate treacherous circumstances as they continue efforts to recover nine people, who are presumed dead, a day after a deadly chemical tank rupture at a paper plant in Washington state."

"A warmer world will likely make bigger and more damaging hail, a new study said."

"Scientists have planted American trees in China, Korea and elsewhere to attract hungry insects. Their hope is to identify the most damaging bugs before they cross the ocean."

"Artificial intelligence is making it easier for bad actors to initiate cyberattacks on water infrastructure, yet the water sector remains inadequately prepared, a panel of experts told lawmakers Thursday." "House lawmakers are considering whether more funding or expanded EPA authority could address the problem."

"More than 300 suspected cases of heat-related illnesses have been reported in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh from ​the start of March to mid-May, the state's health department ‌said."

"The fire department said “hazardous materials and radiological monitoring teams” continue to track the health of the air in the Ventura County area."

"Exceptionally skinny gray whales—enfeebled by starvation and mangled by blunt-force trauma—are washing up this spring along the coast of Washington state in numbers that alarm marine-mammal scientists."

"A developing El Nino that is forecast to get quite strong will likely dampen the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, but it won’t make the potentially deadly storms disappear, federal and outside meteorologists predict."