Natural disasters

volcano

El Fuego volcano erupts in Guatemala

​​​​​​​The El Fuego volcano in Guatemala spewed lava and ash over part of the country last week. Thousands evacuated the area, and many more were exposed to dangerous ash. 

El Fuego volcano erupts in Guatemala
building that was destroyed

Life returns to Antakya, a city nearly leveled by earthquakes in southern Turkey

Life returns to Antakya, a city nearly leveled by earthquakes in southern Turkey
A lab worker removes crane hoist from a load of rebar used to construct full-scale buildings and bridge spans that are then pushed to the limit in field tests.

This ‘earthquake lab’ is designing buildings to withstand natural disasters

This ‘earthquake lab’ is designing buildings to withstand natural disasters
People who lost their houses in the devastating earthquake, lineup to receive aid supplies at a makeshift camp, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023.

'Assad can't clean up his act with a natural disaster,' US Amb. to UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield says

'Assad can't clean up his act with a natural disaster,' US Amb. to UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield says
eathquake damage

Getting earthquake aid in Syria depends on where survivors live

Getting earthquake aid in Syria depends on where survivors live
Zehra Kurukafa walks past a destroyed house in the village of Polat, Turkey, Feb. 12, 2023.

Turkey earthquake survivors face despair, as rescues wane

While stories of near-miraculous rescues have flooded the airwaves in recent days, tens of thousands of dead have also been found during the same period.

Turkey earthquake survivors face despair, as rescues wane
buildings collapsed in rubble

The geology behind the deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

This corner of the globe sits at the intersection of three tectonic plates, including the Arabian Plate that’s moving northward into Europe. Pressure along the fault has been building, and when it finally released, it appears that an area nearly 120 miles long and 15 miles wide got displaced, unleashing the earthquake. 

The geology behind the deadly earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
Firefighters and rescue teams search for people in a destroyed building, in Adana, southern Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023.

How to support relief efforts in Turkey and Syria after deadly quakes

The earthquakes that hit southern Turkey and war-ravaged northern Syria on Monday have killed over 12,000 people, with the death toll expected to rise as rescue crews race against time to save people trapped beneath rubble.

How to support relief efforts in Turkey and Syria after deadly quakes
people search through rubble

‘There were screams everywhere’: Residents of northwest Syria grapple with quake aftermath

​​​​​​​Entire neighborhoods have been leveled in northwestern Syria, where an earthquake struck in the early hours of Monday morning. This region of Syria is home to millions of people displaced by years of civil war. Even before the quake, they had been living in already dire conditions.

‘There were screams everywhere’: Residents of northwest Syria grapple with quake aftermath
Men remove debris as they search for people in a destroyed building in Adana, Turkey, Feb. 6, 2023.

After deadly quake in Turkey, rescue teams struggle to help amid frigid temps

The death toll has surpassed 5,000, with thousands of others injured after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck large parts of southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday. Rescue teams are trying to find people buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

After deadly quake in Turkey, rescue teams struggle to help amid frigid temps
People and rescue teams try to reach trapped residents inside collapsed buildings in Adana, Turkey, Feb. 6, 2023.

Powerful quake rocks Turkey and Syria, kills more than 2,300

Rescue workers and residents in multiple cities are searching for survivors, after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked wide swaths of Turkey and Syria early on Monday.

Powerful quake rocks Turkey and Syria, kills more than 2,300
man and woman side by side

Residents of informal settlements among the most at risk from climate change 

In Karachi, Pakistan, a tragedy this past summer highlighted those risks. 

Residents of informal settlements among the most at risk from climate change 
The view of where Abdul Ghazi’s house used to be, as seen from the roof of the school where he and his family fled to escape the flooding that struck Pakistan.

A Pakistani family sees firsthand the effects of climate change, as negotiators at COP27 battle over how to pay for them

A family in one of the hardest-hit regions of Pakistan's Sindh province were forced to live on the roof of a school for two months while they waited for floodwaters that destroyed their home to recede. They are directly seeing the damaging climate change effects being discussed by world leaders at the COP27 summit.

A Pakistani family sees firsthand the effects of climate change, as negotiators at COP27 battle over how to pay for them
Children play in a flooded area of Leticia, Colombia, Feb. 14, 2017, located by the Amazon River, on the border with Brazil and Peru.

Brazil’s neighbors wary of environmental impact of a Bolsonaro victory

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has promised to continue facilitating mining and agro industry in Brazil’s portion of the Amazon if he wins another four-year term. But destruction of the Amazon affects the air quality and jeopardizes the water supply in neighboring countries.

Brazil’s neighbors wary of environmental impact of a Bolsonaro victory
Old growth Douglas fir trees stand along the Salmon river Trail on the Mt. Hood National Forest

1 in 6 trees in the US threatened with extinction

A recent study concludes that 1 in 6 US tree species are at risk of extinction, largely due to pests and disease.

1 in 6 trees in the US threatened with extinction