Online NewsHour: Weather & Natural Disasters Archive

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WEATHER & NATURAL DISASTERS

	June 23, 2008 Midwest's Levees, Land Use Questioned Amid Floods


	June 20, 2008 Iowa Floods Wreak Havoc on Farming Communities


	June 19, 2008 Three Years On, New Orleans Still Struggles With Hurricane Debris


	2008 JUNE June 27, 2008 Flooded Farmlands May Take Decades To Recover As water rushed through Iowa, it didn't just destroy private property; acres of fertile farmland were ruined for years to come. Jerry DeWitt, director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, talks about the agricultural damage.

	June 23, 2008 Midwest's Levees, Land Use Questioned Amid Floods More than two dozen levees along the Mississippi and its tributaries have broken under heavy flooding, leaving many communities questioning the region's levee system and land usage. Elizabeth Brackett reports from Illinois on the struggle to keep levees standing.

	June 20, 2008 Iowa Floods Wreak Havoc on Farming Communities After heavy rains triggered massive flooding in Iowa, some farms were completely submerged, causing heavy crop and livestock losses. Elizabeth Brackett reports on how one Iowa farmer is coping with the damage.

	June 19, 2008 Three Years On, New Orleans Still Struggles With Hurricane Debris Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the city is still coping with the toxic debris the storm left behind. Betty Ann Bowser reports from New Orleans on the ongoing controversy over the city's landfills.

	June 17, 2008 Ongoing Midwest Flooding Threatens Mississippi River Levees As the Mississippi River continues to rise through Iowa, Illinois and Missouri, federal officials fear many of the existing levees will fail, stressing the region's flood prevention system. A civil engineer discusses the science of levees.

	June 16, 2008 Iowa Reels From Bout of Severe Flooding Flood fears eased in Iowa City Monday, as a string of towns along the Mississippi River prepared for new problems after recent torrential rains spurred heavy flooding. A reporter from Iowa Public Radio provides an update.

	June 16, 2008 Iowa Residents Wait to Return Home As Flood Waters Move On Flood fears eased in Iowa City Monday, as a string of towns in the state's south and east along the Mississippi River prepared for new problems caused by a recent bout of torrential rains and bad weather.

	June 13, 2008 Midwest Suffers Heavy Flooding Along Mississippi River The U.S. Midwest is currently suffering through heavy floods, especially in Iowa, after a bout of torrential rains. Kwame Holman reports on the scope of the disaster and efforts to curb the dangerous floods.

	June 13, 2008 Flooding in Iowa Reaches Record Levels Record rainfall and rising water inundated the town of Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday, forcing large-scale evacuations, including a hospital with more than 170 ill patients.

	June 12, 2008 Floods and Tornadoes Ravage Midwest Record rainfall and historic numbers of tornadoes have wreaked havoc on many parts of the Midwest, particularly in Iowa where a Boy Scout camp was decimated and flooding has caused thousands to evacuate. Kwame Holman reports on the widespread damage.

	June 11, 2008 Parents Blame Poor Government Oversight for Childrens' Deaths in China Quake The government of China fears a popular movement of parents of children killed by collapsing schools in the recent earthquake in Sichuan Province. Lindsey Hilsum of ITN's Channel 4 News reports on the outcry over perceived government corruption that led to shoddy construction and the parent's plea for accountability.

	June 10, 2008 China Contains Overflowing Quake-Formed Lake China declared success Tuesday in preventing a lake -- formed by landslides from the massive May 12 earthquake -- from overflowing its banks and flooding downstream communities.

	June 6, 2008 Myanmar Cyclone Victims Face Continued Hardships A month has passed since Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar and, in the interim, international aid groups negotiated with the country's reclusive military regime for better access to the stricken country. ITN's Channel 4 News correspondent Inigo Gilmore provides an update.

	June 6, 2008 U.S. on Track to Break Tornado Records This Year The first half of 2008 has already marked the deadliest tornado season this decade. As many as 1,000 tornadoes have already touched down in the U.S. since January, more than the country sometimes sees in a full year.

	June 6, 2008 Climate Change Bill Blocked, Left to New Congress Republican senators blocked a proposed global warming bill Friday that would have led to major reductions in greenhouse gases, calling it a huge tax increase.

	June 4, 2008 U.S. Navy Ships to Leave Myanmar Without Delivering Aid Four U.S. Navy ships will leave the Myanmar coast Thursday, after failing to receive permission from the Burmese government to unload aid supplies for survivors of Cyclone Nargis, including much-needed helicopters to transport food and other aid.



	MAY May 30, 2008 Myanmar Cyclone Refugees Forced Out of Camps Myanmar's military government started evicting families from cyclone refugee camps on Friday, sending them to rebuild lives with bamboo poles and tarps.

	May 29, 2008 In China, an Evolving Effort to Establish a Place on World Stage The devastating quake in China and the government's response and transparency seem to have altered views both inside and outside the country. Margaret Warner speaks with Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei about the changes within China.

	May 28, 2008 Myanmar's Government Slowly Opens to Foreign Aid Weeks after Cyclone Nargis devastated portions of Myanmar, its reclusive government has slowly allowed small numbers of foreign aid workers to enter the country. U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes updates the humanitarian situation.

	May 27, 2008 After Quake, China Faces Daunting Reconstruction Challenges Following the cessation of rescue and recovery efforts, quake-struck Sichuan province begins the arduous task of rebuilding. Margaret Warner reports from China on the quake's aftermath and Beijing's preparations for the Olympics.

	May 27, 2008 Chinese Officials Evacuate 80,000 in Path of Dam Chinese officials pushed Tuesday to evacuate another 80,000 people in the potential flood zone of a dangerous dam created by landslides and debris from the May 12 earthquake and aftershocks.

	May 26, 2008 Earthquake Recovery Tempers China's Olympics Elation In preparing for the Olympic Games, the Chinese government has faced unexpected challenges, including a devastating earthquake and protests over its rule of Tibet. Margaret Warner reports from China about the quake's impacts on the Beijing Olympic plans.

	May 26, 2008 China Aftershock Kills 8, Destroys 70,000 Homes A powerful aftershock killed eight people and destroyed 70,000 homes in China's Sichuan province Sunday, amid continued disaster relief efforts from the initial deadly May 12 quake.

	May 23, 2008 Myanmar OKs Greater Access for Aid Workers but Obstacles Remain U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said Friday that Myanmar's ruling junta had agreed to allow "all aid workers" into the cyclone-ravaged country -- although questions remain as to the timing and logistics of such access. Two aid officials discuss the state of relief efforts.

	May 22, 2008 Death Toll from China Quake Could Reach 80,000 More than 80,000 people are estimated dead or missing 10 days after the 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan province in central China, the government said Thursday, as fears rose that disease, rainy weather and aftershocks could stir more problems.

	May 22, 2008 U.N. Head Visits Myanmar to Coax Aid Effort U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived Thursday in cyclone-damaged Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, to meet with Senior Gen. Than Shwe in hopes of convincing the stringent military junta to loosen restrictions on international aid.

	May 20, 2008 Scenes of Rubble, Grief, Worry in China Quake Zone A week after the devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Southwest China, the death toll climbed near 40,000, with estimates that some 50,000 others could be dead. Rescuers are still sifting through collapsed schools and offices in hopes of finding more survivors, but their rescue missions are becoming recovery operations.

	May 20, 2008 China Raises Death Toll, Struggles to Aid Homeless China raised the confirmed death toll from last week's earthquake in the Sichuan province to more than 40,000 Tuesday, with another 30,000 people still missing, as officials grappled to find shelter for some of the 5 million people displaced.

	May 19, 2008 Myanmar Allows U.N. Officials to Tour Hard-hit Areas U.N. officials began to tour the cyclone-devastated Irrawaddy delta in Myanmar on Monday, though some U.N. staffers still reported problems gaining access to the tightly controlled country. A senior U.S. diplomat in Rangoon, also known as Yangon, provides an update.

	May 19, 2008 As China Mourns, Government Navigates Quake's Aftermath China paused for three minutes of silence Monday to remember victims of last week's earthquake and to begin three days of mourning. Margaret Warner reports from Beijing and Shanghai on how both the government and Chinese citizens are handling the crisis.

	May 19, 2008 China Mourns Quake Victims as Rescues Ebb China begins three days of mourning Monday as millions of Chinese pause from their daily lives to remember victims of the May 12 earthquake as well as offer aid to those who must now rebuild their lives.

	May 19, 2008 Workers Killed as China Mourns Quake Victims More than 200 workers repairing quake-shattered roads in China's Sichuan province were buried over the past three days by mudslides, state media reported Monday as millions of Chinese people paused to mark the first week since the deadly quake.

	May 16, 2008 Aid Efforts Continue as China's Quake Toll Rises The Chinese government revised the estimated death toll from the massive May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province to 50,000, as cleanup and rescue efforts continued.

	May 16, 2008 U.N. Chief Details Diplomatic Efforts on Myanmar Crisis Two major natural disasters have hit Myanmar and China in as many weeks. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon discusses the two crises, and diplomatic efforts to get the Myanmar government to quicken its pace of allowing in foreign assistance.

	May 16, 2008 Examining Myanmar's Military Regime The military government in Myanmar, the country also known as Burma, has been under close scrutiny in recent days as it has resisted allowing international aid workers in the country to assist after a deadly cyclone. Two experts answered your questions on Myanmar's military government.

	May 16, 2008 More Rain Threatens Cyclone Victims' Well-Being Survivors of the cyclone that ravaged Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta have received little emergency aid from the country's ruling military junta, though government officials insist their relief operations are running smoothly.

	May 15, 2008 Rescue, Recovery Continue in China Quake Zone Rescue efforts continue around the clock in China, and as the full scope of the disaster is becoming clear, the government in Beijing warns that the death toll could pass 50,000.

	May 15, 2008 Death Toll in China Quake Could Soar to 50,000 China said the death toll of the 7.9 magnitude quake that ravaged the country's central Sichuan Province on Monday could reach 50,000 as the government made a rare appeal to its citizens to help the rescue operation.

	May 14, 2008 For Indiana Community, Myanmar's Cyclone Crisis Hits Home Fort Wayne, Ind., is home to one of the largest Myanmar immigrant communities in the United States. Elizabeth Brackett reports on the community's unique perspective on the handling of the humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of the cyclone that devastated the country.

	May 14, 2008 Quake Is Formidable Challenge to China's Government Rescue and relief efforts continue in China as the death toll from Monday's 7.9-magnitude earthquake neared 15,000 and is expected to rise, with tens of thousands still buried in rubble. An analyst examines how the country and its government have handled the disaster.

	May 14, 2008 Helicopters Drop Food to Isolated Earthquake Survivors in China As the official death toll in China's massive earthquake neared 15,000 Wednesday, military helicopters dropped food and medicine to survivors who remained cut off in remote mountain villages.

	May 13, 2008 Aid Organizations Face Continuing Hurdles in Myanmar France, Britain and Germany called for humanitarian aid to continue to flow to cyclone-ravaged Myanmar despite sporadic government resistance. Andrew Kirkwood, country director for Save the Children in Myanmar, describes the challenges aid groups are facing.

	May 13, 2008 Chinese Ambassador on Quake Disaster, Olympic Protests In a NewsHour interview, Zhou Wenzhong, the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., discusses the earthquake that hit central China this week, recent protests over Tibet that have disrupted the Olympic torch relay and the state of international relief efforts following Myanmar's cyclone.

	May 13, 2008 NPR's Siegel Describes China Earthquake Experience NPR's Robert Siegel, who experienced Monday's earthquake in China firsthand while on assignment in China, provides an update on the situation there.

	May 13, 2008 Q & A With Dr. Asis Min of Doctors Without Borders Dr. Asis Min of Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres is working in the aid group's operations base in Bassein in the southwestern Irrawaddy delta region of Myanmar -- the area hit hardest by the cyclone.

	May 13, 2008 Rescue Workers Dig to Reach Tens of Thousands Buried in China Earthquake The most powerful earthquake to hit China in 30 years killed more than 12,000 people with the death toll likely to rise with thousands more reportedly buried under crumpled buildings.

	May 12, 2008 Myanmar's Rulers Hold Tight to Power Amid Cyclone Crisis In the aftermath of last week's destructive cyclone, the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar has thrown a spotlight on the military junta governing the country. A former U.S. ambassador to Myanmar and professor born in the country examine the country's government structure.

	May 12, 2008 Powerful Earthquake Destroys Buildings, Builds Mountains in China There's a saying among seismologists: "Earthquakes don't kill people. Buildings do." The powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake that rocked central China on Monday afternoon, killing upwards of 8,500 people, was a grim reminder of that common phrase.

	May 12, 2008 Aid Official Discusses Challenges of Working in Myanmar The military regime governing Myanmar has been slow to relax its grip on things even in the wake of the current humanitarian crisis there, which has drawn criticism from many quarters. An official with a nonprofit working in Myanmar describes the challenges they face there.

	May 12, 2008 Earthquake Rocks Western China, Killing Thousands A earthquake devastated southwestern China on Monday, killing as many as 10,000 people and trapping hundreds of others under flattened buildings, state media reported. After an update on the impact of the quake, Time Magazine's Beijing correspondent, Austin Ramzy, discusses details and rescue efforts.