PBS NewsHour: Weather & Natural Disasters

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WEATHER & NATURAL DISASTERS


	2012 MAY May 23, 2012 'Dear World, From Joplin With Love' Marking the one year anniversary of the devastating tornado that hit Joplin, Mo., a new exhibit, "Dear World, From Joplin With Love," opened Saturday at the Spiva Center for the Arts. The collection of portraits by Robert X. Fogarty focuses on storm-affected residents, first responders, volunteers and city officials.

	May 22, 2012 A Year After Joplin's Tornado, Disaster's 'Immensity' Still a Challenge One year ago, a tornado packing 200 mph winds tore through the city of Joplin, Mo., killing 161 people and destroying 8,000 buildings -- including many homes. Gwen Ifill and businesswoman Jane Cage, who leads the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team, discuss life in Joplin now and down the road.

	May 4, 2012 Japan Flips the 'Off' Switch on Its Last Nuclear Reactor More than a year after an earthquake and tsunami battered Japan's northeastern coast and damaged its nuclear power stations, the country plans to shut down its last civilian reactor this weekend.



	APRIL April 11, 2012 Citizen Scientists Track Rain Drop by Drop The volunteer members of the Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network or CoCoRaHS track precipitation around the country. They are "measuring like crazy" to get the National Weather Service and others the most accurate and up-to-date information, down to the last drop.



	MARCH March 29, 2012 Colo. Nonprofit Helps Quake Victims Rebuild With Better Techniques When a major earthquake strikes, workers with the American non-profit Build Change arrive in the affected area about two months later, once the emergency relief phase is over, to investigate damaged and destroyed buildings.

	March 29, 2012 The Dos and Don'ts of Earthquake-Resistant Construction Here are some tips on building a home that could withstand an earthquake.

	March 20, 2012 Coping With Climate Change: Texas Water Woes The drought in Texas has put an unprecedented strain on the state's already tenuous water supply. In the face of continued climate uncertainty and a growing population, Texas communities face the stark reality of a future without enough water.

	March 14, 2012 Will Your City Be Underwater? There's a Map for That Will your city or county be flooded by 2020? By 2050? Now there's a map for that. As many as 3.7 million U.S. residents in 2,150 coastal areas could be battered by damaging floods caused by global warming-induced storm surges, according to a new report published Wednesday in the journal Environment Research Letters.

	March 14, 2012 Tell Us Your Climate Change Stories A call to submit us your climate observations. Whether it's changes in plants, wildlife, garden insects, weather patterns, or something else entirely, we want to know what you've observed and how these changes have affected your life, regardless of what might be causing them.

	March 12, 2012 After 500 Years in Family, Rice Farmers Forced Off Land by Fukushima One year after an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, the country is still trying to recover and decontaminate land and buildings from partial meltdowns of three Fukushima nuclear reactors. In his second report from the region, science correspondent Miles O'Brien explores the challenges and possibilities of radiation cleanup.

	March 12, 2012 In Japan, Nuclear Cleanup May Be Mission:Impossible In the second installment of a three-part series on Japan's recovery, Miles O'Brien reports on Japanese residents who are struggling to clean up contaminated farms, roads and school yards after the massive earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster struck Japan one year ago.

	March 9, 2012 Fukushima Survivor: I Want 'To Breathe Freely Again' Nuclear technician Carl Pillitteri was one of 38 Americans at the Fukushima nuclear power plant when an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan's eastern coast and triggered a radiation leak at the reactor. It's taken Pillitteri a full year to be able to talk publicly about what he saw at Fukushima.

	March 9, 2012 Fukushima Survivor: 'I've Hardly Smiled This Whole Year' Carl Pillitteri was one of 38 Americans at the Fukushima plant when the earthquake hit. Describing the "demonic" sounds he heard and the pit of fear he felt inside the turbine building that day, Pillteri recently spoke with Alex Chadwick, the host of the new American Public Media series "BURN: An Energy Journal."

	March 9, 2012 Near Fukushima, a Big 'Guessing Game' Over Radiation's Long-Term Risks Sunday marks a year since a massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, causing a partial meltdown of nuclear reactors at the Fukushima plants. In the first report in a series on Japan's recovery, Miles O'Brien documents the country's cleanup attempts as scientists decide whether residual radiation could be potentially harmful.

	March 9, 2012 After Tornado, Indiana Town Focuses on Recovery and Restoring Power On Thursday, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels requested federal aid for six southern Indiana counties hard hit by last week's tornadoes. Thirteen people died and hundreds of homes and businesses were severely damaged or destroyed in the area's worst tornado outbreak in 40 years.

	March 9, 2012 Tracking Japan's Tsunami Debris Although a year has passed since Japan's tsunami sucked tons of debris into the Pacific Ocean, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration continues to track the rubble and urges others to do so to help focus cleanup efforts.

	March 5, 2012 Snow, Cold Hinder Midwest's Recovery Efforts After Tornadoes The National Weather Service confirmed 51 tornadoes across 11 states from Friday into early Saturday, from the Great Lakes spreading south of the Gulf Coast and as far east as Georgia and the Carolinas. Hari Sreenivasan reports on cleanup efforts in Indiana that have been slowed by Monday's snow and low temperatures.

	March 2, 2012 Deadly Tornadoes Symptomatic of Strong 'Transition Season' Weather Two Indiana towns were heavily damaged Friday as another round of deadly tornadoes raked the Midwest. Jeffrey Brown discusses the violent weather with Maj. Chuck Adams of the Clark County Sheriff's Department in Southern Indiana and meteorologist Greg Carbin of the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center.



	FEBRUARY Feb. 29, 2012 News Wrap: At Least 9 Dead After Tornadoes Sweep Midwest In other news Wednesday, at least nine people were killed in the Midwest as an outbreak of tornadoes ripped across the region. More than 30 others were hurt, and a series of small towns suffered heavy damage. In Syria, government troops and tanks pushed into a rebel-held area in the battered city of Homs.

	Feb. 13, 2012 Animated Map Plots One Year of Quakes We recently stumbled on this animated map that plots all of 2011's earthquakes that registered above magnitude 6. Each circle represents an earthquake -- the bigger the circle, the greater the magnitude.



	JANUARY Jan. 31, 2012 News Wrap: Sub-Zero Cold Wave Crosses Central, Eastern Europe In other news Tuesday, the death toll neared 60 in a sub-zero cold wave across Central and Eastern Europe as temperatures dropped to -17 degrees Fahrenheit in some places. Also, the Food and Drug Administration approved a drug called Kalydeco for use by 1,200 patients with a rare form of cystic fibrosis.

	Jan. 16, 2012 Amid Robust Recovery Efforts, Haiti Still Has Vast Needs Two years after Haiti's devastating earthquake, politicians are still promising change and rebirth. For an assessment of the progress, delays and remaining challenges in Haiti's recovery, Jeffrey Brown talks with Nan Buzard of the American Red Cross and Dominique Toussaint of Mobilize for Haiti.

	Jan. 16, 2012 Two Years After Quake, Most Haitians Still Living in Disaster Zone Two years after a magnitude-7 earthquake shattered Port-au-Prince, 500,000 Haitians are still living in what were supposed to be temporary settlement camps. That's despite ambitious plans for millions of dollars in homes, schools and public works projects. Ray Suarez looks at the ongoing recovery efforts.

	Jan. 13, 2012 After Haiti's Earthquake, Where Does All the Rubble Go? PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti \| Artist Jean Herard Celeur found a way to reuse rubble from Haiti's 2010 earthquake: totem pole-like creations and one-of-a-kind wall art. For more practical purposes, Haitians are participating in a program to remove the tons of crumbled concrete and other debris left by the earthquake.

	Jan. 13, 2012 New Life Out of Haiti's Litter Haitian artist Jean Herard Celeur uses debris left by the 2010 earthquake to make works of art.

	Jan. 12, 2012 Remembering Haiti's 2010 Earthquake: 'I Was Close to Death' PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti \| Mario Heriveaux, 47, recalls the day the earthquake struck two years ago. He and his family were watching TV when the house started to shake and everyone dashed for the door.

	Jan. 12, 2012 On Second Anniversary of Earthquake, Cholera Continues to Cripple Haiti With more than 7,000 dead and half a million people sickened, a U.N. health agency is calling the cholera outbreak in Haiti "one of the largest epidemics of the disease in modern history to affect a single country."

	Jan. 11, 2012 Two Years Later, Haitian Amputees Still Have a Long Way to Go Two years ago, a devastating earthquake in Haiti killed more than 200,000 people and caused injuries that required amputations for another 4,000 people.

	Jan. 11, 2012 Survivor Tells Her Story of Rape in a Haitian Tent Camp PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti \| The lack of security and lighting in Haiti's tent camps, and the flimsy structures themselves, make them ripe for violence, including rape. One woman told us her story about what happened to her one night.

	Jan. 10, 2012 In Haiti's Tent Camps, 'We're Just Waiting' to Start Life Again PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti \| The door to Billy Forge's home displays a Biblical verse from Isaiah 22:22: "I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open."

	Jan. 9, 2012 Haiti Dispatch: 2 Years After Earthquake, Many Signs of Rebuilding PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti \| On Jan. 12, 2010, a magnitude-7 earthquake rocked Haiti, killing some 223,000 people and leaving 1.5 million homeless. On a visit last week to the capital, signs of rebuilding are everywhere.

	Jan. 9, 2012 Haiti Earthquake: Two Years Later Two years after the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake devastated much of Haiti, signs of recovery abound in Port-au-Prince -- from people busily removing debris to bustling marketplaces and blaring music.



	2011 DECEMBER Dec. 9, 2011 Weather's Dozen: 2011 Breaks U.S. Billion-Dollar Disaster Record An evacuation sign asks residents to leave Eagar, Ariz.

	Dec. 9, 2011 Weather's Dozen: 2011 Breaks U.S. Billion-Dollar Disaster Record Between fires, twisters, hurricanes, droughts and floods, 2011 has been Mother Nature's most continuously whopping year for the United States.

	Dec. 9, 2011 Weather's Dozen: 2011 Breaks U.S. Billion-Dollar Disaster Record Between fires, twisters, hurricanes, droughts and floods, 2011 has been Mother Nature's most continuously whopping year for the United States. Data released by NOAA now counts a record of 12 disasters passing the $1 billion mark in 2011 -- smashing the previous record of nine such calamities in 2008.

	Dec. 8, 2011 The Daily Frame Kosho Sudo, a Buddhist sculpture master craftsman from Kyoto, Japan, and students carve a statue of Buddha. The Buddha is made of pine from Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, which was hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. About 5,000 people have contributed to the carving of the nearly nine-foot-tall, six-foot-deep statue.

	Dec. 7, 2011 In Japan, Tsunami-Hit Town Still Abandoned, Barren The March earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan killed 2,000 people in the town of Minamisanriku, leaving it flattened and abandoned. Independent Television News' Alex Thomson reported from there soon after the disaster and returned last month.



	NOVEMBER Nov. 25, 2011 After Tsunami, Japanese Coastal Town Struggles to Recover Independent Television News' Alex Thomson reports from Kesennuma, Japan, on one fishing port's struggle to come back after the March earthquake and tsunami devastated the town and its fleet.

	Nov. 17, 2011 How Do You Protect Against a Tsunami? Researchers in Japan are working to find ways to limit the most-catastrophic damage from tsunamis. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports.



	OCTOBER Oct. 31, 2011 News Wrap: Early Snowstorm Blankets Northeast, Killing at Least 12 In other news Monday, a powerful and rare early snowstorm is now blamed for at least 12 deaths in the Northeastern United States. Some 2 million homes and businesses were still in the dark two days after the storm blew through. Also, police made a number of arrests at several Occupy Wall Street encampments around the country.

	Oct. 28, 2011 News Wrap: Bangkok Residents Pile Sandbags Ahead of High Tide In other news Friday, soldiers, Buddhist monks and others people in flood-ravaged Bangkok, Thailand, piled sandbags ahead of high tides, which are expected to peak on Saturday. Also, another young survivor was found alive in eastern Turkey, five days after a devastating earthquake.

	Oct. 27, 2011 Rising Floodwaters Force Thousands to Flee Bangkok The heart of Bangkok, Thailand, braced Thursday for the arrival of floodwaters, as the nation's prime minister acknowledged that dikes around the city might not hold. John Spars of Independent Television News reports from Bangkok.

	Oct. 25, 2011 Bangkok Residents Brace for More Floods Floodwaters broke through protective barriers around Bangkok's Don Muang Airport on Tuesday, forcing its closure. Margaret Warner discusses the city's worst flooding in decades with GlobalPost's Patrick Winn.

	Oct. 25, 2011 In Flooded Bangkok, a 'Sandbag Fortress' Many of Bangkok's nearly 10 million residents are hunkering down behind sandbags or seeking other temporary shelter as their homes get swallowed up by rising flood waters from the north.

	Oct. 25, 2011 Rising Waters Put Thailand at Risk Flood waters have destroyed thousands of homes in Bangkok and surrounding communities in Thailand, and forced more than 100,000 people into temporary shelters.

	Oct. 24, 2011 News Wrap: Afghan-NATO Mission Targets Haqqani Network In other news Monday, about 200 insurgents were reportedly killed or captured in a NATO-Afghan operation targeted at the Pakistan-based Haqqani network in Eastern Afghanistan. Also, rising floodwaters in Thailand forced hundreds of people to flee one of Bangkok's main shelters.

	Oct. 24, 2011 In Turkey 'There Are Lives to Be Saved and No Time to Waste' After Earthquake A 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey on Sunday, killing at least 279 people and injuring more than 1,000. As aftershocks continued to hit the region, rescuers scrambled to free dozens of victims trapped in the rubble. John Ray of Independent Television News reports on the rescue efforts.

	Oct. 24, 2011 Many Still Trapped After 7.2-Magnitude Quake in Turkey A 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Turkey Sunday killing at least 270 people, injuring more than 1,000 and trapping dozens in debris.

	Oct. 20, 2011 Earthquake Prediction: Could We Ever Forecast the Next Big One? Hundreds of cities on the U.S. West Coast took part in the 2011 Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill on Thursday, just hours before a small tremor hit the San Francisco Bay Area. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports from Japan on efforts to predict big quakes before they hit.

	Oct. 14, 2011 Mother Nature, Manmade Changes Fuel Flooding Across Asia The worst floods in half a century are devastating Thailand's central plains while floodwaters are headed toward densely populated Bangkok. Judy Woodruff discusses the latest developments in the Asian floods with Kamal Kishore, a United Nations crisis prevention and recovery official, and Catharin Dalpino of Simmons College.