Natural Disasters

Antarctica's ice is melting faster, Guatemala slowly recovers from a volcano eruption, and the San Francisco mayoral race makes history.

• By Rebecca Worby

The records indicate 1,427 more people died on the island in the months following the hurricane than would be expected in a normal year.

• By Francie Diep

Guatemala struggles to recover from its most severe volcanic eruption in 45 years.

• By Ashley Hackett

FEMA and the Red Cross talk a good game, but the disability community is skeptical.

• By David M. Perry

And many of the regions hit hardest by last year's historic hurricane season haven't fully recovered yet.

• By Kate Wheeling

Hurricane Maria is officially the deadliest storm in modern U.S. history—yet it received just a fraction of the aid given to Houston.

• By Jared Keller

Impoverished communities are often the most affected by natural disasters.

• By Kate Wheeling

A vicious dust storm ripped through northern India, causing chaos in the streets.

• By Ashley Hackett

An exclusive newsletter that gives premium members greater access to Pacific Standard stories, staff, and contributors in their inbox every Sunday morning

• By Pacific Standard Staff
• Member Exclusive

A new report shows that FEMA's flood hazard maps may be dangerously outdated.

• By Michael Isaac Stein

After natural disasters, access to reproductive services can be slow to return. Across the country, many abortion providers are working to fix that problem.

• By Caitlin Cruz

Lava flows from Mount Mayon on January 25th, 2018, as seen from south of Manila, the Philippines.

• By Pacific Standard Staff

Despite Whitefish's small size, the energy company was hired to help restore electrical service to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

• By Candace Butera

One local ecologist set out to catalog the destruction.

• By Francie Diep

At least 15 people were killed in the wreckage in Montecito, California. Dozens more are still missing.

• By Candace Butera

At least eight people have been killed by mudflows after a deluge of rain fell on the region left vulnerable by the Thomas Fire.

• By Kate Wheeling

Mudslides, waterspouts, and flash flooding are expected in already hard-hit areas.

• By Eric Holthaus

As of Monday afternoon, the fire had swelled to 270,000 acres.

• By Eric Holthaus

A firefighter cuts brush at the Thomas Fire on December 7th, 2017, near Fillmore, California.

• By Pacific Standard Staff

More than 21,000 insured homes and 2,800 businesses were damaged or destroyed in California in October.

• By Francie Diep

As of mid-morning on Tuesday, the fire was estimated at 45,000 acres, three times the size of Manhattan Island.

• By Eric Holthaus

A man helps evacuate a woman from a flooded street in Mandra, Greece, on November 16th, 2017.

• By Pacific Standard Staff

Recent extreme weather events show how the outdated and imperfect information systems used by cities exacerbates the devastation.

• By Clark Miller, Thaddeus R. Miller & Tischa Muñoz-Erickson

The 7.3-magnitude earthquake killed more than 400 people and injured thousands.

• By Emily Moon