Crown Point native faced storms siide by side with tornado chasers

In this May 26, 2006, file photo, tornado chaser Tim Samaras shows the probes he uses when trying to collect data in Ames, Iowa. Jim Samaras said Sunday his brother Tim Samaras was killed along with Tim’s son, Paul Samaras, and another chaser, Carl Young, on Friday.

Police: Beware of tornado relief scams

Natural disasters such as the tornadoes that ripped apart communities in Texas and Oklahoma and the tragedies of Boston and Cleveland bring out an American spirit of giving, especially money to help with relief efforts.

Water released from Isaac-stressed dam

A sherriff's vehicle sits Thursday in flood waters caused by Isaac, north of LaPlace, La, off Lake Pontchartrain. The National Hurricane Center said Isaac was expected to become a tropical depression by Thursday night.

Officials may breach levee as Isaac storms inland

Isaac's winds and storm surge overcomes the seawall Wednesday and floods Terrace Avenue in Waveland, Miss. on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting the Gulf Coast.

Indiana drought worsening after scant rainfall

WESTVILLE | John Coulter hasn't seen such a dry spring in the more than 50 years he has farmed.

Strong Indonesian quakes cause panic, no tsunami

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia | Two massive earthquakes triggered back-to-back tsunami warnings for Indonesia on Wednesday, sending panicked residents fleeing to high ground in cars and on the backs of motorcycles. No deadly waves or serious damage resulted, and a watch for much of the Indian Ocean …

Strong, 7.4 earthquake shakes Mexico City

MEXICO CITY | A strong 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Mexico on Tuesday, shaking central and southern parts of the country, sending a pedestrian bridge crashing atop a transit bus and swaying high-rises in Mexico City. At least one building in the capital appeared on the verge of collapse.

Death toll at 38 from storms

Emergency crews desperately searched for survivors Saturday, a day after a violent wave of Midwest and Southern storms, including the tornado that flattened downstate Indiana communities, left behind a trail of shredded homes, downed power lines and streets littered with tossed vehicles.

Another tornado could hit damaged communities

HARRISBURG, Ill. | Crews cleared splintered plywood and smashed appliances from small-town neighborhoods Thursday, a day after tornadoes killed 13 people in the Midwest and South. But the forecast held a menacing possibility: More twisters may be coming, and they could be even stronger.

Disaster planning tips discussed during free webinar

Natural disasters exacted a significant financial toll on the U.S. in 2011. The Insurance Information Institute reports that insured losses from a series of disasters - which included devastating spring tornadoes in the Midwest, floods in the southeast, wildfires in the southwest, and Hurric…

Charlie Sheen donates $25K to Alabama tornado relief

Actor Charlie Sheen quietly donated $25,000 to help tornado relief in Alabama, making good on a pledge to help survivors of the deadly twisters even though some had doubted his promises.

Modular homes can be a cheaper, greener alternative to traditional custom builds

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — When Jack and Gina Sheehan wanted to demolish and replace their 1952-built waterfront home in Yorktown, Va., they didn't choose the custom-built route.

Weathering the storms: Home improvements could save your life

It can take seconds for a monster tornado to tear a stick-built Midwest house to shreds. But even much weaker winds have damaged regional residences this storm season. We've seen the destroyed roofs and broken windows that prove it.

GUEST EDITORIALS: We can't afford to ignore threat of earthquakes

Most people in this area know what to do if a tornado is approaching — even if they don't always heed the warnings. But what about earthquakes? The threat isn't as remote as you might think or hope when thinking about recent devastating quakes in Japan, New Zealand and Haiti.

GM likely to retake No. 1 sales spot from Toyota

General Motors is almost certain to claim the title of world's biggest automaker this year, retaking the top spot from Toyota, which has been hurt by production problems since the Japanese earthquake and still can't escape the shadow of major safety recalls.

Crews work to reopen St. Louis airport hit by tornado

ST. LOUIS | A severe storm that struck the St. Louis area left homes flattened in suburbs around the main airport, which remained closed Saturday a day after being hit by a tornado.

Scenes of devastation at heart of Japan disaster

SENDAI, Japan | She scanned the landscape of debris and destruction, looking at the patch of earth where Japan's massive tsunami erased her son's newly built house so thoroughly that she can't even be certain where it once stood.

For battered Japan, a new threat: nuclear meltdown

IWAKI, Japan | An explosion at a nuclear power plant on Japan's devastated coast destroyed a building Saturday and made leaking radiation, or even outright meltdown, the central threat menacing a nation just beginning to grasp the scale of a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.