Disasters

"The chances have increased over the past month that the much-feared El Nino phenomenon, which has the potential to wreak havoc on global crops, would strike by summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the federal U.S. weather forecaster said Thursday."

"A report released Tuesday describes ongoing difficulties for sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, brown pelicans, and other species as a result of the Gulf oil spill in 2010."

"One month after the Washington state landslide that killed at least 34, President Obama is planning to survey the destruction firsthand."

"SAN DIEGO – Nearly 80 U.S. sailors are seeking $1 billion from Tokyo Electric Power Co., operator of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, alleging the company lied about the high level of radiation in the area where they were carrying out a humanitarian mission following a tsunami that touched off a nuclear crisis three years ago."

"The chairman of the Senate committee that oversees transportation issues said Monday that oil companies are dragging their feet on providing data to regulators about the safety of freight trains that are used to carry crude oil."

"PORT-DE-PAIX, Haiti -- Only cactus grows along the dirt road fringing arid fields on the way to the isolated village of Bas des Moustiques, on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Port-de-Paix in Haiti."

"Owners of at least two dozen nuclear reactors across the United States, including the operator of Indian Point 2, in Buchanan, N.Y., have told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that they cannot show that their reactors would withstand the most severe earthquake that revised estimates say they might face, according to industry experts."

"The [March 31] incident at Williams Co Inc's massive gas storage site is a rare safety-record blemish among the dozens of U.S. LNG plants and storage sites, including towering tanks in packed neighborhoods of New York City, and near Boston.

Energy industry experts and opponents of new LNG plants alike said it may spur debate about safe handling of gas for cities increasingly reliant on the clean-burning fuel. At least a dozen new U.S. LNG export facilities are seeking government approval, and some have faced opposition on safety grounds.

"Citing the sharp increase in the transportation of crude oil by rail, a group told Congress on Wednesday that most of the country’s fire departments lack sufficient training to respond to hazardous materials incidents."