Articles tagged with disaster

Wed, May 09, 2012

Japan to take over Tepco after Fukushima disaster

By Yoko Kubota

TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power Co, Japan's biggest utility and owner of the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant, will be taken ...

Wed, May 09, 2012

Japan to take over Tepco after Fukushima disaster

By Yoko Kubota

TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power Co <9501.T>, Japan's biggest utility and the owner of the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant, will be ...

Sat, May 05, 2012

Costa puts hopes on new flagship after cruise disaster

By Stephen Jewkes

VENICE (Reuters) - Cruise operator Costa Crociere took delivery of a new flagship liner on Saturday, hoping the glamour of Italy's ...

Tue, April 10, 2012

As weather gets biblical, insurers go missing

By Matt Stroud

PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - As weather disasters strike with more frequency, homeowners first get hit with the destruction or total loss of property ...

Thu, April 05, 2012

Congress inaction risks 2013 tax "disaster": IRS chief

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The commissioner of the U.S. tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service warned on Thursday of "a real disaster" for taxpayers next year should ...

Thu, March 29, 2012

Wedge praises MLB's Japan disaster aid

TOKYO (Reuters) - Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge praised Major League Baseball for raising awareness of the massive rebuilding job still to be done in ...

Wed, March 28, 2012

2011 disaster losses cost insurers $116 billion: Swiss Re

ZURICH (Reuters) - Natural disasters, such as Japan's earthquake and floods in Australia and Thailand, cost the global economy a record $370 billion in ...

Sat, March 17, 2012

Tennessee, West Virginia to get federal disaster aid

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. government has made federal disaster aid available to Tennessee and West Virginia to help recovery efforts in areas affected ...

Sat, March 10, 2012

Obama offers disaster aid to Indiana counties hit by tornadoes

By Susan Guyett

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said six southern Indiana counties devastated by severe weather and tornadoes last week were eligible for ...

Tue, March 06, 2012

Insight: Papua New Guinea mountain disaster questions Exxon

By Rebekah Kebede

(Reuters) - A deadly landslide in the mountains of Papua New Guinea, near where U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil is building ...

Mon, March 05, 2012

Tornado damage will not dent replenished U.S. disaster fund

By Ian Simpson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The rash of devastating tornadoes early in the season across the Midwest and South will not deplete the U ...

Fri, February 24, 2012

Clinton says Syria's Assad caused humanitarian disaster

TUNIS (Reuters) - Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his security forces have brought about a humanitarian catastrophe in the country, Secretary of State Hillary ...

Tue, February 21, 2012

GPS attacks risk maritime disaster, trading chaos

By Michael Holden

LONDON (Reuters) - Satelite navigation systems are at risk from criminals, terrorists or even just bored teenagers, with the potential to cause ...

Fri, February 03, 2012

Greece launches long-awaited debt offer

By George Georgiopoulos

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece formally launched a bond swap offer to private holders of its bonds on Friday, setting in motion the ...

Wed, February 01, 2012

Egyptians incensed after 74 die in soccer tragedy

By Shaimaa Fayed and Tom Perry

CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) - Egyptians incensed by the deaths of 74 people in soccer violence clashed with security forces ...

Mon, January 30, 2012

Illinois facing "financial disaster": watchdog

By Karen Pierog

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois could see its pile of overdue bills climb to an unprecedented $35 billion in five years if the ...

Fri, January 20, 2012

Analysis: Italy disaster shows Titanic lifeboat issues linger

By Jonathan Saul and Ben Berkowitz

LONDON/BOSTON (Reuters) - The capsizing of the Costa Concordia will pressure the cruise industry to address a safety ...

Wed, January 18, 2012

Carnival says caring for cruise disaster victims

By Martinne Geller

(Reuters) - Carnival Corp & plc, whose luxury liner Costa Concordia capsized off the coast of Italy last week, said it was providing lodging, refunds and other support to people affected by the accident, even as some public relations executives criticized the company's handling of the situation.

"I give my personal assurance that we will take care of each and every one of our guests, crew and their families affected by this tragic event," Carnival Chief Executive Micky Arison said in a statement late on Wednesday - five days after the incident that left 11 people dead and 22 missing.

Costa Cruise Lines, a unit of Carnival and operator of the ship, has been arranging lodging and transportation for passengers and crew members to return home, and has offered assistance and counseling as needed. It has also begun refunding passengers their cruise fares and all costs incurred while on board.

The company also said it was contacting every passenger and crew member or their family and will be addressing personal possessions lost on board.

Public relations experts have chastised Carnival for being slow to address the disaster and vague about its response and efforts to prevent similar incidents in the future.

On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being "outstanding," Carnival's public relations strategy in the immediate wake of the disaster gets a four, said Allyson Stewart-Allen, director of International Marketing Partners, a consulting firm.

"It wasn't quick, it wasn't specific, it wasn't reassuring," Stewart-Allen said, noting that Carnival's first statement, released on Saturday nearly 24 hours after the Costa Concordia liner struck rock causing it to capsize, did not quote a specific person.

Subsequent statements on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday quoted Arison, who has been in continuous contact with executives in Italy, but has not flown there himself.

Arison, who also owns the Miami Heat NBA team, has written six messages on Twitter mentioning the tragedy, but Evan Nierman, founder of Florida public relations firm Red Banyan Group said that was not enough.

"If he's the point person, I would want a constant flow of information - Twitter, Facebook, talking to reporters, letting them know what's going on. I would have him out there in a real way. He needs to be in front of cameras, he needs to be meeting with people, he needs to show that he's in charge of the situation."

A statement on Wednesday from Costa Cruises, owned by Carnival, said the Italian company commissioned salvage experts in the hours after the accident to draw up a plan to recover the fuel reserves from the ship before they leak into the water.

(Reporting By Martinne Geller in New York; Editing by Steve Orlofsky, Andre Grenon, Gary Hill)

Wed, January 18, 2012

Analysis: Ship disaster unlikely to prompt quick safety changes

By Ben Berkowitz and Jonathan Saul

(Reuters) - The cruise ship disaster off Italy's coast is drawing fresh scrutiny to the gaps in international ...

Wed, January 18, 2012

Italy disaster ship crew fought to save passengers

By Steve Scherer

GROSSETO, Italy (Reuters) - When the Costa Concordia was listing heavily on its starboard side, Ciro Iosso and other crew members calmed ...

Tue, January 17, 2012

Cruise operators' shares fall on ship disaster

(Reuters) - Shares of cruise operator Carnival Corp plunged 15 percent on Tuesday after a ship operated by its unit struck a submerged rock and ...

Mon, January 16, 2012

Italy risks environmental disaster if ship fuel leaks

By Philip Pullella

ROME (Reuters) - As the Costa Concordia shifted dangerously on Monday, Italy's environment minister raised the prospect of an environmental disaster ...

Mon, January 16, 2012

Human blunders seen at heart of Italy ship disaster

By Jonathan Saul

LONDON (Reuters) - Over-reliance on electronic navigation systems and a failure of judgment by the captain are seen as possible reasons for ...

Mon, January 16, 2012

Carnival and cruise sector count cost of disaster

By Matt Scuffham and Sarah Young

LONDON (Reuters) - The cruise ship industry faces an uphill task to restore confidence among customers spooked by images ...

Sun, January 15, 2012

Italy disaster could hit cruise industry

By Stephen Jewkes

MILAN (Reuters) - The spectacular cruise liner accident off the coast of Italy is not just a disaster for the ship's ...

Sat, January 14, 2012

Doomed liner's captain trades blame with shipowners

By Antonella Cinelli

GIGLIO, Italy (Reuters) - The operators of the Costa Concordia faced questions over their share of the blame for the shipwreck, as ...

Fri, January 13, 2012

Debt talks falter, Greeks warn of disaster

By Dina Kyriakidou

ATHENS (Reuters) - Talks between Greece and its creditor banks to slash the country's towering debt pile broke down on Friday ...

Fri, January 06, 2012

Global economy could endure disaster for a week

By Nina Chestney

LONDON (Reuters) - The global economy could withstand widespread disruption from a natural disaster or attack by militants for only a week ...

Tue, December 06, 2011

Alpha to pay $209 million over coal mine disaster

By Steven Allen Adams

CHARLESTON, West Virginia (Reuters) - Coal miner Alpha Natural Resources has agreed to pay $1.5 million to each of the ...

Fri, December 02, 2011

ECB's Stark: Crisis cure needed to avoid disaster

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An urgent solution to the euro zone debt crisis needs to be found otherwise there will be widespread macroeconomic and financial ...

Wed, November 23, 2011

German 10-year bond auction a "disaster"

By William James

LONDON (Reuters) - A "disastrous" sale of German benchmark bonds sparked fears on Wednesday the debt crisis was beginning to threaten even ...

Fri, September 23, 2011

Four governors urge Washington against politics on disaster aid

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The governors of four East Coast states -- two Democrats and two Republicans -- issued a joint statement on Friday imploring the federal government ...

Fri, September 23, 2011

Senate to delay disaster bill until Monday

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate agreed to delay further action on a stopgap spending bill until Monday as Democrats and Republicans remained at odds over the ...

Thu, September 22, 2011

Congress delays budget fight until Monday

By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Congress set the stage for another last-minute budget showdown as lawmakers delayed action on a broad spending bill ...

Tue, September 20, 2011

High-stakes disaster aid fight looms in Congress

By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress on Tuesday drifted toward another confrontation that could disrupt wide swaths of the government as Democrats sought to ...

Tue, September 20, 2011

Stars reacts to Indian earthquake disaster

The powerful tremor struck at the border between India's Sikkim state and Nepal, and emergency workers fear the death toll will rise as ...

Thu, September 15, 2011

Senate approves $6.9 billion in disaster aid

By Deborah Charles

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic-led Senate on Thursday sent the House of Representatives a measure to fund disaster aid by twice as ...

Tue, September 13, 2011

Showdown over disaster aid looms in Congress

By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress headed toward a showdown on disaster aid on Tuesday as the Democratic-controlled Senate advanced a measure that is ...

Mon, September 12, 2011

Congress at odds over disaster aid

By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans and Democrats in Congress moved to quickly approve disaster aid on Monday but remained at odds over the ...

Mon, September 12, 2011

Lawmaker says will move disaster aid quickly

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republicans will try to approve disaster aid quickly by attaching it to legislation that is due to pass Congress next ...

Sat, September 10, 2011

Fresh crews, light winds help fight Texas wildfires

By Jim Forsyth

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - More than a thousand firefighters, aided by lighter winds, on Saturday began to beat back raging wildfires that ...

Sat, September 10, 2011

Ferry capsizes off Tanzania, nearly 200 dead

By Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala and Ally Saleh

STONE TOWN, Zanzibar (Reuters) - Nearly 200 people drowned when an overloaded ferry capsized off east Africa as ...

Fri, September 09, 2011

Obama asks Congress for $5.1 billion in disaster aid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama asked Congress on Friday for $5.1 billion in supplemental disaster relief as damage from Hurricane Irene and other ...

Wed, September 07, 2011

Senate panel passes USDA disaster, famine aid funds

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About $266 million was earmarked for U.S. agricultural disaster relief in a funding bill approved by a Senate committee on Wednesday ...

Tue, September 06, 2011

Senate panel OKs disaster aid as funds dry up

By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Senate panel approved $6 billion in disaster aid on Tuesday but it was unclear whether Congress would be ...

Tue, September 06, 2011

The Do-It-Yourself Formula for Space Disaster Movies

Outer space is one of the most fascinating things to the human mind. Its boundless mystery opens up an infinity of questions and possibilities ...

Mon, September 05, 2011

The Do-It-Yourself Formula for Space Disaster Movies

Outer space is one of the most fascinating things to the human mind. Its boundless mystery opens up an infinity of questions and possibilities ...

Sun, September 04, 2011

The Do-It-Yourself Formula for Space Disaster Movies

Outer space is one of the most fascinating things to the human mind. Its boundless mystery opens up an infinity of questions and possibilities ...

Sat, September 03, 2011

The Do-It-Yourself Formula for Space Disaster Movies

Outer space is one of the most fascinating things to the human mind. Its boundless mystery opens up an infinity of questions and possibilities ...

Fri, September 02, 2011

The Do-It-Yourself Formula for Space Disaster Movies

Outer space is one of the most fascinating things to the human mind. Its boundless mystery opens up an infinity of questions and possibilities ...

Thu, September 01, 2011

Report predicts disaster in Pa. without job growth

By Dave Warner

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Pennsylvania's economy is in "deep trouble" and needs dramatic job growth to help its residents, one in four ...

Thu, September 01, 2011

Report predicts disaster in Pennsylvania without job growth

By Dave Warner

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Pennsylvania's economy is in "deep trouble" and needs dramatic job growth to help its residents, one in four ...

Wed, August 31, 2011

President Obama offers disaster aid to New Jersey

By Paul Thomasch

LITTLE FALLS, New Jersey (Reuters) - New Jersey residents struggled with flooded homes, blocked roads and power outages on Wednesday as rivers ...

Wed, August 31, 2011

President Obama offers disaster aid to New Jersey

By Paul Thomasch

LITTLE FALLS, New Jersey (Reuters) - New Jersey residents struggled with flooded homes, blocked roads and power outages on Wednesday as rivers ...

Wed, August 31, 2011

President Obama offers disaster aid to New Jersey

By Paul Thomasch

LITTLE FALLS, New Jersey (Reuters) - New Jersey residents struggled with flooded homes, blocked roads and power outages on Wednesday as rivers ...

Wed, August 31, 2011

Obama signs disaster declaration for North Carolina counties

RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday approved federal disaster assistance for seven North Carolina counties hit hard by Hurricane Irene.

The ...

Mon, August 29, 2011

Irene smacks states amid tighter disaster budgets

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. state and local governments may have to pay for some of the billions of dollars in costs from Hurricane Irene ...

Sun, July 31, 2011

World warns of disaster if no debt deal done

By Tomasz Janowski and Olesya Dmitracova

LONDON/TOKYO, Jul (Reuters) - Governments and policy makers around the world warned of the risk of financial disaster ...

Wed, July 27, 2011