property damage news stories on Newser

2 Tornadoes Pound Nebraska

Matt Cantor — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:00:00 CDT

A pair of tornadoes damaged a handful of Nebraska homes and derailed at least 15 train cars last night, the AP reports. One person was rescued after being injured and trapped inside a house. In addition to the tornadoes in North Platte, another possible tornado hammered homes in northern Nebraska...

Breakdancing Teen in Felony Bust for Scratching Floor

Rob Quinn — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:48:51 CST

Police in suburban Buffalo made what's probably their first-ever breakdancing felony arrest after a teen ruined a home's hardwood floors while busting moves at a house party. The local sheriff says the intoxicated 18-year-old scratched the floors with his diamond belt buckle and caused some $3,000 in damage, the...

Pranksters Get Guests to Trash Hotels Like Rock Stars

Harry Kimball — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:17:12 CDT

A dastardly online organization has taken prank-calling to nefarious highs and is being investigated by the FBI, Fox News reports. PrankNET and its leader, “Dex,” have used untraceable Internet phone calls to: impersonate a corporate honcho and make KFC employees spray down their entire restaurant with fire suppressants, evacuate, and...

Hurricanes Will Send Foreclosure Debris Flying

Drew Nelles — Sun, 31 May 2009 18:28:00 CDT

It’s a perfect, er, storm: Some of America’s most hurricane-prone areas are littered with foreclosed houses likely send debris flying in a storm, the AP reports. Without caretakers to secure them, the houses will also endure greater damage and lose even more value. "A lot of these places will get...

Wildfires Destroy Dozens of SC Homes

Nick McMaster — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:06:20 CDT

Fires have forced the evacuation of around 2,500 people in the North Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina, the Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports. At least 40 homes have been destroyed and 100 damaged by fire in Horry County, a tourist hotspot; no injuries have been reported. "This...

Evacuees Return to Battered Galveston

Ambreen Ali — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:31:00 CDT

Heaps of furniture and electronics lined Galveston's streets as evacuees returned to the Texan island to salvage their belongings, the Galveston County Daily News reports. Some were spared from Hurricane Ike’s wrath altogether, while others discovered their homes completely flattened. In the city's central housing projects, first-floor residents found dead...

Bush to Tour Post-Gustav La.

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:02:01 CDT

President Bush will travel to Louisiana tomorrow to survey the damage caused by Hurricane Gustav. He met today with Dick Cheney, several Cabinet secretaries, and about 20 other advisers to assess the damage the hurricane caused to Gulf Coast oil drilling and refining operations. He said it's too early to...

Gustav Makes Landfall Near New Orleans

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:25:33 CDT

Hurricane Gustav crashed into the all-but-deserted Louisiana coast this morning, and the eye landed southwest of New Orleans. Gustav brought punishing wind and sheets of rain but veered away from New Orleans, where only a few holdouts remained, the AP reports. Tens of thousands were without power in New Orleans...

German Boars Run Wild

Nick McMaster — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:25:00 CDT

Wild boars wreaked havoc in a German town this weekend, attempting to shop for hardware, go to church, and do some gardening, Der Spiegel reports. One of the beasts, acting like "an elephant in a porcelain store," was eventually cornered at the checkout of the home-improvement center, police said. They...