damage news stories on Newser

Irene to Make List of Top 10 Priciest US Disasters

Kevin Spak — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:03:43 CDT

Think Hurricane Irene was overhyped ? Well, it looks like it’ll wind up being one of the 10 costliest disasters in US history, analysts tell the New York Times —and a lot of the damage won’t be covered by insurance. Industry estimates peg the storm’s costs at between $7 billion...

Atlantis Crew Finds Minor Damage to Shield

Harry Kimball — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:13:00 CDT

Atlantis astronauts found some minor damage to the shuttle’s heat shield during an arduous, nine-hour inspection today, Space.com reports, with NASA officials saying nicks sustained during liftoff weren’t a serious concern, but that more analysis was needed. Astronauts will inspect the shield—vital to the shuttle’s safety in reentry—...

Crews Fan Out in Texas to Gauge Ike's Wrath

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:54:52 CDT

Rescue crews in high-wheel trucks, helicopters and boats ventured out to pluck people from their homes today in an all-out search for thousands of Texans who stubbornly stayed behind overnight to face Hurricane Ike. The storm blew out skyscraper windows, cut power to millions and swamped thousands of homes along...

Arsonist May Have Set Fla. Fires

Nick McMaster — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:53:18 CDT

Fires that have raged across Florida over the last 2 days may have been deliberately set, Gov. Charlie Crist said today. Investigators have pointed to the fact that many of the blazes in different places sprang up at once as evidence of arson, CNN reports. Almost 100 homes have been...

China Quake Toll Rises to 7,600

Nick McMaster — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:16:33 CDT

The earthquake that shook central China has claimed at least 7,651 lives and injured 10,000 more in Sichuan province, the Washington Post reports. In Beichuan county, which accounted for more than 5,000 dead, local news said 80% of the buildings had been toppled.

Trucks Pack on Illegal Pounds

Jonas Oransky — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:17:00 CST

More American truckers are carrying illegally heavy loads, looking to offset diminished manpower and skyrocketing fuel prices—and light fines encourage cheating, the Christian Science Monitor reports. With road damage at issue following August's Minnesota bridge collapse, 30% of trucks are reportedly overloaded—and each of the 8 million tractor-trailers...

Vandals Punch Hole in Monet

Colleen Barry — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 02:35:00 CDT

Four or five people broke into a Paris museum on Sunday and punched a hole in a Monet. The group broke open a back door to the Musee d'Orsay and fled when an alarm sounded, but not before tearing a four-inch hole in "Le Pont d'Argenteuil," a scene of a...

Luxury Cars Flunk Damage Tests

Heather McPherson — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:40:00 CDT

Luxury cars will rack up exorbitantly expensive damage after even low-speed impacts, a federal safety report says. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety numbers out today show that 11 high-end vehicles, including Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Nissan models, have bumpers that are too weak and impact absorbers that don't extend far enough—...