Forecasters are predicting heavy rains to hit portions of northern California by the middle of the week and last through the week. They are calling this an "atmospheric river," which is a long, narrow plume that brings deep moisture from the tropics to the mid-latitudes. Meteorologists predicts areas along the coast to receive as much as 10 inches of rain from this system and create erosion problems for cities that lie below the coastal range. The pacific northwest, which includes eastern Oregon and Washington, are used to getting this amount of rain, but forecasters fear this system may be sticking around for a couple of days. This could lead to flash floods in northern California and cause debris flows in recently burned areas. Residents residing in these areas should take precaution of the flood watch to ensure their safety.
http://www.weather.com/news/weather-forecast/california-flood-threat-20121126

Flash floods submerge UK town underwater

Flash floods hit the community of Ruthin, Wales hard yesterday as it took an hour to turn an entire neighborhood into a muddy lake. The Glasdir housing estate, which is still being developed took the biggest hit after river levels of the Clwyd rose to dangerously high levels. The 300 residents living in the neighborhood fear that they will not get their insurance because they are located on a flood plain and the insurance companies might not pay out. Also making matters worse is that there is a high tide tonight and might increase the water levels. No one has seen a flood hit the city this bad in decades and surpasses the mighty flood of 2000 when water filled a few streets. Thankfully, a postman saw the dangerously high water levels in the river and alerted residents to evacuate before the flash flood hit. Although not everyone was able to leave in time, rescue crews are on the scene rescuing stranded residents by boat. Some ex-residents of the neighborhood had spoken to the Environmental Agency about flood risk where they live and the council stated that the area is low risk for the natural hazard. Defenses were also built to prevent the town from suffering a disaster from flooding, but those failed after the area was pounded by heavy rains for days. Flooding is a major natural hazard and can impact a more developed region of the world that is accustomed to prolonged periods of rain. 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-20510497

Total Insured Losses Estimate from Superstorm Sandy over $11 Billion

According to Property Claims Service (PCS), the estimated insured losses from hurricane Sandy adds up to more than $11 billion, however experts expect this number to rise. The estimate put forth by PCS is not high enough for catastrophe bonds to be used for the losses. This industry loss compilation service defines whether this event qualifies as an insurance payout under the deal's terms. On the other hand, other disaster modeling firms such as AIR Worldwide and RMS are putting losses to over $20 billion, which would result in payouts for two catastrophe bonds. Although the current PCS estimate is favorable for investors, their intial guess has gone up significantly after prior disaster events such as Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Irene. This storm is continuing to have severe impacts on the east coast of the US and may require using catastrophe bonds for a payout. http://www.weather.com/news/sandy-insured-losses-20121123

deadly floods spread danger in England

Torrential rains and strong winds battered parts of southwest England on Sunday and has claimed the life of one woman who was killed by a falling tree. Severe flood warnings have been sent out as many of the streets in parts of England became inaccessible due to standing water from expanding rivers and streams. One town in particular Cornwall in southwest England as water from the rivers bursted their banks and swept through the streets of the historic city. This hazard has also affected railways, which are shut down due to landslides and flooding. England is accustomed to receiving lots of precipitation, however this year has been wet to their standards. Even in a more developed country floods can bring significant damage and even fatalities. Authorities also warn that floods may persist as forecasters warn that more rain is coming after days of downpours. http://www.weather.com/news/uk-flooding-20121125

Significant Burma Earthquake near populated areas

A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit 70 miles north of Mandalay, Burma's second largest city on Sunday November 11th. 26 people dead and 10 missing are from the direct and indirect causes of the earthquakes. Although earthquakes are common in Burma, hundreds of buildings were destroyed or damaged from the one on Sunday. Aid has been sent to the affected areas, but authorities claim that communication problems have made it difficult to fully assess the damage. Strong aftershocks also followed the initial quake creating a lot of panic and fear in area residents. As aforementioned, earthquakes are common in this part of the world, but can still greatly affect the people living there. Burma is a less developed country, therefore it does not have the greatest infrastructure to mitigate the effects of a strong earthquake.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20317709

Floods prove to be fatal in Italy

After days of heavy rains and strong winds in parts of Italy including the Tuscany and Umbria regions, flooding has begun to create major problems claiming at least 4 lives. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, three people died when their car fell off a collapsing bridge and another 73 year old man died when his car was submerged under the floodwaters. These rains have caused power outages in those areas as some people are even forced to flee their homes. Public transport such as railways and roads has also been disrupted from the floods leaving people stranded. It has been reported on Monday that 70% of Venice is underwater from sea levels reaching the 6th highest since 1872. The image above shows how the major flooding is affecting the city of Venice and its people.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20318043

Fatal Earthquake strikes in Guatemala

A 7.4 earthquake in Guatemala Wednesday last night has claimed at least 48 lives with a dozen still missing. The first image shows a whole mountain side collapsing from the quake. The second image displays a squashed truck from the rubble that fell during the shaking. This occurred near the border with Mexico as they also felt the shaking. In fact shaking was felt as far as Mexico City, 600 miles away from the actual location of the quake. Although this occurred off the coast of Guatemala there was no tsunamis following the earthquake. Medical responders rushed to the scene to treat the injured and find the missing people. As many as 5 aftershocks were also felt after the initial shake, which kept people frightened over night. This area is prone to earthquakes because of its proximity to the fault line off the coast, however it is almost always a surprise when one strikes because no one is ready for it. Many structures in Guatemala are also not strong enough to withstand high magnitude quakes and thus may result in more damage/deaths.

http://www.weather.com/news/guatemala-major-earthquake-damage-20121107

Haiti seeks $74 Million for destruction of agriculture from Hurricane Sandy

Not only did Hurricane Sandy have huge devastating effects on the US east coast, but it also hit the country Haiti in the Caribbean hard too. The Haitian government and the UN are asking for $74 million to help poor farmers who lost everything in the storm. Their crops and livestock were literally washed away when Sandy hit and now there is a food crisis in the already impoverished nation south of the US. In as little as a few months the country has been hit with three major disasters starting with the drought in May-June and tropical storm Isaac, which was a direct hit. Haiti is still recovering from the 2010 earthquake that has displaced many families and added to the poverty in the nation. After the storm there are currently 2 million Haitians that are in danger of malnutrition. In order to prevent many from suffering any more from these disasters, aid must come soon. Although Sandy had a big impact on the US, it also had one on Haiti, which is more accustomed to them than the east coast. Nevertheless, the country is still in poverty and storms as powerful as these can be devastating.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/07/3085829/haiti-un-seek-74-million-to-help.html