Improved agricultural productivity can help developing countries reduce their reliance on international emergency food relief following natural disasters. This is one of the conclusions of a team of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) scientists who visited cyclone-devastated Myanmar in August.

Heavy flooding in America's Midwest in recent weeks has caused severe damage. In one of the hardest-hit cities, Cedar Rapids, in the state of Iowa, as many as 2,000 homes may have to be demolished. VOA Correspondent Scott Stearns is in Cedar Rapids and reports that, despite the widespread devastation, people are optimistic that they will be able to rebuild.

When two catastrophic natural disasters struck within days of each other in May 2008, disaster relief, humanitarian aid, and health officials, as well as members of the news media tapped into a unique set of NASA data products describing the location of the exposed populations.

Thousands of toads appeared on the streets in one Chinese town days before it hit. Zoo animals started acting strangely hours before the worst earthquake in China’s history. Could these signs have been used to alert people something was about to happen?

The Ministry of Land and Resources Wednesday ordered its provincial offices to prepare for possible natural disasters triggered by extreme weather conditions.

China is building up a national natural disaster evaluation mechanism to strengthen its prevention and reduction capacity in the aftermath of recent blizzards, a senior official said.

The Chinese government has promised to help all those whose homes were damaged in recent winter storms to build permanent houses in the coming four months, said Vice Premier Hui Liangyu on Sunday.

A powerful earthquake struck Indonesia Wednesday, killing at least three people and wounding 25 others on the country's western island of Simeulue.

Munich Re reported spending on claims and costs at its property and casualty unit grew last year on higher payments for natural disasters.

When confronted with emergencies or natural disasters, such as the wildfires that raged through San Diego and Los Angeles counties last October or the tornadoes that hit the southern U.S. last week, residents often dial 9-1-1 as their first course of action.

Emergency teams are fanning out across several U.S. states to assist survivors of violent storms that killed at least 55 people. VOA's Brian Wagner has this report.

Decomposed bodies littered B'desh's cyclone ravaged southern coastline sparking fears of epidemic as authorities struggled to provide relief to lakhs of homeless survivors that has so far claimed 3,000 lives.