Latest from Natural Disasters

Ian McInnes: Cash greatest help in a disaster

Experience tells us that the best way to help our island neighbours is to donate to a reputable aid agency and make sure that your cash donation reaches those who need it most.

Homes burning in Dunedin fire

Fire crews are battling serious blazes in Dunedin and Dunback. Two homes in Saddle Hill are burning and a third is threatened. Some residents have been evacuated.

Dealing with toll of Joaquin on land and sea

Sinkhole may have been a landslide

A giant sinkhole at a Queensland camping spot is now relatively stable and may have actually been a landslide, a geotechnical engineer says.

Eruption brings more suffering to PNG

The eruption of a volcano on a small Papua New Guinean island on July 31 has again wreaked havoc on the lives of its inhabitants.

'She wrapped me up in a hug'

It was a heartening moment captured amid overwhelming bleakness: a 3-year-old Hurricane Katrina survivor wrapping her chubby little arms round the air force pararescue jumper who had rappelled into New Orleans to save the girl's family from floodwaters.

Disaster plan brings NZ business together

Typhoon Soudelor tears through Taiwan

Typhoon Soudelor is set to shortly make landfall in Taiwan, with the storm forcing thousands to evacuate.

Call to tackle tax rules on seismic work

The head of a listed landlord with $2.2 billion of property investments has called for tax issues on seismic building strengthening to be addressed.

Insurers face higher earthquake costs

Insurers may face higher costs over the Canterbury earthquake after several firms recently increased estimates for the final bill, according to the Reserve Bank.

NZ-based doctor ignores own injury

Survivors of the avalanche at Everest Base Camp have described how an NZ-based doctor helped save the lives of 25 people, despite being wounded herself.

Volcano could cost city $10b

A catastrophic volcanic eruption in Auckland's industrial heart could have an economic impact of up to $10 billion in the first year.

Nepal: Lack of medical facilities heightening crisis

A lack of medical facilities is heightening the crisis for people in quake-ravaged Nepal, said New Zealand aid agency MEND.

Five dead in Queensland floodwaters

A fifth person has died as a result of an extreme downpour and flash flooding in southeast Queensland.

'It was a huge relief...safe and sound'

Three New Zealanders thought to have been missing in Nepal have contacted their families to let them know they're safe, as three remain unaccounted for.

Kiwi backpacker helps dig out survivor

Kiwi backpacker Doran Graham spent more than three hours smashing through concrete and moving debris to help rescue a man trapped under rubble in Nepal.

The challenges facing Nepal

The full scale of the devastation in Nepal is only just beginning to come to light leaving the country facing a host of challenges.

NZ Parliament marks Nepal tragedy

Acting Prime Minister Bill English told Parliament that New Zealand stood with the international community in readiness to help.