FEMA

Now that Hurricane Irene has passed, it's time to get back to discussing the country's biggest unnatural disaster: the economy. But here, too, Irene is making her impact felt, as economists and pundits across the country debate whether the hurricane will help or hurt America's bottom line.

The estimated tab for Hurricane Irene's fury is already in the billions of dollars. If you're among those who have property damage, proceed with caution -- you don't want to get hit again, this time by home repair companies that jack up their prices, do a poor job, or walk away before the work is finished.

The deadly tornadoes that struck the South and Midwest in April, the devastating quake in Japan and concerns about terrorist reprisals after Osama bin Laden's death should serve as reminders to property owners: plan for the worst-case scenario.

With the recent earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, there's a renewed interest in being prepared for disaster. Even a power outage of a day or two can wreak havoc, especially in colder climes, so it pays to be prepared for an emergency. Stocking up on the following essentials now will mean you and...

Social-media tools like Twitter and Facebook could soon help the U.S. government respond more effectively to disasters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it will take advantage of social media and mobile-device portals to reach people during federal disasters.

Services such as PlantCML's Reverse 911 notification system can alert mass numbers of people to all manners of impending danger. They're not cheap, but communities, corporations and campuses are finding ways to fund these systems -- and finding them pretty effective.

Five years after Hurricane Katrina, an estimated 100,000 displaced New Orleans residents have yet to return home. What impact have these evacuees had on the local economies of their new homes?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency housed Katrina-displaced people in 145,000 trailers. Today the trailers -- many of which emitted unsafe levels of formaldehyde -- have become a symbol of incompetence in the face of a national tragedy.

While residents and businesses of Rhode Island and Connecticut are looking to FEMA for help after flooding, those in California are screaming because new FEMA flood maps may mean they have to buy flood insurance for the first time. FEMA is updating flood hazard maps nationwide. After the update, if...

Following the devastating earthquakes that hit Chile and Haiti, some insurance companies are hiking rates on earthquake insurance by as much as 200%. A recent Los Angeles Times article reported that California-based GeoVera Insurance Company nearly tripled one customer's premium, from $2,500 to...