Technical experts say quakes’ death toll and destruction were made worse by systemic problems in the nation’s building industry.

As rescue crews continue to dig out survivors from collapsed buildings in the wake of two severe earthquakes that rocked Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, killing thousands, engineers' response efforts turn toward cataloguing and evaluating structures that failed or suffered significant damage.

STORM Act becomes law, authorizing FEMA to grant money to states for resilience revolving loan funds but $200-million appropriation to fund it doesn't start until 2022.

Extremely dry and gusty conditions on Labor Day sparked 80 new fires in Oregon and Washington.