Global Natural Disasters This Week — November 13, 2026

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather · Nov 13, 2026

At a glance

It was a relatively quiet week worldwide (Saturday, November 7 to Friday, November 13, 2026): the deadliest event was winter flooding in Gaza, which killed at least five people, while an atmospheric river flooded parts of southwest British Columbia without reported deaths.

Tropical cyclones

No tropical cyclone made landfall this week; the only named storm, Pena, stayed far south of Hawaii.

No storms were active in the Atlantic or the eastern North Pacific. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center listed no systems in the western North Pacific or the North Indian Ocean on November 13.

Pena (Central Pacific). The storm formed on November 6 about 650 miles (1,050 km) southeast of South Point, Hawaii, according to the AP. On November 10 it was about 920 miles (1,480 km) southwest of Honolulu, moving west. Its outer effects still reached Hawaii: the National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for Maui County and the Big Island for early November 12, with gusts to 50 mph (80 km/h), and seas over 10 feet (3 m), the Star-Advertiser reported. The National Hurricane Center expected it to weaken to a remnant low on November 12.

Floods and landslides

Flooding in Gaza’s displacement camps caused the week’s deaths, while British Columbia’s floods led to evacuations but no reported fatalities.

Gaza. Heavy rain and wind from the evening of November 6 flooded about 70,000 tents within 12 hours, Gaza’s Government Media Office said, with initial losses near $3 million (Al Jazeera, Nov 7). On November 8 a landslide struck tents in Deir el-Balah, killing a woman and four children, according to Gaza Civil Defence (Gulf News, updated Nov 9). The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (Nov 10), citing the BBC, gave at least three children and one woman dead. Rescuers were still searching for missing people on November 9. Gaza’s Health Ministry director-general said 350,000 displaced people were sleeping in the open. An Al Jazeera reporter put nearly 400,000 displaced people in highly vulnerable locations. Civil Defence logged about 1,500 distress calls and said more than 2,000 damaged buildings risked collapse. Floodwater reached up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in some areas.

Canada (British Columbia). An atmospheric river dropped more than 300 mm (11.8 in) of rain in 48 hours on parts of southwest B.C. from November 10, the Canadian Press reported on November 12 (RDNewsNow). Port Mellon recorded 306 mm (12.0 in) and Kennedy Lake 261 mm (10.3 in). The whole Village of Pemberton, population 3,400, was put on evacuation alert, with an order for properties on Airport Road. The Lil’wat Nation expanded orders along the Lillooet River. Squamish ordered residents of Paradise Valley Road to shelter in place after Cheakamus Dam inflows peaked at 735 cubic metres per second (about 26,000 cubic feet per second), about three times the forecast. In Zeballos on Vancouver Island, an order for about 30 properties remained over flood and landslide risk. Highway 99 east of Pemberton was closed. Port Alberni homes and garages flooded on November 11 (CTV via CP24). No deaths or injuries were reported.

Lesser events.

• Myanmar: a GDACS Green flood alert for November 10–12 listed no deaths and 50 people displaced.

Earthquakes

Seven earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 or greater struck during the week, and none caused reported deaths or damage.

Source: USGS earthquake catalog, read November 13. All carried a Green PAGER alert, meaning a low likelihood of casualties and damage, and none had a tsunami flag.

The largest, a shallow M6.4 in the Santa Cruz Islands of Temotu province, exposed about 12,000 people to strong shaking, The Watchers reported. “No casualties or infrastructure damage were reported,” Bernama said on November 9, citing Anadolu. GDACS estimated 1.2 million people felt light shaking (intensity IV) from the Guatemala quake.

Volcanoes

Mayon in the Philippines erupted on November 11, prompting an ashfall health advisory for nearby communities.

Mayon (Philippines). Phivolcs recorded a low-to-medium eruption at about 11:56 a.m. on November 11, with a 500 m (1,640 ft) plume above the summit crater (Daily Tribune, Nov 11). The volcano has been at Alert Level 3 since October 30. The Department of Health advised residents to wear N95 masks, keep windows closed and stay out of the 6 km (3.7 mi) Permanent Danger Zone. No injuries were reported.

Kīlauea’s episode 56 fell just before this week. Its tephra fell in a closed area of the national park and along Highway 11.

Wildfires, heat and drought

No deadly wildfire, heat wave or cold wave was reported this week.

• Wildfires: GDACS issued Green wildfire notifications for November 9–11 in Australia, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Chad, Burkina Faso and Botswana. The largest listed burned area was about 9,255 hectares (22,900 acres) in Australia. None listed deaths.
• Unseasonable warmth: The same storm that flooded British Columbia brought record warmth. Daily records fell at more than 30 locations on November 11, and Abbotsford reached 20.1°C (68.2°F), 3°C (5.4°F) above its previous record, according to Environment Canada via the Canadian Press.
• Drought and cold: No new drought emergency or cold-wave deaths were reported during the week.

What to watch next week

The main risks into next week are lingering flood danger in British Columbia and a possible South Pacific cyclone.

National weather services and local authorities issue the official warnings; follow them where these hazards persist.

About this report

This report covers Saturday, November 7 to Friday, November 13, 2026. It draws on the GDACS alert feed, the USGS earthquake catalog, the National Hurricane Center, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, The Watchers, national agencies and news reports. Casualty figures are the latest available on November 13 and may change. Events that began just before the week are included when their impact fell inside it.

Glossary

• Atmospheric river: a long, narrow band of moisture in the atmosphere that can bring very heavy rain when it reaches land.
• GDACS alert: a Green, Orange or Red rating from the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System; Green means a low expected humanitarian impact.
• Invest: a weather disturbance that forecasters are watching for possible development into a tropical cyclone.
• PAGER: the USGS system that estimates likely deaths and losses from an earthquake soon after it strikes.
• Remnant low: what remains of a tropical cyclone once it loses its organized storm structure.

Frequently asked questions

What was the deadliest natural disaster this week? Flooding in Gaza’s tent camps. A landslide in Deir el-Balah on November 8 killed a woman and four children, according to Gaza Civil Defence. Tens of thousands of displaced families lost shelter to the rain.

Did any hurricane or typhoon hit land? No. Tropical Storm Pena stayed far south of Hawaii and weakened by November 12. The western Pacific and Indian Ocean had no active cyclones on November 13.

Was anyone killed in the British Columbia floods? No deaths or injuries were reported as of November 12. Several communities remained under evacuation orders or alerts, and Squamish ordered some residents to shelter in place.

Did the Solomon Islands earthquake cause a tsunami? No. The USGS listed no tsunami flag for the magnitude 6.4 quake on November 9, and no casualties or damage were reported.

Is Mayon volcano still dangerous? Mayon remains at Alert Level 3 after its November 11 eruption. Health officials advise nearby residents to protect themselves from ash and avoid the 6 km danger zone.

Sources

• USGS earthquake catalog, M5.5+ from Nov 5, 2026 — accessed Nov 13, 2026
• GDACS alert feed — Nov 13, 2026
• National Hurricane Center — Nov 12, 2026
• NHC Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook — Nov 12, 2026
• NHC Eastern Pacific Tropical Weather Outlook — Nov 12, 2026
• JTWC Significant Tropical Weather Advisory, Western and South Pacific — Nov 13, 2026
• Center for Disaster Philanthropy: What we’re watching, Nov 9, 2026 — Nov 10, 2026
• The Watchers homepage — Nov 13, 2026
• Al Jazeera: Rains flood 70,000 displaced families’ tents in Gaza — Nov 7, 2026
• Al Jazeera: Four children among five killed in Gaza floods — Nov 8, 2026
• Gulf News: Gaza floods leave 350,000 Palestinians without shelter — updated Nov 9, 2026
• Canadian Press via RDNewsNow: Deluge eases as B.C. floods force some residents to shelter in place — Nov 12, 2026
• CTV via CP24: Vancouver Island hit by B.C. flooding — Nov 11, 2026
• AP via NY1: Tropical Storm Pena forms south of Hawaii — Nov 6, 2026
• Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Tropical Storm Pena moves away from Hawaii — Nov 10, 2026
• Daily Tribune: DoH issues ashfall advisory amid Mayon eruption — Nov 11, 2026
• USGS HVO: Episode 56 lava fountaining at Kīlauea — Nov 5, 2026
• The Watchers: M6.4 earthquake hits Santa Cruz Islands — Nov 9, 2026
• Bernama: M6.4 earthquake, Solomon Islands — Nov 9, 2026