As snowstorms hit the Middle East, life for 600,000 Syrian refugees grows more precarious. The human face of Syria's civil war.

You might have heard of the extremists on National Geographic's reality show "Doomsday Preppers," but not everyone concerned with planning for potential disaster lives in the mountains or is obsessed with living "off the grid."

Congress officially passed $9 billion in federal flood insurance money, which will go towards victims of Superstorm Sandy, including the 800 afflicted families in Maryland.

Join Diane and her guests for our October Readers’ Review of Geraldine Brooks' novel, "Year of Wonders." It's based on the true story of measures taken by the residents of a small 17th-century English town to protect themselves and others from the plague.

President Obama has submitted a supplemental spending request calling for $60 billion in relief funds for Hurricane Sandy. Maryland lawmakers are looking to secure funds for ravaged areas on the Eastern Shore and elsewhere.

Gov. Martin O'Malley is planning to appeal FEMA's decision to deny aid to victims on the Eastern Shore.

The D.C. area's 911 emergency call system has been suffering widespread failures for more than two years, long before the June 2012 derecho storm called attention to the problem.

How local beachfront communities are preparing for the worst, and whether those efforts are enough in an increasingly unpredictable climate.

Federal and state aid have not found their way to the small Eastern Shore town of Crisfield, Md., where residents are still struggling to get back on their feet after the monumental storm.

Tensions on Capitol Hill continue centered on spending reform. As David Hawkings of CQ reports, even measures that would normally receive bipartisan support, like Sandy relief and defense, have seen pushback.