No region is safe from flooding. All 50 states are subject to flash floods. Flash floods can bring walls of water from 10 to 20 feet high. A car can be taken away in as little as 2 feet of water. In the last 10 years on average, flooding cost the U.S. $2.9 billion annually. To stay safe during a flood, go to the highest ground of floor possible. If your skin comes in contact with flood water, make sure to wash it with soap and disinfected water because the contents are unknown. Flooding is caused by spring thawing (snow and frozen grounds melting in the spring), heavy rains, snow melt runoffs, flash floods, and mudflows. Floods are the most widespread natural disaster aside from wildfires. 90 percent of all U.S. natural disasters declared by the President involve some sort of flooding. In preparation for a flood, it is important to stock up on first aid items, non-perishable foods, 3 gallons of water per person for 3 days, battery operated radio for weather reports, extra batteries, personal hygiene necessities. Based on Floodsmart, a 2,000 square foot home undergoing 12” of water damage could cost more than $50,000. Since flood damage is almost never covered by homeowners insurance, flood insurance is important for people living in high-risk flood zones. Communities particularly at risk are those located in low-lying areas, near water, or downstream from a dam.

A wildfires (AKA forest or peat fires) are uncontrolled fires. Often wildfires occur in wild, unpopulated areas, but they can occur anywhere and destroy homes, agriculture, humans, and animals in their path. Firefighters refer to these disasters as surface fires, dependent crown fires, running crown fires, spot fires, and ground fires. “Running crown fires” are a firefighter’s worst nightmare because they burn extremely hot, travel rapidly, and can change direction quickly. The most dangerous aspect of running crown fires are the convection currents which produce massive fire storms and tornadoes. These subsequent storms can send embers well ahead of the main fire front, causing spot fires that in turn can start new fires in other directions. Weather conditions can directly contribute to the occurrence of wildfires through lightning strikes or indirectly by an extended dry spell or drought. Wildfires can be caused by an accumulation of dead matter (leaves, twigs, and trees) that can create enough heat in some instances to spontaneously combust and ignite the surrounding area. Lightning strikes the earth over 100,000 times a day. 10 to 20 percent of these lightning strikes can cause fire. The number one reason for wildfires in the U.S. is mankind. Man-made combustions from arson, human carelessness, or lack of fire safety cause wildfire disasters every year. More than 80 percent of all wildfires are started by humans. An average of 1.2 million acres of U.S. woodland burn every year. A large wildfire — or conflagration — is capable of modifying the local weather conditions (AKA producing it’s own weather).

HURRICANES ARE LARGE, SPIRALING TROPICAL STORMS THAT CAN PACK WIND SPEEDS OF OVER 160 MILES AN HOUR AND UNLEASH MORE THAN 2.4 TRILLION GALLONS OF RAIN A DAY. THESE TROPICAL STORMS ARE KNOWN AS CYCLONES IN THE NORTHERN INDIAN OCEAN AND BAY OF BENGAL, AND AS TYPHOONS IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN. IN THE ATLANTIC, HURRICANE SEASON STARTS JUNE 1, WHILE IN THE PACIFIC IT STARTS MAY 15. BOTH END ON NOVEMBER 30. WHEN THEY COME ONTO LAND, THE HEAVY RAIN, STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY WAVES CAN DAMAGE BUILDINGS, TREES AND CARS. THE HEAVY WAVES ARE CALLED A STORM SURGE. 40 PERCENT OF THE HURRICANES THAT OCCUR IN THE UNITED STATES HIT FLORIDA. HURRICANES ROTATE IN A COUNTER-CLOCKWISE DIRECTION AROUND THE EYE. THE ROTATING STORM CLOUDS CREATE THE "EYE WALL”, WHICH IS THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE PART OF THE STORM. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TROPICAL STORM AND A HURRICANE IS WIND SPEED – TROPICAL STORMS USUALLY BRING WINDS OF 36-47 MILES PER HOUR, WHEREAS HURRICANE WIND SPEEDS ARE AT LEAST 74 MILES PER HOUR. HURRICANES ARE CLASSIFIED INTO FIVE CATEGORIES, BASED ON THEIR WIND SPEEDS AND POTENTIAL TO CAUSE DAMAGE. CATEGORY ONE -- WINDS 74-95 MILES PER HOUR CATEGORY TWO -- WINDS 96-110 MILES PER HOUR CATEGORY THREE -- WINDS 111-130 MILES PER HOUR CATEGORY FOUR -- WINDS 131-155 MILES PER HOUR CATEGORY FIVE -- WINDS GREATER THAN 155 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER BEGAN GIVING OFFICIAL NAMES TO STORMS IN 1953, THEY WERE ALL FEMALE. THIS PRACTICE OF USING ONLY WOMEN’S NAMES ENDED IN 1978. SOMETIMES NAMES ARE "RETIRED" IF A HURRICANE HAS BEEN REALLY BIG AND DESTRUCTIVE. RETIRED NAMES INCLUDE KATRINA, ANDREW AND MITCH. THE COSTLIEST HURRICANE TO MAKE LANDFALL WAS HURRICANE KATRINA, A CATEGORY 5 STORM THAT SLAMMED LOUISIANA IN AUGUST OF 2005. DAMAGES COST AN ESTIMATED $91 BILLION. THE DEADLIEST U.S. HURRICANE ON RECORD WAS A CATEGORY 4 STORM THAT HIT THE ISLAND CITY OF GALVESTON, TEXAS, ON SEPT. 8, 1900. SOME 8,000 PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES WHEN THE ISLAND WAS DESTROYED BY 15-FOOT WAVES AND 130-MILE-AN-HOUR WINDS.

NATURAL EVENTS SUCH AS VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AND METEOR IMPACTS CAN CAUSE EARTHQUAKES, BUT THE MAJORITY OF NATURALLY-OCCURRING EARTHQUAKES ARE TRIGGERED BY MOVEMENT OF THE EARTH'S PLATES. THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH IS MADE UP OF 20 CONSTANTLY MOVING PLATES. AS THE PLATES SHIFT, TENSION IS CREATED, AND AS ITS STRENGTH INCREASES IT CAN CAUSE THE CRUST TO BREAK. WHEN A BREAK OCCURS, THE STRESS IS RELEASED AS ENERGY THAT MOVES THROUGH THE EARTH IN THE FORM OF WAVES. THESE WAVES ARE EARTHQUAKES. THE NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE INFORMATION CENTER (NEIC) RECORDS AN AVERAGE OF 20,000 EARTHQUAKES EVERY YEAR (ABOUT 50 A DAY) AROUND THE WORLD. THERE ARE, HOWEVER, MILLIONS OF EARTHQUAKES ESTIMATED TO OCCUR EVERY YEAR THAT ARE TOO WEAK TO BE RECORDED. ALMOST 80 PERCENT OF ALL THE PLANET'S EARTHQUAKES OCCUR ALONG THE RIM OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN, CALLED THE "RING OF FIRE"; A REGION THAT ENCIRCLES THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND IS HOME TO 452 VOLCANOES (OVER 75 PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S ACTIVE AND DORMANT VOLCANOES). EACH YEAR THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA HAS ABOUT 10,000 EARTHQUAKES; THE MAJORITY OF WHICH GO UNNOTICED. IF THERE IS A LARGE EARTHQUAKE, HOWEVER, THE AFTERSHOCK SEQUENCE WILL PRODUCE MANY MORE EARTHQUAKES OF ALL MAGNITUDES FOR MONTHS. THE LARGEST RECORDED EARTHQUAKE IN THE UNITED STATES WAS A MAGNITUDE 9.2 THAT STRUCK PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND, ALASKA ON MARCH 28, 1964. THE LARGEST RECORDED EARTHQUAKE IN THE WORLD WAS A MAGNITUDE 9.5 IN CHILE ON MAY 22, 1960. WHEN THE CHILEAN EARTHQUAKE OCCURRED IN 1960, SEISMOGRAPHS RECORDED SEISMIC WAVES THAT TRAVELED AROUND THE WORLD. THESE SEISMIC WAVES SHOOK THE ENTIRE EARTH FOR MANY DAYS. NORMALLY, IT'S NOT THE SHAKING GROUND ITSELF THAT CLAIMS LIVES DURING AN EARTHQUAKE; IT'S THE ASSOCIATED DESTRUCTION OF MAN-MADE STRUCTURES AND THE INSTIGATION OF OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS SUCH AS TSUNAMIS, AVALANCHES, AND LANDSLIDES. AN UNDERSEA EARTHQUAKE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN TRIGGERED A SERIES OF DEVASTATING TSUNAMIS ON DEC. 26, 2004. THE TSUNAMIS STRUCK ALONG THE COASTS OF MOST LANDMASSES BORDERING THE INDIAN OCEAN, KILLING MORE THAN 225,000 PEOPLE IN 11 COUNTRIES AND INUNDATING COASTAL COMMUNITIES WITH WAVES UP TO 100 FEET HIGH. ALASKA IS THE MOST EARTHQUAKE-PRONE STATE AND ONE OF THE MOST SEISMICALLY ACTIVE REGIONS IN THE WORLD, EXPERIENCING A MAGNITUDE 7.0 EARTHQUAKE ALMOST EVERY YEAR, AND A MAGNITUDE 8.0 OR GREATER EARTHQUAKE APPROXIMATELY ONCE EVERY 14 YEARS.

A VOLCANO IS A MOUNTAIN THAT OPENS DOWNWARD TO A POOL OF MOLTEN ROCK BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH. WHEN PRESSURE BUILDS UP, ERUPTIONS OCCUR. IN AN ERUPTION, GASES AND ROCK SHOOT UP THROUGH THE OPENING AND SPILL OVER OR FILL THE AIR WITH LAVA FRAGMENTS. ERUPTIONS CAN CAUSE LAVA FLOWS, HOT ASH FLOWS, MUDSLIDES, AVALANCHES, FALLING ASH AND FLOODS. THE DANGER AREA AROUND A VOLCANO COVERS ABOUT A 20-MILE RADIUS. FRESH VOLCANIC ASH, MADE OF PULVERIZED ROCK, CAN BE HARSH, ACIDIC, GRITTY, GLASSY AND SMELLY. THE ASH CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE LUNGS OF OLDER PEOPLE, BABIES AND PEOPLE WITH RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS VOLCANIC LIGHTNING OCCURS MOSTLY WITHIN THE CLOUD OF ASH DURING AN ERUPTION, AND IS CREATED BY THE FRICTION OF THE ASH RUSHING TO THE SURFACE. ROUGHLY 200 ACCOUNTS OF THIS LIGHTNING HAVE BEEN WITNESSED LIVE. AN ERUPTING VOLCANO CAN TRIGGER TSUNAMIS, FLASH FLOODS, EARTHQUAKES, MUDFLOWS AND ROCKFALLS. MORE THAN 80% OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE IS VOLCANIC IN ORIGIN. THE SEA FLOOR AND SOME MOUNTAINS WERE FORMED BY COUNTLESS VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS. GASEOUS EMISSIONS FROM VOLCANO FORMED THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE. THERE ARE MORE THAN 500 ACTIVE VOLCANOES IN THE WORLD. MORE THAN HALF OF THESE VOLCANOES ARE PART OF THE "RING OF FIRE," A REGION THAT ENCIRCLES THE PACIFIC OCEAN. ACTIVE VOLCANOES IN THE U.S. ARE FOUND MAINLY IN HAWAII, ALASKA, CALIFORNIA, OREGON AND WASHINGTON, BUT THE GREATEST CHANCE OF ERUPTIONS NEAR AREAS WHERE MANY PEOPLE LIVE IS IN HAWAII AND ALASKA. THE SOUND OF AN ERUPTION VOLCANO CAN BE QUIET AND HISSING OR EXPLOSIVE AND BOOMING. THE LOUD CRACKS TRAVEL HUNDREDS OF MILES AND DO THE MOST DAMAGE, INCLUDING HEARING LOSS AND BROKEN GLASS. THE MOST DEADLY ERUPTIONS HAVE OCCURRED IN INDONESIA, WITH TENS OF THOUSANDS OF LIVES LOST TO STARVATION, TSUNAMI (AS A RESULT OF THE ERUPTION), ASH FLOWS, AND MUDFLOWS.

A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF OCEAN WAVES CAUSED BY AN UNDERWATER EARTHQUAKE, LANDSLIDE, OR VOLCANIC ERUPTION. MORE RARELY, A TSUNAMI CAN BE GENERATED BY A GIANT METEOR IMPACT WITH THE OCEAN. THESE WAVES CAN REACH HEIGHTS OF OVER 100 FEET. ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF TSUNAMIS HAPPEN WITHIN THE PACIFIC OCEAN’S “RING OF FIRE.” THE FIRST WAVE OF A TSUNAMI IS USUALLY NOT THE STRONGEST, SUCCESSIVE WAVES GET BIGGER AND STRONGER. TSUNAMIS CAN TRAVEL AT SPEEDS OF ABOUT 500 MILES OR 805 KILOMETERS AN HOUR, ALMOST AS FAST AS A JET PLANE. THE STATES IN THE U.S. AT GREATEST RISK FOR TSUNAMIS ARE HAWAII, ALASKA, WASHINGTON, OREGON, AND CALIFORNIA. IF CAUGHT BY A TSUNAMI WAVE, IT IS BETTER NOT TO SWIM, BUT RATHER TO GRAB A FLOATING OBJECT AND ALLOW THE CURRENT TO CARRY YOU. TSUNAMIS RETAIN THEIR ENERGY, MEANING THEY CAN TRAVEL ACROSS ENTIRE OCEANS WITH LIMITED ENERGY LOSS. TSUNAMI MEANS “HARBOR WAVE” IN JAPANESE (TSU = HARBOR + NAMI = WAVE), REFLECTING JAPAN’S TSUNAMI-PRONE HISTORY. SCIENTISTS CAN ACCURATELY ESTIMATE THE TIME WHEN A TSUNAMI WILL ARRIVE ALMOST ANYWHERE AROUND THE WORLD BASED ON CALCULATIONS USING THE DEPTH OF THE WATER, DISTANCES FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER, AND THE TIME THAT THE EARTHQUAKE OR OTHER EVENT OCCURRED. HAWAII IS THE U.S. STATE AT GREATEST RISK FOR A TSUNAMI – THEY GET ABOUT ONE PER YEAR AND A DAMAGING ONE EVERY SEVEN YEARS. THE BIGGEST TSUNAMI THAT OCCURRED HAWAII HAPPENED ON APRIL 1, 1946, WHERE THE COAST OF HILO ISLAND WAS HIT WITH 30 FOOT WAVES COMING IN AT 500 MILES PER HOUR. 170 PEOPLE DIED AS A RESULT. IN 2004, THE INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI WAS CAUSED BY AN EARTHQUAKE THAT IS THOUGHT TO HAVE HAD THE ENERGY OF 23,000 ATOMIC BOMBS. WITHIN HOURS OF THE EARTHQUAKE IN 2004, KILLER WAVES RADIATING FROM THE EPICENTER SLAMMED INTO THE COASTLINE OF 11 COUNTRIES, DAMAGING COUNTRIES FROM EAST AFRICA TO THAILAND. BY THE END OF THE DAY, THE TSUNAMI HAD ALREADY KILLED 150,000 PEOPLE. THE FINAL DEATH TOLL WAS 283,000.