Even with technological advances in weather satellites and global warning systems, we may never be spared the loss of life from natural disasters such as floods, storms, and earthquakes. The National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration maintains searchable data going back to 1995 and these systems allow today’s scientists to gather data from disasters and use it to create virtual models of seismic and weather patterns that may create predictions allowing us to prepare for events like some of these top natural disasters.
Galveston, TX – 1900
Galveston was a booming town on the Gulf coast, until a category 4 hurricane blew in from the Gulf of Mexico on September 8th to wipe out wide areas of the city. Galveston was larger than Dallas or Houston at the time, but officials had made a spectacular error in their decision not to erect a seawall. A morning storm with 135 mph winds blew in a 15-foot storm surge that drowned the city, and by the time it moved on in late afternoon over 8,000 people had died. Although the city was rebuilt and remains a popular destination, it will likely never regain its former prestige.
Katrina – 2005
A summer storm that churned in from the Atlantic crossed the state of Florida as a minor hurricane, but picked up momentum over the warm waters of the Gulf to slam the Louisiana coast with 125 mph winds on August 29th. The storm surge broke levees protecting the city of New Orleans, and 80% of the city was quickly flooded. Winds and water killed 1,836 people and did over $125 billion in damages that this major Southern city is still recovering from.
Dust Bowl – Midwest USA, early 1930’s
The Midwest Great Plains states were once the breadbasket of the world, but over-farming was about to take its toll. Destruction of the trees and natural grasses led to erosion which was only made worse by years of drought, until by 1934 most of the topsoil across 100 million acres was dried up and blown away in major dust storms. Even as the Depression bogged down the world economy, a third of farmers lost their livelihood and half a million people lost their homes.
San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
An estimated 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the area on the morning of April 18th. The tremors lasted only a minute but broke natural gas lines which set off fires that burned across the city for another four days. Ruptured water mains prevented the fire department from extinguishing most of them. In the end, 3,000 people were killed and another 225,000 lost their homes.
Okeechobee Hurricane, 1928
On September 16, still very much the hot season for southern Florida, the sky was still quiet hours after early hurricane warnings so residents around Lake Okeechobee were returning to their homes. But the storm was only delayed. In the evening hours it finally struck hard, lashing the area with 140 mph winds that broke a dam at the southern end of the 730-square-mile lake, releasing floodwaters down the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers that killed 2,500 people and left the area flooded for weeks afterward.
Resource: What Meteorology Jobs Are There in Emergency Management?
Science and technology play an increasing role in predicting and recovering from natural disasters. A number of countries in a major humanitarian effort have collaborated in gathering, processing, and sharing sensory and satellite data. This creates opportunities for those with degrees in many fields of natural science, engineering, and medicine that are not only rewarding, but world-changing.