Natural Disaster List

Megathrust Earthquake
1. First on the list is a Pacific Northwest megathrust earthquake. The experts all agree that the West Coast between Northern California and Canada can expect a 9.0 and up earthquake. While it would be devastating locally, they are most concerned about the tsunami that it would trigger.
   
   New York City Hurricane
2. Another area of concern would be a major hurricane making landfall in New York City. New Yorkers are not used to evacuating under threat of hurricane, and a real evacuation would require at least 24 hours notice. Unfortunately, northern hurricanes move extremely rapidly, allowing perhaps only a few hours for evacuation.
   
   Asteroid
3. Next on the natural disaster list is what most in the public consider a movie scenario; an asteroid impact. While scientists cannot predict that one will happen anytime soon, they all agree that an asteroid impact could happen at anytime causing not only a nation-wide, but world-wide catastrophe.
   
   West Coast Tsunami
4. An earthquake centered in a fault off the coast of Southern California could result in a tsunami that would hit the coast so fast that residents would have very little time to escape. The result would be devastation on the scale of Hurricane Katrina and the Indonesian tsunami combined.
   
   Yellowstone Supervolcano
5. Another scenario that was turned into the basis a movie is the supervolcano centered in Yellowstone. While the experts can’t say when it will happen, the signs all point to a future eruption that would leave North America buried under three foot of ash.
   
   Mid-Continent Earthquake
6. Next on the natural disaster list is an earthquake occurring in the center of the US, along the New Madrid fault. The geology of the area would cause the earthquake to be felt as far away as Boston, while buildings closer to the epicenter, near the Mississippi River, could disappear entirely.
   
   Heatwaves
7. One of the most common events on the natural disaster list may come as a real surprise and that is heat waves. More people have been killed in past heat waves altogether than have died in any other single natural disaster in recent history.
   
   Asteroid-Created Tsunami
8. While an East Coast tsunami may not be caused by an earthquake, it is entirely possible that a gigantic wave could be generated by an asteroid splashing down into the Atlantic Ocean. Astronomers are currently studying one asteroid that could pose a potential threat in the future.
   
   Gulf Coast Tsunami
9. Another location for a devastating tsunami threat is the Gulf Coast. A Caribbean fault line has been the source of tsunamis in the past, and could generate another that would threaten the lives of millions of Gulf Coast residents.

Any Area of the Country Can Be Hit By Disaster

There are other events that should be added to any natural disaster list: tornados, blizzards, floods, mudslides, drought and wildfire. There is not an area of the country that is not susceptible to at least one or more of these disasters. Since most of these events can strike with little or no warning, the time to prepare is now.

Events that are man-made, while not suitable for a natural disaster list, can be equally, if not more devastating than some disasters brought on by mother nature. All of these events should cause one to think of ways to survive.