May 22, 2011. At 5:41 p.m., a monstrous EF5 tornado touched down in Joplin, Missouri. Within minutes, it carved a mile-wide scar across the town. Entire neighborhoods were flattened. Hospitals destroyed. Schools crushed. 161 people were killed. Thousands more were injured or left homeless. It was one of the deadliest and most costly tornadoes in …
At 8:32 a.m. on May 18, 1980, the north face of Mount St. Helens exploded with the force of 500 atomic bombs. What had begun as a series of small earthquakes and venting plumes became the deadliest and most economically devastating volcanic eruption in U.S. history. Fifty-seven people died. Hundreds of homes, bridges, and miles …
On March 27, 1964, Alaska was rocked by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the United States—a staggering 9.2-magnitude tremor that sent shockwaves across the region. Known as the Great Alaska Earthquake, this massive quake lasted an astonishing four and a half minutes, causing widespread destruction and triggering deadly tsunamis. Entire towns were swallowed …
