The 10 biggest natural disasters in U.S. history

Since the beginning of civilization, natural disasters have been the scourge of man and women kind. From fires to floods, hurricanes to earthquakes, Mother Nature is often unpredictable, unmerciful, and deadly. Unfortunately, we've seen that recently as Houston and Texas struggles in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

Here are the 10 biggest natural disasters in U.S. history, both by death toll and financial impact, listed by date:

Johnstown Flood - 1889
The town of Johnstown was a thriving steel mill community in the late 19th century…until disaster struck on May 31, 1889. After days of torrential rains hit, their South Fork dam finally gave way and burst, unleashing 20 millions tons of water with a 14-mile head start on the town. The fast-moving wall of water hit the town with the force of Niagra Falls, crushing 1,600 homes and killing 2,209 people.

Hurricane Galveston - 1900
The beautiful island community of Galveston – which was known as the “Jewel of Texas” – was the unfortunate target for a 1900 hurricane that turned out to be the single deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. On September 8 that year, Not long after the city planners rejected a measure to build a sea wall to protect their city, a Category 4 hurricane swung into Galveston like a wrecking ball. With 145 mph winds and 15-foot waves, buildings and homes were pulverized, and the whole island was soon underwater, with 8,000 – 12,000 fatalities.

San Francisco Earthquake -- 1906
It only lasted less than 60 seconds, but then the San Andreas fault split during the middle of the night back in 1906, San Francisco was shaken to the ground and engulfed in flames. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake destroyed more than 80 percent of the city, but it was the ensuing fires that caused just as much damage. By the time the last ashes were doused, more than 500 city blocks had been burnt to the ground, 3,000 people had lost their lives, and 225,000 of the city's residents were left homeless.

Okeechobee Hurricane - 1928
When the newspapers and radio programs announced that a hurricane was set to descend upon Lake Okeechobee on September 16, residents of the Florida lake-front community evacuated their homes. But unfortunately, most people returned to their homes that evening when they thought the hurricane had passed – but it just was late arriving. They were beset by 140 mph winds and so much rain that the lake's dike broke, causing catastrophic flooding that wiped out 2,500 people, making it the second deadliest hurricane in U.S. history.

Dust Bowl - Early 1930's
Going way back to the midst of the Great Depression, a prolonged natural disaster was the last thing the U.S. people needed. But that’s exactly what they faced with the Dust Bowl – a decade-long drought that transformed the Great Plains from a lush, fertile farmland into a barren wasteland of dust and wind. The disaster was in-part due to man as well as nature, caused by farmers who severely over-plowed and mismanaged their crops, resulting in massive erosion that ruined the land.

When a ten-year drought ensued, the once rich topsoil was reduced to useless dust, and millions of people had to leave their homes and livelihoods to move elsewhere. Half a million people were left homeless, and a third of all farmers had to turn to government aid. The dust was so bad that windstorms sometimes blew the dust so far east that the skies darkened all the way on the Atlantic Coast.

Heat Wave of 1980
The death toll was just as high during a devilish heat wave during the summer of 1980, where the thermometer never went below 90 degrees for most of the summer. In all, 10,000 people died due to the heat factor, and the damage to the agriculture sector and other costs added up to $48 billion.

Heat Wave of 1988
It’s not just hurricanes, earthquakes, and flooding that cause disasters, as something as simple as high temperatures can turn deadly. In fact, heat waves have killed more people than any of the wind or rain-based weather events of the past 30 years in the U.S! Such was the case in the summer of 1988 when a record heat wave scorched about 45 percent of the nation, and rainfall levels were even lower than during the Dust Bowl era. Between heat stress, wildfire deaths, and other heat-related deaths, about 5,000 – 10,000 people lost their lives and the heat wave left $61 billion of damage to the agricultural economy.

Hurricane Katrina - 2005
The Category 1 hurricane that slammed south eastern United States ended up being the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history with a final tab of about $125 billion, including about $81 billion in property damage. But it was the unbelievable scenes of the levees breaking in New Orleans and the aftermath that affected us the most, as 80 percent of the city was underwater and countless people scrambling for survival. While that financial damage was unprecedented, it was the human toll of 1,836 lives lost that made it one of the worst American tragedies ever.

Hurricane Sandy - 2012
Seven years after Katrina hit New Orleans, Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc in New York in 2012. Also known as Superstorm Sandy, the hurricane stretched an unnerving 1,100 miles across the Atlantic Coast. When it was all over, 44 people had lost their lives in New York and New Jersey and the financial damage – an estimated $70.2 billion - made it one of the most costly natural disasters in U.S. history.

Hurricane Harvey - 2017
Of course, news about Hurricane Harvey and the devastation it has caused in Texas is now worldwide. Starting as a Category 3 storm, Harvey increased in power into a Category 4 storm, with 52 inches of rain and winds up to 130 mph.

So far, 50,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, there are scores of casualties, and 30,000 people are living in shelters. With at least 1/3 of the city of Houston completely underwater, early estimates account for up to $23 billion in damage.

The 10 Most Dangerous Threats in Your Home

If you're like most people, your first and strongest instinct is to keep your family safe, and that's especially true when you are all at home. Unfortunately, the average house contains many things that can threaten to do us harm. Some of these threats can compromise the house, itself, indirectly putting your family in bigger danger. You could even be put in serious financial risk because of these threats! But just by knowing about these common hazards and exercising a little bit of preventive safety, you'll manage to protect your family and loved ones infinitely better.

Here are the 10 most dangerous threats in your home (in no particular order):

1. Lead

Lead is a toxic heavy metal that causes a range of dangerous health problems – and commonly shows up in older homes. If traces of lead are ingested or absorbed into the body, it can interfere with brain function occur, even causing permanent damage to the brain, nervous system and vital organs.

Before it was outlawed, many household products contained high amounts of lead. Once lead was discovered to have adverse health effects, it was banned from use in 1978. So if your home was built before 1978, you might have traces of lead-based paint lurking under newer layers of paint. Lead presents the biggest risk to children, who might put lead-based paint dust or paint chips in their mouths or hands, or breathe it if someone is sanding or doing construction and the particles go airborne. Both children and adults are at high risk of lead poisoning.

2. Termites

Rats, mice, other rodents, wasps, bees, spiders, and snakes are no fun to have around, but there are far more dangerous uninvited guests that may try to take over your home. For example, termites and other wood-destroying pests can cause mass damage to your dwelling. Unfortunately, infestations and the insects themselves are so small and hard to detect, the damage often is invisible in wood framing, below subfloors, structural beams, or inside any other wood that makes up your home.

Subterranean termites are the most common variety – and they also happen to cause the most damage, but damp-wood termites, dry-wood termites, wood boring beetles, and carpenter ants can also invade a home, even rendering it unlivable if unchecked.

3. Mold

Toxic mold can grow in unlikely places in your home wherever there is moisture, often hidden behind the walls, attics, and under the floors. The most dangerous types of molds emit mycotoxins, which can cause illness and respiratory problems, or even hospitalization and death in extreme cases.

Mold can only grow where there is a steady source of moisture, like leaky seals around plumbing or roofing, or even where groundwater seeps in your basement. It grows fast, requiring only 24-48 hours to mature, so mold should be handled with extreme caution.

4. Home fires

We have a home fire every 10 seconds in the US, or a fire big enough to call the fire department every 60 seconds.  Firefighters in the U.S. respond to 374,000 residential fires every year, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Sadly, about 13,000 people lose their lives in home blazes every year, or one every three hours. The monetary damage incurred from house fires is an alarming 11.7 billion dollars a year.

A large number of home fires get started when residents fall asleep with lit cigarettes, from accidental kitchen fires, or shorts in faulty electrical wiring.

5. Water damage

Water damage that seeps into the home is a serious threat that can cause major damage. Of course, burst pipes or broken sewage lines are disastrous and can be exorbitantly expensive to fix. But smaller, slow leaks and water intrusions can enter through faulty rooflines, unsealed windows and doors, or pool up under sink cabinets, in basements, and in crawl spaces. Even small drips can rapidly cause wood rot and provide a perfect breeding ground for termites and other wood-eating pests as well as an ideal place for dangerous mold to sprout.

6. Carbon monoxide

High levels of carbon monoxide gas are a silent and invisible danger in any interior space. Even short-term exposure to carbon monoxide can cause serious health problems. Once breathed, it essentially replaces oxygen in the blood, killing off cells and starving vital organs of oxygen flow. The scary thing is that carbon monoxide can come from a variety of common household items and appliances. It's also totally odorless, colorless, and can incapacitate or kill within minutes in some cases. Many states have laws requiring landlords to put in carbon monoxide detectors, so homeowners would be wise to do the same. 

7. Lawsuits

Unfortunately, we live in one of the most litigious societies in the world, and that means virtually anyone can sue anyone whether it's reasonable or not. Visitors, delivery employees, and service workers who come on your property and then get hurt can sue you, and most people would rather have major surgery than go through a lawsuit. Slip and falls, dog bites (about 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year!), accidents involving children and pools or trampolines, even falling tree branches are common sources of lawsuits against property owners.

8. Thefts and home invasions

According to the FBI, there are approximately 2.5 million home thefts and forced entries every year, or about 1 in every 30 households. The average loss for each home burglary is $2,230, which adds up to about $4.7 billion every year. But the damage goes beyond the material, often having lasting consequences for the residents. The psychological toll and feelings of violation can remain far after the monetary damages are forgotten, often making a house no longer feel like a home.

9. Natural disasters

Referred to as "Acts of God” by insurance companies, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, hailstorms, sinkholes, mudslides, and forest fires are just some of the natural disasters that can befall a home. In California, the fear of a sizable earthquake is a valid concern, and recently, the damaged spillway in Oroville Dam forced 80,000 residents to evacuate. Of course, no one can predict when a natural disaster will hit – or prevent it – but homeowners are often woefully underprepared.

According to United Policyholders, about two-thirds of U.S. homeowners would be underinsured if some sort of adverse weather or geological event struck. It’s advisable to have evacuation supplies ready, extra food stored in your garage, batteries for flashlights and a family plan should some catastrophic event occur.

10. Cyber crime

Does identity theft really count as a danger to homeowners? In fact, identity theft and other types of online fraud are on the rise in the United States – and the stats are staggering. Approximately 15.4 million people have their identities or financial data compromised and exploited, costing them upwards of $50 billion dollars. To compare cyber theft, it amounts to three times more than the combined losses from all other types of theft like personal, burglary, motor vehicle, or property theft.

Whether it’s malware that infiltrates your computer and corrupts your data, hackers who steal your passwords and commandeer your financial information, or cyber criminals who assume your identity and open new accounts under your name, the damage could cost consumers tens of thousands of dollars and take years to clean up – without the thieves ever physically entering the home.

Everything you need to know to survive the next big earthquake.

Earthquake safety preparation:

-Consult a professional contractor or earthquake retrofit specialist for a review of your home or building.  They may suggest measures like bolting bookcases to wall studs, installing strong latches on cupboards, and strapping the water heater, refrigerator, and book cases or big furniture to wall studs.

-Store heavy items on lower shelves or broad, level surfaces so they won’t fall easily.  Make sure items that could potentially fall and cause injury are in latching cabinets. 

-It’s so important to know where your gas main and water main are located in your house as well as how to turn off electricity.  Clearly mark them so they’re easy to find in the fog and chaos of an emergency.  Make sure they are easily turned by hand and not hard to turn because of rust, corrosion, or debris.

-Prepare an earthquake readiness plan and go through it several times with your family.

-This should include two designated exits if you have to leave your home in the event of a fire, explosion, or collapse, and also a designated meeting area outside the home in a safe place.

-In this plan, account for who is responsible for trying to gather the family dog or pet, and parameters when it is safe to do so or better just to leave them.

-Designate a safe room in the house where everyone can automatically gather if an earthquake strikes.  It should be a room XY

-Store flammable liquids away from areas that may ignite or explode like stoves, furnaces, and water heaters.

-Keep a disaster relief kit easily accessible in the house or garage. This should include a first-aid kit, at least 3 gallons of water per person, dust or gas masks, a whistle, gardening gloves, blankets, sturdy boots or shoes, goggles, a battery powered flashlight, a battery powered radio, and a battery-powered or rechargeable cell phone power source.   It’s recommended you store enough rations for 24 hours with no food or water and 3 days without power or communications.

-Store all of your important financial and data records somewhere safe that you can access digitally – like a backup storage server, the Cloud, or via a web-based email.  This should include all of your insurance information.

When an earthquake begins:

-Generally, it’s advised that you Drop, Cover, and Hold On when an earthquake strikes. 

-But DO NOT get under a doorway.  For some reason, this is perceived as a safe place in event of an earthquake but it’s actually one of the worst places to be.

Try to find a strong desk or very sturdy table to get under and cover up.

-If you cannot get to one of those, at least stay along an interior wall, which is free of potentially falling objects and structurally sound. 

-If you are cooking or have an open flame source, hot iron, etc. then try to turn that off immediately before you take cover.

-Expect debris or objects to fall from above so take shelter in a safe position with hands overhead.

Avoid going near windows (glass or debris from the outside may injure you,) large mirrors, under chandeliers or hanging objects, near bookcases, tall heavy furniture that could tip over, or near fireplaces.

-Do not move or exit your home until the shaking stops.

-Expect fire alarms and sprinklers going off in apartment buildings, condos, or commercial buildings.

If you’re outside during an earthquake:

-Find an open area and stop, get to the ground, and cover up your head and neck until the shaking stops.

-Avoid being under trees or too close to houses, buildings, billboards, or other structures.

-Look up to see where you are in relation to power lines and poles. 

-If power lines do fall on your car, DO NOT get out or try to move.  Use your phone or horn to signal for help.

-If you are driving, pull over in an open location and stop and brace yourself.  Of course try to avoid (or get off of) bridges or highway ramps or overpasses.

-If you are on the beach or in a low coastal area when a bad earthquake hits, get to higher ground immediately after the shakings stops – tsunamis are at risk of following a strong earthquake.

After the shaking stops:

-Collect yourself and remain calm.  Thinking clearly and acting definitively is crucial to staying safe because the danger is by no means over just because the earthquake ceased. 

-Check yourself for injuries and then call out to others in the house to find them and make sure they are not inured. 

-If someone is seriously injured, it’s recommended you don’t move them unless they are in harms way.

-Go over your earthquake emergency plan in your head and even vocalize it.

-When it’s safe, turn off the electricity, gas main (SO important!) and water main.

-Expect aftershocks or tremors after a large earthquake.

-If it’s safe, proceed to the designated gathering area and locate your emergency supply kit.  Be conscious that there may be plenty of items that fell or were displaced during the quake in your path, or even items that could still fall, so make your way cautiously.

-If your home appears badly damage or you hear noises or see any continued shifting in the structure, exit immediately.

-If you smell gas, get everyone outside and open windows or doors if possible.  Do not use electrical appliances as even a little spark can trigger an explosion. 

-Once you are in a safe place, check your cell phone and send a group text to your emergency contact list that you and your family are safe.

-Expect cell phone communications to be interrupted or overloaded.  Keep trying, and possibly send a text as well as trying to call.

-Once it’s safe to do so, unplug all major appliances inside your home – when the power comes back on, it could cause fires or short circuits.  Turn off the electrical main or turn off the breakers, but never do so if you see frayed or damaged wiring or have to stand in water to do so.

-Try to bring your wallet and house and car keys with you, but only if you are 100% sure it’s safe to collect them.

-Be aware of debris that might possibly fall like tree limbs, roofing, gutters, and damaged chimneys.

-Make sure everyone puts on heavy footwear, goggles, and heavy gloves if you have to make your way across badly damaged areas.  Nails, glass, and other broken debris cause just as many injuries as earthquakes. 

-Exercise caution when opening any closet doors, attic hatches, cabinets, etc. because items probably shifted during the quake and will fall out.

-Call 911 to report injuries or gas leaks but try to reserve calling for emergencies.