Natural Disasters
Tsunamis, volcanoes, tornadoes, earthquakes...these are real-life monsters. We like to think we’re prepared for a catastrophe. But time and time again, Mother Nature proves us wrong. Each week, Natural Disasters examines the earth’s biggest catastrophes that took countless lives, destroyed communities, and toppled civilizations. Natural Disasters is a Spotify Original from Parcast.
26
Great Lakes Storm of 1913 Pt. 1
In 1913, an inland cyclone struck Lake Superior and Lake Huron and buried the city of Cleveland in snow. Several freighters went to the bottom of the lakes, and the storm set new records for snowfall and wind speed.
38 min
27
The Great Flood of Paris Pt. 2
During the last week of January 1910, the citizens of Paris fought to survive a deluge of freezing water and raw sewage that covered their city.
33 min
28
The Great Flood of Paris Pt. 1
For the six months leading up to January 1910, France experienced record-setting rainfall that predicated one of the worst floods in history.
40 min
29
Mt. Vesuvius Volcanic Eruption Pt. 2
The majority of Pompeiians traveled south to other villages, or escaped by boat on the Bay of Naples. However, some 2000 residents chose to remain in the city, believing it was wiser to batten down the hatches.
40 min
30
Mt. Vesuvius Volcanic Eruption Pt. 1
In 79 CE, the Roman citizens of Pompeii and Herculaneum believed that Mount Vesuvius was an extinct volcano. That is, until the mountain exploded—filling the sky with debris.
35 min
31
Okeechobee Hurricane Pt. 2
After the Okeechobee Hurricane ravaged the town of Belle Glade in 1928, citizens struggled to recover from the storm’s deadly wake.
29 min
32
Okeechobee Hurricane Pt. 1
In 1928, one of the deadliest storms ever recorded in the North Atlantic basin began to form off the coast of Africa.
30 min
33
Best of 2019: The 2011 Tornado Super Outbreak P...
A wave of storms that devastated the southern United States in 2011. Known as the Super Outbreak, it became the costliest tornado outbreak ever recorded.
41 min
34
Best of 2019: The 2011 Tornado Super Outbreak P...
On April 27th, 2011, the clouds were low and dark—intense winds whipping around. It was a quarter past five in the afternoon, and the entire state was on high alert.
41 min
35
The Haiti Earthquake Pt. 2
Haiti’s devastating earthquake made international headlines in 2010.
32 min
36
The Haiti Earthquake Pt. 1
On January 12th, 2010, a 7.0 earthquake rocked Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, killing over 300,000 people.
33 min
37
The Dust Veil
A devastating event from 536-537 C.E. where a dry, blue fog darkened skies across Europe and Asia for over a year, causing a drop in temperatures, drought, and famine.
36 min
38
The Tunguska Event
A massive explosion that occurred in the remote wilderness of Russia in 1908.
41 min
39
The Chicago Heat Wave Pt. 2
Extreme temperatures would kill more than 700 Chicagoans over the course of 5 days in July of 1995.
37 min
40
The Chicago Heat Wave Pt. 1
On July 13, 1995, Chicagoans awoke to a blistering day in which the temperature would reach 106 degrees.
40 min
41
The Dust Bowl Pt. 2
As the debilitating drought waged on, farming families in the Great Plains fought to survive as terrible dust storms laid waste to entire towns.
43 min
42
The Dust Bowl Pt. 1
During the 1930s, dust storms destroyed millions of acres of farmland and displaced over 3 million families in the midwestern United States.
37 min
43
The 2011 Tōhoku Tsunami Pt. 2
Following one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded, Japan was buffeted by an unbelievably powerful tsunami.
36 min
44
The 2011 Tōhoku Tsunami Pt. 1
Japan is no stranger to earthquakes.
33 min
45
The 2011 Tornado Super Outbreak Pt. 2
In April of 2011, a tornado touched down near Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
41 min
46
The 2011 Tornado Super Outbreak Pt. 1
A tornado touched down in the spring of 2011 near Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
41 min
47
Mount Everest Pt. 2: Below Freezing
The wind howled. The clouds surrounded the mountain, dropping the temperature down below freezing.
39 min
48
Mount Everest Pt. 1: The Blizzard of 1996
In 1996, two climbing groups set out to reach the peak of Mount Everest, the highest point on planet Earth.
46 min
49
Krakatoa Pt. 2: The Explosion Heard ‘Round The ...
After the first eruption of Krakatoa on August 26th, 1883, the citizens of the Sunda Strait may have assumed the worst was over.
42 min
50
Krakatoa Pt. 1: West of Java
In 1883 between the south-Asian islands of Java and Sumatra, a deadly force was brewing.
45 min