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.
1
Chelyabinsk Meteor
On February 15, 2013, a fireball streaked over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk and exploded.
31 min
2
Mann Gulch Wildfire Tragedy Pt. 2
The blow-up of the 1949 Mann Gulch Wildfire had tragic consequences for a team of wildland firefighters.
34 min
3
Mann Gulch Wildfire Tragedy Pt. 1
On August 5th, 1949, a lightning strike touched off a small wildfire in Montana's Helena National Forest.
36 min
4
Ohio Fireworks Derecho
During the 1969 Independence Day fireworks celebrations in Lakewood, Ohio, a massive windstorm called a derecho struck without warning.
31 min
5
Lake Nyos Toxic Gas Cloud
In 1986, a deep volcanic lake in Cameroon erupted half a million tons of carbon dioxide.
32 min
6
The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami Pt. 2
The tsunami rose out of the ocean on the morning of December 26th, 2004, after a 9.2 magnitude earthquake.
31 min
7
The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami Pt. 1
On December 26th, 2004, the beaches of Indonesia and Thailand were brimming with tourists on their Christmas holidays.
31 min
8
The Cheniere Caminada Hurricane Pt. 2
On October 3rd, 1893, the fishing community of Cheniere Caminada awoke to a nightmare.
35 min
9
The Cheniere Caminada Hurricane Pt. 1
On October 2nd, 1893, a category 4 hurricane made landfall on the southeast coast of Louisiana.
31 min
10
Kisii Lightning Strikes
Kenya’s Kisii County sees around 30 lightning strike fatalities per year.
40 min
11
The Great Molasses Flood Pt. 2
On the morning of January 15th, 1919, two million gallons of molasses wreaked havoc on the North End.
33 min
12
The Great Molasses Flood Pt. 1
On the morning of January 15th, 1919, a deluge of two million gallons of molasses swept over Boston's North End.
29 min
13
The Children’s Blizzard Pt. 2
As the blizzard raged on through the afternoon of January 12th, 1888, schoolhouses across South Dakota became emergency shelters.
38 min
14
The Children’s Blizzard Pt. 1
At midday on January 12th, 1888, the northern plains of South Dakota were struck by a deadly blizzard.
37 min
15
Toxic Flood of Hungary Pt. 2
After a flood of toxic waste inundated the region around Akja, Hungary in October 2010, the residents of the area rushed to save those trapped and poisoned by the flood.
35 min
16
NEW: Toxic Flood of Hungary Pt. 1
On October 4th, 2010, a flood of toxic sludge burst out of a waste reservoir near Akja, Hungary. The surrounding region was quickly inundated by a wave of red mud, driving people and animals out of their homes in a desperate bid to escape the poisonous torrent.
30 min
17
Crossover Week: Medical Mysteries (Leishmaniasi...
It wasn’t until Doug Preston and his team returned from their expedition in Honduras in 2015 that tragedy struck. What they had contracted in the ruins was a horrifying, sometimes lethal and incurable disease of leishmaniasis, a tropical parasitic disease.
40 min
18
Crossover Week: Medical Mysteries (Leishmaniasi...
Explorers set out on an expedition into the wilderness of Honduras in 2015. They were seeking a lost city, but returned with far more than they bargained for.
38 min
19
Toba Supervolcano
Seventy-five thousand years ago, the Toba Supervolcano decimated the Indonesian archipelago. It was one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history and nearly drove humanity to extinction.
35 min
20
Parcast Classic: The Tunguska Event
A massive explosion that occurred in the remote wilderness of Russia in 1908. Though more than a century has passed since it took place, the exact cause of the blast is still debated.
41 min
21
Potato Famine Pt. 2
By the late 1840s, with no end in sight to the potato famine gripping Ireland and no help coming from the British government, the Irish people were left with few options. Forced to choose between dire workhouses or leaving the country, there was no easy solution to ending their hunger.
29 min
22
Potato Famine Pt. 1
In 1845, a fungus destroyed Ireland’s potato crops, leaving the Irish population without its main food source.
40 min
23
The Big Burn Pt. 2
As the vast chain of wildfires known as the Big Burn spread across the northern Rockies in 1910, teams of Forest Rangers, firefighters, and normal citizens alike fought tooth and nail to protect their towns. But in the face of such overwhelming force, there was little they could do to fight the power of Mother Nature.
32 min
24
The Big Burn Pt. 1
It was the largest natural blaze in U.S. history—the result of human agricultural inexperience, a freak climate, and unbridled westward expansion by American corporations and homesteaders.
33 min
25
Great Lakes Storm of 1913 Pt. 2
From November 7th through the 10th, 1913, the Great Lakes of North America experienced one of the worst storms on record for the region.
37 min