It seems that no matter where people live or travel, disaster seems to strike. In Florida, hurricanes are a constant threat, up north in states such as New York there are blizzards, the Midwest deals with tornadoes, the west coast has earthquakes and now Washington state is being threatened by Mount St. Helens.

Florida has had its fair share of disaster situations. Hurricane Andrew struck the state of Florida on August 24, 1992. According to the National Hurricane Center the storm had a peak gust of 164 mph. Andrew caused 23 deaths in the United States and three more in the Bahamas.

The hurricane caused $26.5 billion in damage in the United States, of which $1 billion occurred in Louisiana and the rest in south Florida. The vast majority of the damage in Florida was due to the winds. Although hurricanes are a large problem, the good part about them is that warnings of these storms are given days in advance. Citizens of Florida are able to prepare their homes for the upcoming event.

In contrast to hurricanes, storms such as tornadoes do not give any warnings ahead of time. In the Midwest, states such as Arkansas and Oklahoma are common targets for these violent wind storms.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in an average year, about 1,000 tornadoes are reported across the United States, resulting in 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries. Tornadoes come in all shapes and sizes and can occur anywhere in the U.S. at any time of the year.

Although colder states such as New York seem like a pleasant escape from hurricanes and tornadoes, these states have their own weather issues to be concerned about. In 1996, New York City reported 31 inches of snow and Philadelphia, 24 inches. The storm caused approximately $3 billion in damages and cost 187 lives.

The west coast, famous for its sun and stars isn’t completely safe either. They have the occasional hurricane off the Pacific Ocean and more importantly, they have earthquakes.

Graded on the Richter Scale, earthquakes have no upper limit, but the largest one to hit California occurred in 1857 and was recorded as a 7.9. It was considered a major earthquake. And who can forget the famous earthquake of 1989?

The 7.1 earthquake occurred in San Francisco just before the 3rd game of the World Series with the Giants playing the A’s in Candlestick Park. If earthquakes weren’t enough, the west coast is also in danger of tsunamis, large sea waves caused by earthquakes in the ocean floor.

Today, Washington state is currently experiencing a potential disaster with Mount St. Helens. Although there has not been an actual eruption, scientists are finding more warnings of an eruption each day. According to the New York Times, scientists have seen thermal images of the lava dome in its crater as a sign that magma continues to rise in the volcano. Willie Scott, a Geological Survey geologist, said that temperatures in certain spots reached temperatures as high as 400 to 570 degrees Fahrenheit.

Officials are saying that an eruption can occur with very little warning, but not to expect anything like the mountain’s previous explosion in 1980. The blast killed 57 people and covered a large portion of the Northwest with ash.



Although citizens of Florida may think of hurricanes as the worst catastrophe imaginable, disaster is possible anywhere in the United States.

All across the nation, people can expect storms of all kinds to hit at any moment. Although people might think they can escape the perils of weather by living in a certain part of the world these different events have proved otherwise. No matter where you live, disaster can strike at anytime.