Articles tagged as Natural Disasters

How Earthquakes and Volcanoes Reveal the Beating Heart of the Planet

The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program has stitched together a visual archive of the world’s earthquakes and volcanoes

Updated: October 6, 2016 | Originally Published: October 4, 2016

A prototype shelter from The Mobile Factory

The Mobile Factory Turns Earthquake Rubble Into Bricks For Permanent Homes

The Netherlands-based company makes Lego-like blocks from debris using portable equipment that fits in two shipping containers

October 3, 2016

In an artist's interpretation, the forested and warm Late Cretaceous is abruptly destroyed by a six-mile wide asteroid.

Life Bounced Back After the Dinosaurs Perished

The devastation was immediate, catastrophic and widespread, but plants and mammals were quick to take over

September 16, 2016

The bike on display at the Harley-Davidson Museum.

The Motorcycle That Rode the Tsunami

A Harley, washed out to sea, traveled more than 4,000 miles to its current home

September 12, 2016

People sit on a roof waiting to be rescued after Hurricane Katrina

Eleven Years After Katrina, What Lessons Can We Learn Before the Next Disaster Strikes?

Author and playwright John Biguenet offers his thoughts on the narrative of destruction

August 31, 2016

Rescuers search for survivors following the earthquake that struck central Italy early this morning.

Journey to the Center of Earth

The Geology Behind Italy’s Catastrophic Quake

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake shook the Apennine Mountains—and given the region’s geology, that’s no surprise

August 24, 2016

Louisiana's August 2016 flood has destroyed over 40,000 homes and killed at least 13.

Age of Humans

Does Climate Change Fuel Floods? It’s Complicated

Here’s why that question is hard to answer

August 19, 2016

The Sleepy Japanese Town Built Inside an Active Volcano

It’s been about 230 years since the last eruption killed half the population. But locals won’t let the volcano dictate their future

July 5, 2016

Help astronomers track asteroid 2010 NY65 as it streaks across the sky on Asteroid Day

With just a click, you can help astronomers learn more about two nearby asteroids

June 30, 2016

Louisiana is spending $42.5 million to rebuild the marshes in the Grand Liard Bayou. Without the project, the land was expected to disappear entirely by 2050.

Age of Humans

The Residents of This Louisiana Island Are America’s First “Climate Refugees”

As the sea levels rise, these photos provide a big picture view of a place losing the battle against climate change

June 29, 2016

American Exiles: Leaving Home

A series of three photo essays explores how America has treated its own people in times of crisis

July 2016

Portland, Oregon could be in the crosshairs of one of America's worst disasters if (or when) a 9.0 earthquake hits the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

It’s the mother of all disaster drills for what could be the worst disaster in American history

June 9, 2016

A crackmeter in action, measuring the gaps between a rock sheet and a rock wall

Why Rockfalls Happen on Beautiful Days in Yosemite

Temperatures drive rocks to expand and contract—until one lovely day when slabs may suddenly fall

March 28, 2016

Houses on the New Jersey shore sit in ruins in July 2013, roughly eight months after Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the area.

New Research

Twitter May Be Faster Than FEMA Models for Tracking Disaster Damage

Real-time online activity could provide speedier assessments as disaster unfolds than tools currently used by the government agency

March 11, 2016

One hundred and eleven new buildings were constructed in the downtown area between 1931 and 1933. The vast majority took their cues from Art Deco, the era’s cutting-edge architectural trend.

How an Earthquake Turned This New Zealand Town into the Art Deco Capital of the World

Napier turned its tragic past into an architectural wonder

February 19, 2016

Do these satellite sea surface images look similar? Experts think so. The image of the Pacific Ocean on the left was taken recently. To the right is a sea surface image taken in December 1997.

The world is bracing for record rains and droughts

December 30, 2015

Inside the one of the newly restored houses of Pompeii

The “Grand Pompeii Project” helps to preserve the dwellings

December 29, 2015

Residents evacuate their homes in Chennai during catastrophic floods.

Mass evacuations, a submerged airport and questions about the city’s urban planning

December 3, 2015

Tree-covered islands in Miyagi Prefecture, which has been affected by widespread flooding.

The floods are the worst seen in over 60 years

September 11, 2015

The Broken Promise of the Levees That Failed New Orleans

A piece of concrete serves as a reminder of how Hurricane Katrina shattered a city’s faith

September 2015