More Americans have died in hurricanes than in any other natural disaster.
Since its birth, the United States has withstood the full range of natural disasters. Certain regions have an elevated threat of particular types of disaster: the Atlantic and Gulf coasts for hurricanes, the west coast for earthquakes and a swath of the Great Plains, known as "Tornado Alley," for twisters. Floods and fires are indiscriminate. Comparing the death tolls of all these disasters, hurricanes have claimed the most American lives.
Hurricanes
Although Katrina was the most devastating hurricane in the country's recent history, it only ranks third on the list of deadliest tropical storms to hit the U.S. The Galveston Hurricane of September 8, 1900, killed at least 6,000 people, the most to perish in any U.S. natural disaster, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Owing to the inadequate means of weather prediction of the time and the absence of a protective sea wall, a great storm surge was able to sweep over the island, destroying a large portion of the city and catching many residents still in their homes. Twenty-eight years after the Galveston tragedy, the Okeechobee Hurricane lashed Palm Beach, Florida. Moving inland, it filled the shallow Lake Okeechobee to the brim and beyond. Swampy farmland around the lake flooded, and an estimated 2,300 people were swept away.
Earthquakes
Almost 3,000 lost their lives as a result of the San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire of April 18, 1906. The deadliest U.S. earthquake, it broke open 296 miles at the northern end of the San Andreas fault. Tremors could be felt from southern Oregon to south of Los Angeles, as well as inland as far as central Nevada. Geological discoveries derived from studies of this event have aided in mitigation of later earthquakes, reports the U.S. Geological Survey.
Floods
On May 31, 1889, after a night of heavy rains, a dam on Lake Conemaugh above Johnstown, Pennsylvania, broke, sending 20 million tons of water crashing down the valley. A prosperous steel company town of 30,000, Johnstown would lose over 2,200 residents in the flood. At times, the wall of water grew to 60 feet and moved at 40 miles per hour. No other flood to date has claimed more lives in the U.S.
Fires
The Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin on October 5, 1871, holds the record for deadliest U.S. fire. Sitting amidst dense forests of cedar and spruce trees, Peshtigo was suffering through a rare drought year. When a rapidly moving forest fire began, many isolated farms and homes were caught by surprise. Somewhere between 1,500 and 2,400 died as a result, according to Simon Fraser University of Canada. Ironically, national aid was slow to arrive because the less-deadly but more-publicized Great Fire of Chicago occurred on the same day.
Tornadoes
Tornadoes generally cause much greater property damage than loss of life, but the Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925 was an exception. Ranging over Illinois, Indiana and Missouri, the storm claimed a total of almost 700 lives. After so many years, weather scientists find it impossible to determine whether the tornado, which was on the ground for over three hours, was a single twister or a family of tornadoes.
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