In the past two days, nearly 30 tornadoes have wreaked havoc in six states, from Arkansas in the south to Illinois in the Midwest. More than 100 tornado warnings were issues before Sunday morning – the most ever for a day in December. The Kentucky tornado, which is believed to have killed at least 50 people, is described as the worst in state history.
As one of the largest countries in the world, the United States is also one of the most geographically diverse – from deserts to forests to miles of coastline. While this has many advantages, it unfortunately leaves the country vulnerable to all kinds of natural disasters.
Different regions of the United States experience different types of natural disasters. The west coast is threatened by forest fires, earthquakes and even volcanic eruptions. The southern part of the country is frequently hit by tornadoes and the east coast faces the threat of devastating hurricanes every year. These natural disasters not only destroy property and pose serious problems to the economy, but also kill hundreds of people every year. Areas of the Midwest near rivers are often flooded with massive flooding – this is the worst flooding in American history.
24/7 Wall St. scanned government sources on the weather event in each state’s history that caused the highest number of fatalities to determine the worst natural disaster in each state.
Due to their geography and location, some states have not experienced any meteorological events resulting in significant casualties. Many other parts of the country were less fortunate, experiencing massive storms and flooding that claimed the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans. Many such events, such as the 1900 hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas, killed so many people that it was virtually impossible to get an accurate death toll, especially during this time.
The US weather continues to become more volatile. In 2018, there were 14 weather events each of which caused over a billion dollars in damage. And in many parts of the country, these weather events could become even more more destructive because of global warming – here are some places where the weather is getting worse because of climate change.
Click here to see the worst natural disaster in each state
Click here to see our methodology