Countdown of the ten worst natural disasters in the United States related to hurricanes, tornadoes, drought, earthquakes, fires and floods.

The Live Science website contains numerous “top ten” lists in the area of environment, technology, history, animals, space and strange events. In their list of Top Ten Natural Disasters in the United States, the following rating is based on a combination of monetary damage and loss of life.

#10

Tri-State Tornado March 18, 1925

Within 3 ½ hours, the Tri-State Tornado tore through Illinois, Indiana, Missouri. It destroyed more than 15,000 homes and killed 700 people. Towns were obliterated. Of the total deaths, 613 people were from Illinois.

#9

Peshtigo Fire October 8, 1871

This fire in Wisconsin started the same day as the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In addition to destroying the city of Peshtigo, the fire spread and burned down 12 towns and killed approximately 1,200 people.

#8

Johnstown Flood May 31, 1889

Johnstown in Pennsylvania was totally washed away when the South Fork dam burst after days of heavy rains. The dam had been reconstructed with unstable material. The flood destroyed 1,600 homes and 2,209 people were killed.

#7

Heat Wave of Summer 1988

A year-long drought combined with hot weather had an adverse effect on farming in the Great Plains. It sparked wildfires in Yellowstone Park. Approximately 5,000 to 10,000 people died from health problems caused by the heat wave.

#6

Heat Wave of Summer 1980

A high-pressure ridge kept temperatures across the central and southern United States above 90F degrees for most of the summer. It caused a drought and approximately $48 billion was lost in the agriculture sector and approximately 10,000 people died from heat-related illnesses.

#5

Okeechobee Hurricane September 16, 1928

Residents of Lake Okeechobee returned home because they thought the hurricane had missed them. The storm did arrive with 140 mph winds and it caused a small dike to break at the lake's south end. In addition to heavy flooding, 2,500 people were killed.

#4

Great San Francisco Fire and Earthquake April 18, 1906

Residents of San Francisco were hit with an earthquake registering 7.7 to 7.9 on the Richter scale. In addition to toppling buildings, it set off fires that destroyed over 500 city blocks. There were 3,000 people killed and 225,000 people left homeless.

#3

Dust Bowl Early 1930's

Rising demands for wheat caused excessive plowing and planting in the southern Plains. The land eventually eroded and a 10-year drought dried up the soil. Windstorms swept up the soil and crop failure was widespread. Half a million people were homeless and many farmers applied for government assistance.

#2

Hurricane Katrina August 29, 2005

The Atlantic storm that began as a category 1 hurricane rose to category 5 by the time it hit the Louisiana coast with 125 mph sustained winds. The levees that protected New Orleans from higher coastal waters broke and submerged 80 percent of the city. Katrina killed at least 1,836 people and damages were estimated to be $125 billion.

#1

Hurricane Galveston September 8, 1900

Galveston is built on an island and city officials chose not to build a seawall to protect the city against the Gulf of Mexico waters. A category 4 hurricane with estimated 135 mph winds struck the city and buildings were crushed by the force of 15-foot-high waves. Several hours later, the entire island was submerged. An estimated 8,000 people died.

Sources:

• Live Science - Top Ten in Environment
• Wikipedia -