Mega Disasters

pressure build-up, it is likely to erupt in the not too distant future. And it has happened in the past. Geologists have discovered evidence of a massive tsunami that struck the Pacific Northwest in 1700 -- as powerful as the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004. Hundreds of thousands of lives are at stake. Emergency planners, seismologists and other researchers are trying to get a handle on when Cascadia will blow, what it will look like and what - if anything -we can do to minimize the disaster.

What would happen if a category 3 hurricane were to hit New York City? With an awesomely high storm surge and intense winds attacking one of the most heavily populated and economically vital locations in the world, the potential for massive destruction is almost unprecedented. We explore the less-known but extensive history of previous northeast hurricanes -- especially the "Great Hurricane" of 1938 -- in order to create empirical evidence that a storm of this size is not a science fiction movie but a very real possibility in the near future. Time is also taken to explore the scientific nature and origins of hurricanes and to get an overview of some of the scientific and engineering changes that are taking place in the field of hurricane damage prevention. Using computer animation, models and re-creations the story concludes with a jaw-dropping view of what a storm like this might look like from inside the Big Apple.

Examine the cataclysmic earthquake that struck San Francisco on April 18, 1906, and discover how the city's rush to get back in business came at a price.