Natural Disasters

Explore the world’s most powerful natural disasters—from earthquakes to hurricanes—and the real stories of survival, science, and aftermath behind them.

Six Disasters You've Never Heard Of That Killed Thousands 09/19/2026

Six Disasters You've Never Heard Of That Killed Thousands While everyone knows about Pompeii and Katrina, some of history's deadliest natural disasters have vanished from collective memory. We're counting down six catastrophic events—from China's forgotten flood to a European freeze that erased entire villages—that killed thousands yet somehow slipped through the cracks of history books. These are the disasters the world forgot, but the victims deserve to be remembered. /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/42958658

The Town Buried Standing: Armero and the Nevado del Ruiz Eruption 09/04/2026

The Town Buried Standing: Armero and the Nevado del Ruiz Eruption On November 13, 1985, the Colombian town of Armero was wiped off the map in less than two hours when a volcanic eruption 30 miles away sent a wall of mud, ash, and debris cascading down the mountain. This is the story of the warnings that went unheeded, the survivors who clung to rooftops in the darkness, and the little girl whose photograph became the haunting face of one of the deadliest volcanic disasters in recorded history. /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/42781370

When Earth Shakes vs. When Earth Opens: Earthquakes and Sinkholes 08/20/2026

When Earth Shakes vs. When Earth Opens: Earthquakes and Sinkholes Both make the ground beneath our feet betray us, but in dramatically different ways. We explore how earthquakes unleash energy built up over centuries in seconds, while sinkholes can form silently over years or swallow entire buildings in moments. From the 1906 San Francisco quake to Guatemala's catastrophic urban sinkholes, discover why solid ground isn't always so solid. /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/42496725

Seven Survivors: The Deadliest Disasters with the Lowest Death Tolls 08/04/2026

Seven Survivors: The Deadliest Disasters with the Lowest Death Tolls Sometimes the most devastating disasters don't claim the most lives. We're counting down seven catastrophic events—from volcanic eruptions to megaquakes—where the forces of nature unleashed their full fury, yet through extraordinary circumstances, the human toll remained shockingly low. These are the disasters where everything went wrong, except the body count. /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/42311625

The Wave That Crossed an Ocean: Japan's 2011 Tsunami 07/16/2026

The Wave That Crossed an Ocean: Japan's 2011 Tsunami On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake sent walls of water up to 130 feet high crashing into Japan's northeast coast, wiping entire towns off the map in minutes. We trace the tsunami from its undersea birth to its catastrophic landfall, following the stories of survivors who faced impossible choices and the nuclear plant workers who prevented an even greater catastrophe. This is the anatomy of the most expensive natural disaster in human history. /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/42110505

Fire vs. Water: California's Wildfire Infernos and Louisiana's Hurricane Fury 06/19/2026

Fire vs. Water: California's Wildfire Infernos and Louisiana's Hurricane Fury Two states, two recurring nightmares. While California battles ever-intensifying wildfires that devour entire communities in hours, Louisiana faces relentless hurricanes that drown cities and reshape coastlines. We explore how these contrasting disasters share surprising commonalities in human impact, economic devastation, and the impossible choices communities face when deciding whether to rebuild or retreat. /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41700585

Five Disasters That Rewrote the Map 06/08/2026

Five Disasters That Rewrote the Map Some natural disasters don't just destroy—they permanently reshape the Earth itself. From the earthquake that made the Mississippi run backward to the volcanic eruption that created a brand new island overnight, we're counting down five catastrophes that literally redrew the world map. /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41569895

The Night the Mountain Exploded: Mount St. Helens 1980 05/23/2026

The Night the Mountain Exploded: Mount St. Helens 1980 On a quiet Sunday morning in Washington State, the entire north face of a mountain collapsed in the largest landslide in recorded history—triggering an eruption that would kill 57 people and reshape our understanding of volcanic monitoring. We explore the weeks of warning signs, the fateful decisions that kept people in the danger zone, and the story of David Johnston, the young volcanologist who radioed "Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!" seconds before the blast consumed him. /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41401485

Greatest Disasters 12/24/2025

Greatest Disasters These disasters shaped our planet /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096500

Best of pt2 11/26/2025

Best of pt2 Natural Disasters best of episode! /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096505

Best of 11/11/2025

Best of Natural Disasters best of episode! /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096510

Winter Mayhem pt2 10/28/2025

Winter Mayhem pt2 Costly in both life and property con't /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096515

Winter Mayhem 10/15/2025

Winter Mayhem Costly in both life and property /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096520

Greatest Diasters 09/30/2025

Greatest Diasters Costly in both life and property /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096525

Summer Disasters pt2 09/16/2025

Summer Disasters pt2 Took a look at summer's devastation con't /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096530

Summer Disasters 09/02/2025

Summer Disasters Took a look at summer's devastation /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096535

Floods pt2 08/19/2025

Floods pt2 Floods pt2 /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096540

Floods 08/05/2025

Floods /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096545

Hail pt2 07/22/2025

Hail pt2 /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096550

Hail 07/09/2025

Hail /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096555

Tornadoes 06/25/2025

Tornadoes /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096560

Natural Disasters Overview pt2 06/11/2025

Natural Disasters Overview pt2 Lets get our nomenclature down con't /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096565

Natural Disasters Overview pt2 05/28/2025

Natural Disasters Overview pt2 Lets get our nomenclature down con't /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096570

Natural Disasters Overview 05/15/2025

Natural Disasters Overview Lets get our nomenclature down /episode/index/show/6553ab83-26e1-4cd7-b7dc-8dab660db811/id/41096575

Natural Disasters

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