Ten of the Worst Natural Disasters in U.S History (Based on Cost and Death Count)
-
The Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago fire ravaged through the city of Chicago Illinois in 1871. The fire left 100,000 people homeless and caused the death of around 300. The destruction of the Great Fire is around $5.4 billion in today's currency. At the time is was $222 million. -
The Peshtigo Fire
Occurring at the same time as the Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo Fire blazed through Wisconsin and Michigan. The fire is known as one of the worst disasters in United States history causing an estimated total of 2,500 deaths. On top of this high death count the fire caused $5 billion in today's currency and $169 million for that time period. The fire burned through 1.5 million acres of land. -
The Johnstown Flood
After a dam broke in Johnstown Pennsylvania the town was completely flooded. A total of 2,209 people were killed and 1,600 homes were destroyed. The twenty million tons of water that was let loose by the breaking of the dam caused trees, boulders, and even trains to be lifted away in the flow. The flooding was so powerfully that bodies from Johnstown Pa were discovered in Cincinnati Ohio. -
The Great Galveston Storm of 1900
The Great Galveston Storm of 1900 in Galveston Texas is known as one of the worst Natural Disasters in United States history. The Galveston Storm is responsible for a total of $20 million- $30 million in damage costs which is equivalent to $700 million USD in today's currency. Along with this the Great Strom took the lives of anywhere between 6,000- 12,000 people. Though the most common estimated death total is around 8,000. -
The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire
The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire is well known for it's large amounts of destruction and damage that it cost the city. The disaster at the time cost around $235 million, which in today's money is around $6.3 billion. On top of the damage that the earthquake caused the fire that followed after destroyed the city for days. The total death count from the 1906 disaster is around 3,000, though with this number around 200,000 people in the city were left homeless after the event. -
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. The hurricane caused large amounts of destruction and damage. The total cost of damage caused by the storm is around $160 billion. The total amount of lives taken by Hurricane Katrina is 1,390. -
Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy struck the United States in 2012 in the North Eastern region. The storm caused large amounts of damage, $70.2 billion worth. The total amount of deaths caused by the storm is 147. -
Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in 2017 costing around $125 billion. Fortunately the storm only took the lives of 107 people. Which is still painful but low in comparison to other Hurricanes that have hit our country. -
Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico in 2017. The storm caused devastating damage to Puerto Rico as the total cost was $90 billion. On top of the large amount of destruction there was a total of around 3,000 deaths from the 2017 autumn storm. -
Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian hit the southeastern part of the United States in 2022. The storm caused insanely high amounts of damage, totaling $112.9 billion. The death count of the storm was 161. -