Mega Disasters: Collection One

From DocuWiki

[edit] General Information

Science Documentary hosted by JV Martin, published by History Channel in 2008 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

Mega Disasters: Collection One What would happen if a major catastrophe struck the United States? Using past natural disasters as an example, this detailed – and disturbing – collection from HISTORY examines tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and even an asteroid impact, to see what disasters could be coming our way. The same geological forces that ripped apart the ancient world still roil beneath the surface today. Will history repeat itself? What are experts doing to avoid a landslide of death and destruction in the event of an eruption at Mt. Rainier? Would the people – and skyscrapers – of present-day Chicago survive a high-speed tornado like the one that hit in 1967? And what would happen if a Category 3 hurricane were to hit New York City? Computer animations, models, and re-creations providing a jaw-dropping view of what a storm like this could do to the Big Apple. History: Mega Disasters examines it all – quakes, droughts, freezes and eruptions. They’ve happened before; will they happen again?

[edit] West Coast Tsunami

What would happen if a massive earthquake and tsunami were to strike the West Coast of the United States? Experts say it could easily match the catastrophic 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in scale and might. A 700-mile stretch of coast, from northern California to southern British Columbia lies just off the extremely volatile Cascadia Subduction Zone

[edit] American Volcano

What would happen if Mt. Rainier were to go the way of Mt. St. Helens? The 1980 Mt. St. Helens blast killed every living thing within a 25-mile radius and unleashed the biggest landslide in recorded history. Now, Mount Rainier, 60 miles east of Seattle, threatens an even greater loss of life and property. This 14,000-foot peak holds more ice and snow than all other volcanoes in the Cascade Range combined, and geologists say that it's not a question of if Rainier will erupt...but when. As we'll see, if people don't have an efficient evacuation plan, the death toll will be incredible.

[edit] Asteroid Apocalypse

What if the same fate that befell the dinosaurs were to strike again today? It has happened before, and it could happen again. What makes storms, earthquakes and other events into natural disaster is not how they occur, but where they strike. MEGA DISASTERS asks the what ifs? no one ever wants to face. A masterful blend of actual footage, computer graphics and interviews with leading scientists and public safety experts explores the outer limits of what could happen if everything went wrong. Many scientists believe that a "killer asteroid" wiped out the dinosaurs and 70 percent of all living things 160-million years ago. How likely is it that a similar event can occur again? ASTEROID APOCALYPSE answers the question in an unforgettable way, showing how such an impact on the West Coast could wreak destruction and chaos that could cripple the nation. But we?ll also see what could be done to mitigate the effects of such a calamity.

[edit] Yellowstone Eruption

What would happen if the "mega-volcano" underneath Yellowstone National Park erupted? The world's largest, most active volcano system exists in the western US. 6,000 years ago, the Yellowstone Volcano erupted. Lava and pyroclastic flows covered 3,000-square miles with ash 3-feet thick. Fossils discovered as far away as Nebraska were foundto have died from inhaling the Yellowstone debris. If--or perhaps we should say when--it erupts again, the Yellowstone "Mega-Volcano" will create a global cataclysm beyond human comprehension. Everything within 150 miles--including the cities of Cody, Wyoming and Bozeman, Montana--will be hit by an 800-degree blast of heat and 200 miles-per-hour winds. Thousands will be killed. That's just the local effects. Half the US will be buried beneath a blanket of volcanic ash. Crops in the Midwest--the world's breadbasket--will be destroyed. And it will take years before crops can grow again. Starvation, epidemics, and social chaos won't be long in coming.

[edit] Earthquake in the Heartland

Could a killer earthquake strike America's heartland? If history proves true, the answer is yes. The 1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquakes (centered in southeast Missouri) rank as some of North America's most catastrophic natural disasters. Stretching more than 160 miles, a system of earthquake faults lurks beneath the Mississippi River basin, loaded and ready to erupt. And it's happened before. Pioneer residents of New Madrid, Missouri were thrown from their beds in the early hours of December 16, 1811 when an estimated 8-point earthquake hit. But it wasn't just one event. Multiple shocks were experienced over the next three months--the largest caused the Mississippi to flow backwards. No earthquake sequence has lasted so long, produced so many shocks, nor created such astonishing phenomena on land and water. The New Madrid Fault remains a seismically active area and experts expect a repeat. The only question is when...

[edit] East Coast Tsunami

Hurricanes. Earthquakes. Floods. Blizzards. Frightening but all too familiar natural disasters. But what about a tsunami wave hitting the east coast of the United States? In this hour, we look at such an event that could be caused by a massive island landslide triggered by a volcano off the coast of Africa. We explore the awesome tsunami recorded by German colonists in New Guinea triggered by a volcanic explosion on Ritter Island in 1888. Leaping forward, we hear from leading scientists about the possibility of a potentially catastrophic collapse of the west-facing façade of a volcano located in the Canary Islands. Potentially 500 times the size of the collapse at Ritter Island, it could trigger a tsunami with initial waves over 900 meters high. A North American city on the eastern seaboard, such as Charleston, South Carolina, would have no more than nine hours to evacuate before waves as high as 40 feet inundated the city, leaving a huge wake of destruction and damage.

[edit] Mega Freeze

Is the increasingly unpredictable weather of the last few years a sign of disaster to come? The "freak" weather of the last few decades--stronger hurricanes, more tornadoes, intense heat waves, to name a few--has signaled to scientists that the climate is changing rapidly and unpredictably. Events such as these were precursors to cataclysmic changes in the past. The great Mayan civilization was knocked out by drought in a few generations. The Little Ice Age battered Europe. Within a decade, freezing temperatures increased and incessant storms brought starvation, disease, and death to millions. Could this happen again?

[edit] New York City Hurricane

What havoc would a major seismic event wreak on America's densest - and tallest - metropolis? Experience the full force of nature's fury in this earth-shaking episode! Earthquakes seem to be more of an L.A. thing, but New York City is actually the site of frequent seismic activity, including major quakes in 1737 an 1884. Picture a busy midweek morning in the heart of Manhattan with hundreds of thousands of commuters on their way to work. Suddenly the ground shakes violently, and a deafening roar thunders through the city. Earthquake! The beaches turn to quicksand, high-rise buildings sway and elevators strand thousands. The subway, bridges and tunnels, and the surface streets become hopelessly clogged. Millions are in peril, trapped on a small island. The immeasurable damage to infrastructure would take many years and billions of dollars to repair

[edit] Volcanic Winter

The largest volcanic eruption of the past two million years occurred on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, 75,000 years ago. The impact from the super volcano Toba decimated the local habitat, but gas, ash and debris from Toba made their way around the planet and formed a shield in the atmosphere that deflected the sun's warming rays. Temperatures plummeted and the planet was thrown into a volcanic winter and may have even pushed the planet into an ice age. 3-D computer animation will recreate the storm and unveil how this one volcano could have brought humanity to the edge of extinction.

[edit] Tornado Alley Twister

What would happen if an F5 tornado tore though Dallas, Texas? . In 1999, a twister touched down in Oklahoma City. But this was not a typical Midwestern funnel cloud--it was a "Mega Tornado" with winds swirling at 318 miles per hour. It scoured the earth for 85 minutes along a 38-mile path, killing 43 people and causing hundreds of millions of dollars of damage. TORNADO ALLEY TWISTER revisits that storm and then asks what would happen if a similar fate were to befall Dallas.

[edit] Comet Catastrophe

A comet, crashing into the Pacific Ocean could cause millions of casualties followed by a lethal tsunami, earthquake, torrential rains and a nuclear winter. Is the next massive impact just around the corner?

[edit] Gamma Ray Burst

450 million years ago, nearly all life on Earth was eliminated. Could this mass extinction have been caused by rays from outer space? And it could happen again?! What makes storms, earthquakes and other events into natural disasters is not how they occur, but where they strike. Gamma ray bursts occur randomly and often. At times, they light up the reaches of deep space like fireworks. Just ten seconds' exposure to one would spell doom for Earth.