Unnatural Disasters

Which parts of the U.S. have put themselves in nature’s way? 0

.largetitle { font: 1.2em verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: #336699; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 11px; margin-bottom: 4px; } .borderbot { height: 1px; line-height: 1px; font-size: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; } #trailimageid { position: absolute; visibility: hidden; left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 350px; height: 1px; z-index: 1000; }

It's easy to see in hindsight. Yes, Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster, but it was aided by some very unnatural factors -- developed wetlands and neglected levees, to name two. Figuring there must be other parts of the U.S. in human-made peril, we talked with experts to learn where we've made ourselves most vulnerable, and what -- in lieu of scrapping the whole country and starting over -- is being done to help.

Where will this country's next "unnatural disaster" strike? Mouse over or click on the hotspots on our map to find out.

Map: NationalAtlas.gov

Erica Gies is a freelance environmental writer who lives in San Francisco, Calif.

Related Stories

Advertisement
Advertisement

Add a Comment

You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.

Hello, Visitor!    Why not register?

Series Intro
The environmental take on Hurricane Katrina 0
Hurricane Katrina brings a foretaste of environmental disasters to come 7
Slow Katrina evacuation fits pattern of injustice during crises 7
What New Orleans could look like the second time around 5
Katrina prompts new energy proposals -- some green, most not 1
David Helvarg sends a dispatch from the hurricane-ravaged South 0
Umbra on rebuilding the Gulf Coast 1
Post-Katrina floodwaters are dirty, but so are other U.S. waterways 2
An eye on this year's record-setting hurricane season 0
In which we ask a mess of smart people what should happen in New Orleans 3
A roundup of green plans and brown bills proposed post-Katrina 0
Which parts of the U.S. have put themselves in nature's way? 0
A hurricane expert explains the climate-change connection 1
When inheriting the earth isn't such a good deal 3
Advertisement