Natural Hazards

Earthquakes are caused by the movement of one tectonic plate against another and can also be induced through human activity including the disposal of liquid waste from oil and gas wells.

Wildfires can move and burn large areas at an incredible speed, leading to significant damage to both natural areas and property. In the United States, they are becoming more frequent and intense in some areas, and proximity to wildfires may reduce property values.

Tornadoes are narrow rotating columns of air and can be the most violent of all atmospheric storms. The most powerful tornadoes can cause injury, loss of life, widespread damage, and the complete destruction of homes.

A flood is an overflow of water that submerges normally dry land. The floods included in this analysis caused personal injury or loss of life, property damage, and/or disruption to commerce or transportation.

Severe Winter Weather often involves cold temperatures, icy roads, utility power failures, loss of Internet and other services, and can be sufficiently impactful to cause personal injuries or loss of life, significant crop or other property damage, and/or disruption to commerce or transportation.

Hurricanes are storms that form over tropical or subtropical water and have the potential to produce devastating winds and flooding from storm surge and extreme rainfall. Both flooding and high winds are dangerous safety risks and cause significant property damage.

Exposure is preventable. Reliable testing kits are widely available and there are steps you can take to stop radon from concentrating at unhealthy levels in your home or business, usually by sealing cracks and increasing airflow.

Drought is a lack of precipitation that results in a water shortage. In the US, drought is the second most costly form of natural disaster and can have far-reaching health and safety consequences including reduced air quality, reduced quantity and quality of water, and an increased risk of...

Extreme climate and weather-related events, including prolonged droughts, scorching wildfires, severe storms, and floods, are on the rise across the United States. Damaging hurricanes happen more frequently; 100-year floods occur with regularity; wildfires spread to places once thought beyond the reach of flames.

Heat waves are becoming more common in many parts of the United States. A heat wave is defined by NOAA as ‘a period of unusually hot weather that typically lasts two or more days’. To be considered a heat wave, these high temperatures would have to be outside the historical averages of a given area.

The damage caused by climate change doesn’t just stop with damage to the environment. Climate change also can cause significant damage to human health. Climate change directly and indirectly affects our health in several major ways.