Disasters

Describes the scientific causes and impact of the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, and explains how geologists predict earthquakes and how architects prepare for them.

Presents accounts of five of the world's worst air disasters, each with a time line, photographs, and definitions of key terms.

Describes the impact of cyclones, hurricanes, and tornadoes, presenting several historic examples of each, and discusses the "perfect storm" that hit New England on Halloween 1991.

Describes the impact of several historic earthquakes around the world, including Mexico City, 1985; San Francisco, 1989; and others in Japan, Lisbon, and China.

Discusses how tornadoes begin and work, some of the strange things they have done, and advice for protecting oneself during a tornado.

An introduction to hurricanes, describing their causes and destructive force, how they are predicted and named, and how to protect people from these terrible storms.

Brief text examines the disastrous effects of uncontrollable fires, methods of fire extinction and prevention, and ways to protect people during a fire.