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The marker.
Eureka, North Carolina

Goldsboro Nuclear Mishap

A sign marks the plane crash that caused two nuclear bombs to fall in North Carolina.
Permanently Closed
Oblique aerial view of Wink Sink 1.
Winkler County, Texas

Wink Sink

Two massive and unstable sinkholes are yearning to unite, and their consummation could be catastrophic.
The four-ton Mintrop ball
Göttingen, Germany

Wiechert Earthquake Station

Home to the world’s oldest seismograph and a four-ton steel ball that makes its own earthquakes.
Space debris looks awesome, but don't touch it.
disasters

No Matter What, Do Not Touch the Space Junk

You almost certainly won't encounter any pieces of the falling Chinese space station, but if you do—keep your distance.
Jessica Leigh Hester March 30, 2018
Haunting and overgrown.
Concepción, Chile

Enrique Molina Theater

The ruins of a grand theater destroyed during the most powerful seismic catastrophe ever recorded.
The tsunami stone of Aneyoshi Village
Kesennuma, Japan

Tsunami Stones

Stone slabs along the coast warn of Japan's tsunami-ravaged past, often marking the highest point of a wave's reach.
Directing water from a cave spring to drinking water containers in Corozal, Puerto Rico, in October 2017.
disasters

The Hidden Problems With Puerto Rico's Water Supply

Hurricane Maria exacerbated long-term issues, and researchers are only just starting to understand how.
Sarah Laskow March 5, 2018
A tree makes its last stand against the ocean.
Ndieulé Mbam, Senegal

Langue de Barbarie

A tree seems to grow from the ocean floor on this strange strip of sand slowly being overtaken by the sea.
The entrance to Couch Place today.
Chicago, Illinois

Couch Place (The Alley of Death)

This alley in downtown Chicago held the bodies of over 600 people after the fateful Iroquois Theatre fire.
Vajont Dam.
Erto e Casso, Italy

Vajont Dam

When a massive landslide hit one of the world's tallest dams it created a tragic environmental disaster.
Stephen King at a book signing, c 1976.
disasters

A Burst Pipe Ruined Original Stephen King Manuscripts

Gerald Winters's bookstore in Bangor, Maine, specializes in rare editions and type-written drafts.
Sarah Laskow January 18, 2018
Families picked their way through the flooded streets of San Juan after Hurricane Maria.
disasters

2017 Brought Disasters, and Brought Out the Best in People

When wildfires, earthquakes, floods, and other crises delivered one wallop after another, bravery, kindness, and creativity fought back.
Jessica Leigh Hester December 18, 2017
Grave of the unidentified S.S. Valencia victims.
Seattle, Washington

Mount Pleasant Cemetery

This graveyard contains markers and monuments dedicated to some of the darkest chapters in Washington's history.
The ROV that captured footage of the wreck of <em>SS Itata</em>, 650 feet down.
disasters

Found: The Wreck of Chile's 'Titanic'

After decades of searching, the site where 400 lost their lives has been identified.
Vittoria Traverso November 13, 2017
Old railroad tunnel on upper part of Iron Goat Trail.
Leavenworth, Washington

Iron Goat Trail

The site of the Wellington avalanche, one of the America's worst railroad disasters.
The cranium of the unknown victim.
disasters

This Skull May Have Belonged to the Earliest Known Tsunami Victim

Sediments tell of a disaster in Papua New Guinea 6,000 years ago.
Natasha Frost October 26, 2017
Fourth Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska, after a magnitude-9.2 earthquake in 1964. The earthquake was caused by the Aleutian Megathrust, a subduction zone.
disasters

Simulating What Could Happen When the 'Really Big One' Hits the Pacific Northwest

When the Cascadia subduction zone slips, the effects will vary based on where and how.
Kelsey Kennedy October 23, 2017
Northern Puerto Rico on September 26, 2017.
disasters

Help Puerto Rico Recover by Mapping Damaged Areas

Response workers need the best possible information to direct aid.
Sarah Laskow October 9, 2017