In the United States each year, natural hazards
cause hundreds of deaths and cost tens of billions of dollars in disaster
aid, disruption of commerce, and destruction of homes and critical infrastructure.
This series of sections will educate citizens, emergency managers, and
lawmakers on seven natural hazards facing the Nation — earthquakes,
floods, hurricanes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanoes, and wildfires — and
show how USGS science helps mitigate disasters and build resilient communities.
Ground shaking caused by the
sudden release of accumulated strain by an abrupt shift of rock along
a fracture in the Earth or by volcanic or magmatic activity, or other sudden
stress changes in the Earth.
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Relatively high streamflow that overflows
the natural or artificial banks of a stream or that submerges land not
normally below water level.
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Severe cyclones, or revolving
storms, originating over the equatorial regions of the Earth, accompanied
by torrential rain, lightning, and winds with a speed greater than 74 miles
per hour.
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Downslope movement of rock, soil,
or artificial fill under the influences of gravity.
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Large destructive sea waves generated
by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or large landslides.
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Vents in the surface of the Earth
through which magma and associated gases erupt; also, the forms of
structures, usually conical, that are produced by the erupted material.
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Combustion, marked by flames or
intense heat, in natural settings, often ignited by lightning or human
activities. For fires set as part of natural resource managment, use controlled
fires.
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Hazard Fact Sheets
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Federal Resources
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