Year: 1953 | Event: Tornado
Waco, TX
F5 tornado that struck the downtown area, killing 114 and injuring 597. Many people outside crowded into local businesses for shelter, however, few of the buildings were sturdy enough to withstand the winds and they collapsed almost immediately.
Year: 1970 | Event: Tornado
Lubbock, TX
F5 tornado killed 26 and wounded approximately 500, it occurred 17 years to the day after the deadly Waco Tornado.
Year: 1980 | Event: Ship collision
St. Petersburg, FL
The freighter MV Summit Venture collided with a pier during a storm sending 1200 feet of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge plummeting. A Greyhound Bus and ten cars fell 150 feet, killing 35 people.
Year: 1980 | Event: Volcano
WA
57 people were killed when the super volcano Mt. St. Helens erupted. Eruption column rose 80,000 feet into the atmosphere. Ash deposited in 11 US states.
Year: 1984 | Event: Fire (building)
Jackson Township, NJ
8 teenagers trapped and killed by asphyxiation during fire in amusement park haunted house. No sprinklers or smoke alarms installed.
Year: 1995 | Event: Flood
New Orleans, LA
20 inches of rain in 12 hours fell in some parts of New Orleans and surrounding areas caused by a stalled frontal system. 6 fatally wounded, over $360 million in damages.
Year: 1997 | Event: Fire (building)
Southgate, Kentucky near Cincinnati, OH
Nightclub fire in which 165 persons died and over 200 were injured. Inadequate fire exits, faulty wiring, overcrowding and many other deficiencies contributed to the cause.
Year: 1999 | Event: Tornado
OK, KS, TX, TN
66 tornadic events killed 48 people and caused $1.1 billion in damage. Brought attention to the unsafe nature of highway overpasses as shelters from tornadoes, where seeking shelter in an overpass "is to become a stationary target for flying debris".
Year: 2011 | Event: Tornado
Joplin, MO
Joplin Tornado reached 1 mile wide at its largest killing 161 along the way and injuring 990.
Year: Each Year | Event: Motor Vehicle Accidents
United States
Approximately 35,000 people die in motor vehicle crashes each year. About 50 percent (17,000) of these people could be saved if they wore their safety belts.
