Originally published September 23 2005
Hurricane Katrina sparks questions about safest and most dangerous places to live in America
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Forbes.com columnist Sara Clemence says, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the short answer for Americans who are wondering if there is a totally safe place to live in America is no, since every part of the United States has some danger of a natural disaster, but some areas are more dangerous than others.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, some Americans--particularly Gulf Coast residents--may be wondering whether there are places in the U.S. that are safe from such natural disasters.
Major earthquakes don't tend to strike New England, but strong winds can peel the roof off a northeastern house and snowstorms can shut down cities.
"Every location in the country is exposed to one disaster or another," says Wendy Rose, spokeswoman for the Institute for Business & Home Safety, a Tampa, Fla.-based nonprofit insurance industry group that aims to reduce losses from natural catastrophes.
Sperling's has compiled weather and disaster data for 331 metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S., and we used the information to discern the safest--and least safe--areas in which to live.
At the top of our list was Honolulu, Hawaii, which lives up to its reputation as a paradise.
It is not only blessed with year-round beautiful weather and long stretches of beach; Hawaii is also not prone to tornadoes, wind, hail or extreme weather.
Hawaii can get hurricanes, but the last major one was in September 1992 and its damage was localized, with little loss of life, Lovell says.
Their effect was "just the aggravation of having to close some roads and use some of the National Guard and other military to drop water," he explains.
Unlike many places, Hawaii can fall victim to tsunamis.
But the last death from a giant wave happened in the 1970s, he says, when a few campers were drowned on a coastline.
Among them are the tsunamis, earthquakes and volcano activities.
We didn't give any one type of disaster more weight than another--although tornadoes and earthquakes can result in extensive damage, so can hail and rain.
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