Mega Disasters

Mega Disasters is a History Channel original series that explores potential catastrophic threats to individual cities, countries and the entire globe. The two mega disasters of the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 inspired the series and provided a reference point for many of the episodes. Excepting only two shows devoted to man-made disasters, the threats explored can be divided into three categories: meteorological, geological, and cosmic.

Each episode follows a general pattern: 1) introduction teasing the catastrophic outcome of the threat, 2) background on the science and scientists warning of the threat, 3) presentation of similar previous disasters, 4) recap of the evidence, and finally, 5) a realistic scenario using computer models and special effects to flesh out the tantalizing details of the disaster.

Season One (2006)
1. West Coast Tsunami

The United States faces a potential tsunami threat that mirrors the catastrophic Indonesia tsunami of 2004. Just west of the Oregon coast lies the Cascadia subduction zone where the Juan de Fuca Plate is moving under the North American Plate. A major earthquake here could displace enough water to cause a massive tidal wave to impact along the west coast.

2. Tornado Alley Twister

A Dallas, Texas tornado event is examined.

'''3. New York City Hurricane

New York City suffers a Katrina-like disaster.

4. American Volcano

Mt. Rainier is a ticking time bomb that could dwarf the Mt. St Helens eruption, sending massive lahars and mudslides toward the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area.

5. Asteroid Apocalypse

The possibility of a cosmic impact on the the planet Earth is examined.

6. Earthquake in the Heartland

The New Madrid Fault could reawaken at any time and destroy St. Louis and Memphis, like the New Madrid Earthquake of 1811-12.

7. Yellowstone Eruption

Yellowstone National Park lies on top of a magma chamber that is 35-miles wide, waiting to erupt. For the Wikipedia article, see Yellowstone Caldera

8. Windy City Tornado

Chicago is menaced by three fictional tornadoes.

9. East Coast Tsunami

A volcano island off the northwestern coast of Africa in the Canary Islands is collapsing; if it does, a massive tsunami will be headed right for the East coast of the United States , threatening major cities like New York, Boston, Baltimore, and Miami.

10. Firestorm

The 1917 explosion that killed 2000 people in Halifax could happen again if everything went exactly the wrong way in Boston.

11. Mega Freeze

Ice ages can come and go under an abrupt climate change scenario.

12. California's Katrina

What if a super storm causes a Flood in Sacramento, California?

Season Two (2007)
1. Comet Catastrophe

A comet is imagined to strike the Earth and cause major devastation.

2. Gamma Ray Burst

Every few seconds, a supernova emits jets of deadly gamma rays somewhere in the galaxy. If one of these gamma ray bursts should happen sufficiently close to the solar system, all life would perish.

3. Krakatoa's Revenge

Another eruption at Krakatoa could spell curtains for Indonesia.

4. Hawaii Apocalypse

The shield volcanoes that make the Hawaiian Islands can easily break off and cause mega-tsunamis.

5. Methane Explosion

Methane gas precipitates out of the Earth's crust but is easily diluted in the air and in the oceans. Yet, according to one scientist, certain oceanic conditions could trap the gas in regions with low water circulation and build up extreme pressure. Once these areas are disturbed, the gas would blow out of the ocean in powerful jets. If they ignited before diluting, the explosion could cause widespread devastation. The scientist also posits that a similar event caused the Permian extinction.

6. Glacier Meltdown

As temperatures rise, a global meltdown has begun. From the Andes to the Himalayas to the Alps, glaciers are vanishing. In Antarctica and Greenland, vast ice sheets are turning into liquid. The melting ice, running off land, is raising sea levels. As sea levels rise, oceans throughout the world are also becoming hotter. Warmer seas fuel more intense hurricanes. Already, major catastrophes brought on by the process of melting ice, rising seas and intensifying storms have occurred in coastal communities around the world: the South Pacific, Bangladesh and--closer to home--New Orleans. Scientists predict that the worst is yet to come. The rising oceans may swallow some lands forever. By the turn of the century, the map of the world may need to be redrawn and a Category 4 hurricane could drown much of Washington, DC in 15 feet of water.

7. Alien Infection

Could an alien infection cause an epidemic on earth? Some experts believe that spacecraft returning from Mars could bring back a harmful sample or comet dust falling into our atmosphere could cause pandemics. One astronomer believes that the Influenza of 1918, which killed between 50-100 million people, was one such outbreak and that another "infection" could decimate the world's population. Astrobiologists are now poised to bring Mars samples back to earth to examine them in a Bio 4 level safety lab. In a hypothetical future disaster scenario, track how comet dust would seed the earth with a virulent virus. Quarantine measures don't work and panic ensues.

8. New York Earthquake

An earthquake in New York City may seem like the plot of a bad movie, but a magnitude 5 quake occurred in 1884 and could happen again. Two faults run under Manhattan Island, including the 125th Street Fault where the landscape dips and the subway crosses on an open bridge. Since skyscrapers are designed to withstand windspeeds of 100MPH, most would survive sans windows; however, mid-sized masonry structures would collapse. As well, buildings (including smaller skyscrapers) built on landfill in Battery Park are subject to soil liquefaction, tipping over entirely in a major earthquake.

9. Mega Drought

Trends indicate that a major drought event is looming in the not-too-distant future. In as few as three decades we could experience conditions that would make the Dust Bowl of the 30s seem like an oasis. Efforts to conserve, while admirable and desperately necessary, may already be too late. In stark detail MEGA DISASTERS projects a scenario seventy years down the road in which a twelve-year drought leaves the United States unstable and economically depressed. Western cities are abandoned, states clash for dwindling water supplies and society devolves into a battle for survival.

10. Super Swarms

The locust is one of the most destructive and dreaded life forms on Earth. American pioneers faced the largest swarm of locusts ever recorded. The 1,800 mile long and 110 mile wide cloud of insects ate their way through the heartland and blocked the sun for five days. Famine ensued, and thousands faced starvation. According to recent studies, the possibility of such a swarm returning to the United States is very likely. The destruction would be unimaginable.

11.Oil Apocalypse

The oil that our world runs on won't last forever. The gap between supply and demand is ever increasing. Will alternative energy save us or is it already too late? What would happen to the world as we know it when our oil dependent industries come to a grinding halt? A worldwide depression is a certainty but a power struggle for the basic necessities of life would be complete chaos.

12.L.A.'s Killer Quake

It has been a century since the infamous 1906 San Francisco earthquake and Californians live with the knowledge that it's only a matter of time before they're hit again. Los Angeles is the second most populous city in America. If an earthquake hit directly beneath downtown LA, scientists believe that tens of thousands would be killed. Just how would the city respond to a 7.5 magnitude quake? Take a look at how well the emergency responders could cope. A CGI worst-case scenario will show the incredible damage and destruction that would cripple one of the most important cities in the world.

13.The Next Pompeii?

In 79 AD Mt. Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii and killed 5,000 people. The volcano is quiet at the moment, but the only consistency in Vesuvius' eruptive history is a lack of consistency. The danger zone that surrounds the volcano includes the city of Naples and its one million residents; another two million people reside nearby. Scientists know that when Vesuvius erupts again they won't have much warning and another major metropolis will be destroyed.

Season 3 (2008)
1.Hypercane

Scientists theorize that a hypercane helped kill the dinosaurs when one formed 65 million years ago after an asteroid strike. They also explore the possibilities of one forming in the future.