Mega Disasters
Season 1
Combining science and history, Mega Disasters visits the sites of the most incredible disasters of the past -- and then virtually recreates them in modern times and locations using state-of-the-art computer animation.
Where to Watch Season 1
13 Episodes
- West Coast Tsunami
E1West Coast TsunamiThe 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 wave to impact along the west coast. - Tornado Alley Twister
E2Tornado Alley TwisterWhat happens when the most intense tornado ever measured strikes Dallas, Texas? With winds clocked at 318 miles per hour, the monster twister carves a path through the city up to a mile wide. It happened once before, just two hundred miles to the north in Oklahoma City. There in May 1999 a "Megatornado" scoured the earth for 85 minutes along a 38-mile path. - New York City Hurricane
E3New York City HurricaneWhat would happen if a category 3 hurricane were to hit New York City? With an awesomely high storm surge and intense winds attacking one of the most heavily populated and economically vital locations in the world, the potential for massive destruction is almost unprecedented. - American Volcano
E4American VolcanoThe 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens alerted scientists and the world to the dangers of an explosive volcano in the Cascade Range. St. Helens erupted in a fiery blast that killed every living thing within a 25-mile radius and unleashed the biggest landslide in recorded history. - Asteroid Apocalypse
E5Asteroid ApocalypseMany scientists now believe that a "killer asteroid" wiped out the dinosaurs and 70% of all living things 160-million years ago. How likely is it that a similar event can occur again? In this episode, we explore the catastrophic effects of a 2-kilometer-long asteroid hitting just off the coast of Los Angeles. - Earthquake in the Heartland
E6Earthquake in the HeartlandCould a killer earthquake strike America's heartland? If history proves true, the answer is yes. The 1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquakes (centered in southeast Missouri) rank as some of North America's most catastrophic natural disasters. Stretching more than 160 miles, a system of earthquake faults lurks beneath the Mississippi River basin, loaded and ready to erupt. - Yellowstone Eruption
E7Yellowstone EruptionThe largest and most active volcano system in the world is right here in the western United States. Six hundred thousand years ago, the Yellowstone volcano erupted. Lava and pyroclastic flows covered 3,000 square miles and ash covered half the United States, three feet thick. Fossils found as far away as Nebraska were found to have died from inhaling the Yellowstone debris. - Windy City Tornado
E8Windy City TornadoChicago is known as the "Windy City," but many believe a tornado can't strike a downtown filled with massive high-rise skyscrapers. It is a dangerous misconception. In 1967, a destructive high-speed tornado screamed along a 16-mile path through the south Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn and all the way to Lake Michigan. - East Coast Tsunami
E9East Coast TsunamiCumbre Vieja, a volcano on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, off the northwestern coast of Africa, may potentially collapse in the future. 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. - Mega Freeze
E12Mega FreezeCould North America and parts of Europe be headed for a "big chill?" Many experts fear that an abrupt climate change could have catastrophic effects across the planet, including devastating winters in some northern regions. New research has indicated to scientists that the climate is changing rapidly and unpredictably. - California's Katrina
E13California's KatrinaThe floods that destroyed so much of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina showed how fragile levee systems can be. Now, experts believe a devastating flood could also strike Sacramento. The levees that are supposed to protect the area from two rivers could fail and a 250-mile area could become an inland sea. By revisiting the Katrina disaster, we witness what happens when a city floods.
