Scary Facts About Natural Disasters: Blizzard/Wildfire

A natural disaster is centers on conditions that affect the environment and causes a hazard, such as a tornado, flood, landslide, earthquake, or volcano eruption. The disaster takes lives and causes great financial losses. In this article, you will learn more about blizzards and wildfires, as well as the costliest year for natural disasters.
 
Costliest Year for Natural Disasters
 
The reinsurers Swiss Re stated that the Asian tsunami, worldwide flooding, and an active hurricane season that took place in 2005 was responsible for an economic loss of $225 billion.
 
Blizzards
 
A blizzard is can mean two different things , depending on who you are speaking to. “Blizzard conditions” means that winds are strong (at least 35 mph) and that snow is either falling or on the ground to the point that visibility is reduced. Snow doesn’t have to be falling for blizzard conditions to arise; the high winds can sweep up snow n the ground to cause poor visibility.
 
Other people will say that a blizzard is a strong winter cyclone characterized by high winds that contribute to a blowing and drifting of snow. Blizzards are rated for their intensity by several different factors, including how much snow was involved, the strength of the winds, and how long it lasted.

The highest death toll associated with a blizzard that took place in rural Iron, when a weeklong blitz poured more than 10 feet of snow from February 3 to 9 in 1972. The blizzard actually ended a drought that had lasted four years, but about 4,000 people were estimated to have died as a result.
 
Wildfires
 
A wildfire (also called a grass fire, forest fire, or bushfire) is an uncontrolled fire that often strikes a wildland area. Since it spreads quickly and takes a lengthy time to completely extinguish, houses and other buildings are at risk from being consumed by the fire. The beginning stage of a wildfire is often overlooked, but can spread quickly , especially when the vegetation involved is dry and vast.
 
The highest death toll recorded from a wildfire is linked to forest fires that took place in northeast Wisconsin and upper Michigan on October 8, 1871. The fires killed an estimated 1,200 to 2,500 people. The fire caused more than 1,500 miles squared of forest and farmland to perish. The tragic event is often referred to as the Peshtigo tragedy , paying homage to a village that lost half of its population to the fire.
 
Human Extinction
 
There was a point in time where human extinction could have become a possibility. An eruption of the supervolano called Toba took place 75,000 years ago. 191 miles of ash was thrown into the atmosphere. As a result, the largest volcanic crater on Earth was created. Tsunamis and volcanic winter followed. The event is believed to have reduced the human population to 10,000.