Top Ten Hurricanes and Earthquakes

Tornado that touched down Aug 20, 2006
between Bennett and Watkin, Colorado

Estimated Insured Losses for the Top 10
Historical Hurricanes Based on Current Exposures

Source: strategicrisk.co.uk

Date/Event name/2009 Insured Loss

1. September 18, 1926 Miami Hurricane - $101 billion
2. August 24, 1992 Hurricane Andrew - $57 billion
3. September 17, 1947 1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane - $55 billion
4. September 17, 1928 Great Okeechobee Hurricane - $51 billion
5. August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina - $42 billion
6. September 9, 1900 Galveston Hurricane of 1900 - $40 billion
7. September 21, 1938 The Great New England Hurricane - $38 billion
8. September 9, 1965 Hurricane Betsy - $36 billion
9. September 10, 1960 Hurricane Donna - $31 billion
10. September 5, 1950 Hurricane Easy - $21 billion

Estimated Insured Losses for the Top 10
Historical Earthquakes Based on Current Exposures

Date/Event name/Magnitude/2009 Insured Loss

1. February 7, 1812 New Madrid, MO - 7.7 $100 billion
2. April 18, 1906 San Francisco, CA - 7.8 $96 billion
3. August 31, 1886 Charleston, SC - 7.3 $37 billion
4. June 1, 1838 San Francisco, CA - 7.4 $27 billion
5. January 17, 1994 Northridge, CA - 6.7 $21 billion
6. October 21, 1868 Hayward, CA - 7.0 $21 billion
7. January 9, 1857 Fort Tejon, CA - 7.9 $8 billion
8. October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta, CA - 6.3 $6 billion
9. March 10, 1933 Long Beach, CA - 6.4 $5 billion
10. July 1, 1911 Calaveras, CA - 6.4 $4 billion

Click here for similar disaster list in slide show format from Live Science.com.

2000 Leonid Meteor Shower

Great Vodcast from BBC about this year's Leonid Meteor Shower:



This year's Leonid Meteor Shower will occur on November 17th.

Encourage your students to watch!

Click here for details.

Click here for how to observe.

Click here for a fun Fact Sheet about Leonid Meteor Showers.

Find out how light pollution has changed the way we view the night sky.

Go to StarDate Online for short video.

Tennesee Rockslide Video

Great video caught by video news crew:


Show today at the beginning of each class or this coming Monday as a "rocking" good way to start the week, especially if you are teaching EROSION!

Close Call Asteroid

"A newly discovered asteroid designated 2009 VA, which is only about 7 meters in size, passed about 2 Earth radii (14,000 km) from the Earth's surface Nov. 6 at around 16:30 EST. This is the third-closest known (non-impacting) Earth approach on record for a cataloged asteroid."

Click here for the article.

Video on asteroids and comets:


Video about asteroids and asteroid belt:


CAUTION: I would caution you about discussing this topic with your students. Be sure you are prepared for some of them reacting strongly to this! They seem quite grown-up at the middle-school level, but many still carry a child within and may get "creeped out" by this type of scenario.

Hurricane Ida

Hurricane Ida has been bearing down on the southern United States through the Gulf of Mexico. It has currently been downgraded to a Tropical Storm, and it's hoped it will bring only rain to the projected area.

Here's a great link with many visuals to show your students!

Click here for blank chart of the Atlantic Basin.

Weather.com has a nice video center.