A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck earlier today in Virginia. The strongest earthquake in 40 years left homes and people rattled in Colorado Monday night. Hurricane Irene threatens Florida and the East Coast.
These natural disasters had me wondering — how safe are we here in Tucson? So, naturally, I Googled it.
I found this map put together by the New York Times in April, following the devastating tornadoes in Alabama. Using data from Sperling's Best Places, the Times mapped the highest and lowest risk areas around the United States based on historical frequency of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, drought, hail and other extreme weather.
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On the map's scale of hazards, Tucson — and the entire Grand Canyon state — ranked low. Areas with the lowest risk of a natural disaster include Corvallis, Ore. and Mt. Vernon-Anacortes, Wash.
Stay away from the Dallas metro area, however, if you want to avoid a natural disaster. The area is prone to quakes, twisters, hurricane remnants, hail, wind, drought and floods — as anyone who's waited out a weather delay to catch a connecting flight at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport could attest.
Have a weather question or a weather story idea? Send it to the Arizona Daily Star's "Thunderstruck" reporter Kori Rumore at krumore@azstarnet.com.
