Weather & Natural Disasters

A Brief History of the National Weather Service

American Experience

Tue Aug. 24, 2010

Since 1938, advances in radar, satellite imagery and a better understanding of the forces of nature have allowed meteorologists at the National Weather Bureau, now known as the National Weather Service, to forecast storms with increasing accuracy. Continue

Tavis Smiley Reports | New Orleans: Tavis' Reflections

Tavis Smiley

Wed Jul. 07, 2010

Tavis shares his thoughts on New Orleans native and Hurricane Katrina survivor Herreast Harrison. Tavis and Jonathan Demme have chronicled Harrison's struggle to rebuild her home since 2007. Continue

Can Animals Predict Disaster?

Nature

Thu Mar. 05, 2009

In interviews with scientists and eyewitnesses, NATURE probes the evidence that some animals may have senses that allow them to predict impending natural disasters long before we can. Continue

New Orleans: Been in the Storm Too Long

Tavis Smiley

Thu Jul. 22, 2010

Tavis Smiley Reports teams with Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme to revisit New Orleans and capture the mood and spirit of the city and some of its most resilient residents five years after Hurricane Katrina and the levee breech. Continue

Nuclear Aftershocks

FRONTLINE

Tue Jan. 17, 2012

FRONTLINE correspondent Miles O'Brien travels to three continents to explore the revived debate about the safety of nuclear power, the options for alternative energy sources, and questions about whether a disaster like the one at Fukushima could happen in the United States. Continue

How 2011 Became a 'Mind-Boggling' Year of Extreme Weather

PBS NewsHour

Thu Dec. 29, 2011

From snowstorms to floods and tornadoes, severe weather wreaked havoc across the United States this year, with 2011 marking far more extreme weather events than a typical year. Hari Sreenivasan discusses the science behind this year of extreme weather with NOAA's Kathryn Sullivan and Weather Underground's Jeff Masters. Continue

Deadliest Volcanoes

NOVA

Thu Dec. 15, 2011

From Japan’s Mt. Fuji to Yellowstone’s buried supervolcano, how can we best prepare for the most lethal eruptions? Continue

Mystery of the Megavolcano - Preview

NOVA

Tue Dec. 06, 2011

Watch as NOVA pieces together clues about a volcanic cataclysm and probes questions about human evolution and Earth's fragile ecosystems. 12/14/2011 Continue

News Wrap: Bangkok Residents Pile Sandbags Ahead of High Tide

PBS NewsHour

Sat Oct. 29, 2011

In other news Friday, soldiers, Buddhist monks and others people in flood-ravaged Bangkok, Thailand, piled sandbags ahead of high tides, which are expected to peak on Saturday. Also, another young survivor was found alive in eastern Turkey, five days after a devastating earthquake. Continue

Bangkok Becomes 'Sandbag City' as Residents Brace for Floods

PBS NewsHour

Wed Oct. 26, 2011

Floodwaters broke through protective barriers around Bangkok's Don Muang Airport on Tuesday, forcing its closure. Margaret Warner discusses the city's worst flooding in decades with GlobalPost's Patrick Winn. Continue

Unnatural disaster

Need to Know

Fri Aug. 27, 2010

Harry Shearer, the writer comic Simpsons voice actor/radio host and longtime resident of New Orleans, wants to puncture the myths and misperceptions about Hurricane Katrina on its five-year anniversary. Continue

Extreme Ice

NOVA

Wed Aug. 11, 2010

An acclaimed photographer joins scientists to document the runaway melting of glaciers. Continue

Violent Hawaii

Nature

Thu Mar. 05, 2009

The Hawaiian chain of islands, made up of six main islands plus two smaller ones, stretches for more than 1,500 miles through the heart of the Pacific Ocean. It is a place of idyllic beauty. But it is also a land of volcanic fury, raging mountaintop blizzards, dangerous rockslides, monster waves, and even tsunamis. Continue

The Asteroid That Hit L.A.

NOVA scienceNOW

Fri Sep. 01, 2006

Use a catastrophe calculator to try out some "what-if" scenarios regarding an asteroid potentially striking Los Angeles. Continue

Deadliest Volcanoes

NOVA

Tue Jan. 03, 2012

How can we best prepare for the most lethal volcanic eruptions? Continue

December 23, 2011

To The Contrary

Wed Dec. 21, 2011

We take a look at the big stories of 2011 that involved women and diverse communities. Then women as peace makers and peace keepers. Continue

Christmas in Yellowstone - Preview

Nature

Tue Dec. 13, 2011

Revel in a Christmas like no other - from the unique crystals of individual snowflakes to the grand sweep of Yellowstone's Hayden Valley. 12/21/2011 Continue

New Climate Change Deal to Succeed Kyoto a Long Shot

PBS NewsHour

Tue Nov. 29, 2011

What's behind the long struggle to reach a new international agreement on reducing greenhouse gases? Margaret Warner and The Washington Post's Juliet Eilperin preview the U.N.'s annual climate conference. Continue

Rising Floodwaters Force Thousands to Flee Bangkok

PBS NewsHour

Fri Oct. 28, 2011

The heart of Thailand's capital braced for an inundation of floodwaters on Thursday, as the prime minister acknowledged the dikes around the city may not hold. Independent Television News' John Sparks reports. Continue

Mother Nature, Changing Infrastructure Fuel Worst Floods in Half-Century

PBS NewsHour

Sat Oct. 15, 2011

The worst floods in half a century have devastated Thailand's central plains, and is now sending waters toward Bangkok's nearly 10 million residents. Judy Woodruff discusses the latest developments with the United Nations' Kamal Kishore and Simmons College's Catharine Dalpino. Continue

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