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Wildfires blazing in forests, hurricanes washing away homes along the coasts, tornados knocking down businesses — America has a long history of documented natural disasters that have razed buildings, leveled towns and left a heartbreaking path of destruction in its wake.
24/7 Wall St. compiled a list of the worst natural disaster in every state based on data from government sources that evaluated the weather event that caused the highest number of fatalities in each state. According to the site, natural disasters are increasing each year, stating:
"American weather continues to become more volatile. In 2018, there were 14 weather events that each caused over $1 billion in damage. And in many parts of the country, these weather events could become even more destructive because global warming... ."
The worst natural disaster in South Carolina history was the Sea Islands Hurricane in August 1893, a storm that hit near Savannah, Georgia, and caused over 2,000 fatalities mostly due to the dangerous storm surge. Another event that 24/7 Wall St. considered among the worst in state history was the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked Charleston 1886.
Check out the full report at 24/7 Wall St. to read up on the worst natural disasters around the country.