Each episode tells the story of a different natural disaster and its aftermath. Hosts Paul and Josiah have several years’ experience working and volunteering on disaster recovery programs worldwide – but only Paul knows what the topic will be before the episode starts.
We hope to educate, entertain, and spread appreciation for the power of natural disasters, the process of recovery, and the impact a disaster can have on the community where it strikes.
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Paul & Josiah discuss the deadliest tropical cyclone of all time, and the genocide that happened because of it. SOURCES: Abbott, Patrick Leon. Natural Disasters. McGraw-Hill Education, 2022. Anam, Mahfuz. “The Challenge Before Bangladesh.” Inquirer.net, 23 July 2016, https://opinion.inquirer.net/95875/the-challenge-before-bangladesh. Accessed 8 March 2025. Bass, Gary J. The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a Forgotten Genocide.…
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Cat and Josiah discuss the El Niño costero of 2017. PHOTOS: View of Evitamiento highway after a massive landslide and flood in Trujillo, from REUTERS, Douglas Juarez. Photo #6 of 40: https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/floods-landslides-spread-havoc-in-peru-idINRTX31FTN/ Photo of intersection in Huarmey, March 27, 2017. Photographer, Catherine Denial: Photo of flooded classroom in Huarmey, March 27, 2017. Photographer, Catherine Denial:…
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Paul & Josiah discuss the San Franciso Earthquake of 1906. Patreon: https://patreon.com/thedisasterresponsepodcast Instagram: @thedisasterresponse SOURCES: Absolute History, director. San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 | History Retold | Absolute History. 2020. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsxtY_EZ05A. American History Tellers. 1906 San Francisco Earthquake | The Earth Shook | 1. Wondery, 25 October 2023, https://wondery.com/shows/american-history-tellers/. Podcast. American History Tellers. 1906 San…
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Josiah & Paul spend a snowy winter holiday discussing a snowy winter disaster. This will be the last episode of 2024. Thank you so much for listening and supporting our podcast! Next year, we’re moving to a monthly schedule instead of semi-weekly. Patreon: https://patreon.com/thedisasterresponsepodcast Instagram: @thedisasterresponse SOURCES: https://www.healthline.com/health/windburn].https://www.weather.gov/safety/cold-polar-vortexhttps://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/01/08/at-least-21-deaths-attributed-to-polar-vortexhttps://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-202102#:~:text=A%20station%20near%20Ely%2C%20Minnesota,million%20people%20were%20without%20power.https://www.themorgan.org/sites/default/files/images/exhibitions/AuldLangSyne.pdfhttps://www.foxnews.com/us/polar-vortex-blamed-for-at-least-21-deathshttps://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/deep-freeze/polar-vortex-death-toll-rises-records-fall-across-country-n5036https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/arctic_blast140105_07.htmlhttps://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/storm_summaries/event_reviews/2013-2014ColdSeasonArticle.pdfhttps://www.quora.com/How-did-the-January-2014-polar-vortex-affect-your-daily-routinehttps://www.weather.gov/ama/2014_weather_reviewhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6oGXl9dTykhttps://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/03/22/bring-chicago-home-referendum-voted-down-ap-says/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/21/new-york-homeless-shelters-cold-weatherhttps://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/07/nyregion/after-dizzying-weather-new-yorkers-brace-for-arctic-blast.htmlhttps://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/2014/01/16/harsh-winter-ups-need-for-shelter/4534621/https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=14651https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=14671https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNqnfc0QGWchttps://www.pillsburylaw.com/en/news-and-insights/insurance-and-the-polar-vortex-recovering-losses-from-the-big-chill.htmlhttps://truthout.org/articles/caught-in-the-cold-homelessness-and-the-polar-vortex/https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=3390https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=14651https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=14671https://www.businessinsider.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-frostbite-or-hypothermia-2014-1https://www.wqad.com/article/weather/9-weird-things-that-happen-only-when-its-really-cold/526-3a5dd7a2-4967-4f63-8ee1-a8e6e97e7f9ahttps://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/arctic_blast140105_07.html#:~:text=The%20lowest%20wind%20chill%20temperature,at%20Babbitt%2C%20Brimson%20and%20Embarrass.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6oGXl9dTykhttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/some-relief-not-much-way-after-deadly-polar-vortex-flna2d11871843https://www.foxnews.com/us/polar-vortex-blamed-for-at-least-21-deathshttps://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/deep-freeze/polar-vortex-death-toll-rises-records-fall-across-country-n5036https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/arctic_blast140105_07.htmlhttps://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/storm_summaries/event_reviews/2013-2014ColdSeasonArticle.pdfhttps://www.quora.com/profile/Alan-D-Simhttps://www.quora.com/How-did-the-January-2014-polar-vortex-affect-your-daily-routinehttps://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-202102#:~:text=A%20station%20near%20Ely%2C%20Minnesota,million%20people%20were%20without%20power.https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20110015364/downloads/20110015364.pdfhttps://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20110015364https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January%E2%80%93March_2014_North_American_cold_wave#:~:text=%2450%20to%20%24100%20million%20was,storm%20began%20on%20January%202.https://www.nyiso.com/-/lessons-learned-how-the-2014-polar-vortex-helped-make-the-new-york-energy-grid-more-reliablehttps://www.ferc.gov/sites/default/files/2020-05/01-16-14-bulk-power.pdfhttps://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/01/08/at-least-21-deaths-attributed-to-polar-vortexhttps://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2014/01/07/polar-vortex-freezes-and-bursts-pipes-at-3-hospitalshttps://www.chicagotribune.com/2019/11/18/remember-the-polar-vortex-from-heated-locomotive-horns-to-beet-juice-rail-and-road-officials-are-preparing-for-the-worst-this-winter/https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/2021-01-05-polar-vortex-weakening-winter-pattern-january-2021https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/deep-freeze/storm-kicked-new-year-numbers-n3351https://www.weather.gov/safety/cold-polar-vortexhttps://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/01/08/at-least-21-deaths-attributed-to-polar-vortexhttps://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-51629-5_9https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEr1sd0UsQwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEr1sd0UsQwhttps://archive.nytimes.com/thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/06/polar-vortex-brings-coldest-temperatures-in-decades/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-25648775https://www.channel4.com/news/polar-vortex-united-states-weather-snow-videohttps://www.chicagotribune.com/2022/12/21/chicago-weather-what-is-a-polar-vortex-how-often-does-the-weather-phenomenon-happen-here-experts-explain/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-wednesday-edition-1.4998834/why-chicago-s-commuter-train-tracks-appear-to-be-on-fire-1.4998840https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/30/us/chicago-train-tracks-fire-trnd/index.htmlhttps://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/understanding-arctic-polar-vortexhttps://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2014-year-in-review/year-review-top-stories-2014-n271746https://www.weather.gov/lot/2014Jan5-7_coldhttps://www.weather.gov/lot/2014jan28https://www.nerc.com/pa/rrm/january%202014%20polar%20vortex%20review/polar_vortex_review_29_sept_2014_final.pdfhttps://psl.noaa.gov/news/2015/110515.htmlhttps://airs.jpl.nasa.gov/resources/164/temperature-anomaly-corresponding-to-january-2014-polar-vortex-activity/https://science.nasa.gov/earth/extreme-weather-events/the-2013-2014-polar-vortex-adds-data-points-to-the-books/https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-polar-vortex-of-2014/https://www.nyiso.com/-/lessons-learned-how-the-2014-polar-vortex-helped-make-the-new-york-energy-grid-more-reliable#:~:text=The%20north%20polar%20vortex%20is,earnest%20in%20early%20January%202014.
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Paul, Josiah and a surprise special guest discuss the Johnstown flood of 1889. Images Referenced: Image 1: Title “Johnstown Flood” at https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3A000579.PIC Image 2: Captioned “House ripped from its foundation by the flood in Johnstown, with a tree trunk sticking out of a window. (Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)” at https://www.history.com/news/how-americas-most-powerful-men-caused-americas-deadliest-flood Link to Association of State Dam Safety Officials: https://www.damsafety.org…
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Paul & Josiah talk about the first of 2017’s hurricane trifecta. Texas gets record breaking rain, chemicals combust, and Trump issues a pardon. Also, baseball happens. Photo 1: https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/08/28/gettyimages-839916710_wide-9b92a19465db27d8974b7928e5ebc82745d2513f.jpg?s=1100&c=85&f=webp Photo 2: https://www.thelist.com/img/gallery/the-biggest-heroes-of-hurricane-harvey/intro-1504283385.jpg SOURCES: “Annual Precipitation | Climate of Texas.” Login to Weatherstem, https://learn.weatherstem.com/modules/learn/lessons/182/19.html. Accessed 12 October 2024. Blake, Eric S., and David A. Zelinsky. “Tropical…
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Paul & Josiah wrap up discussion of one of the most impactful earthquakes in history. Our Patreon: https://patreon.com/thedisasterresponsepodcast We’re on Instagram @thedisasterresponse SOURCES: Amnesty International. “Haiti: ’15 Minutes to Leave’: Denial of the Right to Adequate Housing in Post-Quake Haiti.” Amnesty International, 2015, www.amnesty.org/en/documents/AMR36/001/2015/en/.Arnaouti, Matthew Keith Charalambos, et al. “Medical Disaster Response: A Critical Analysis…
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Paul & Josiah discuss a very short event with a very long impact. Our Patreon: https://patreon.com/thedisasterresponsepodcast We’re on Instagram @thedisasterresponse SOURCES: Amnesty International. “Haiti: ’15 Minutes to Leave’: Denial of the Right to Adequate Housing in Post-Quake Haiti.” Amnesty International, 2015, www.amnesty.org/en/documents/AMR36/001/2015/en/.Arnaouti, Matthew Keith Charalambos, et al. “Medical Disaster Response: A Critical Analysis of the…
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If you feel it, chase it! Paul & Josiah aren’t in Kansas anymore; instead, they’re chasing the USA’s deadliest tornado across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. NVOAD: https://www.nvoad.org/ Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedisasterresponsepodcast We’re on Instagram @thedisasterresponse SOURCES: Abbott, Patrick Leon. Natural Disasters. 12 ed., McGraw-Hill Education, 2023. Akin, Wallace E. The Forgotten Storm: The Great Tri-State Tornado…