The United States, land of destruction! See Deadliest Hurricanes in American History. Warnings and modern communication systems have helped reduce the "direct" death toll of these events. However, the costs have escalated due to both the inflation of property values and the propensity of people to place themselves and their property in harm's way.
Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.