Natural Disasters

Spain is pretty fortunate when it comes to its location. I’m not just talking about its climate, but also about its lack of natural disasters. Sure there is almost always an extreme drought[1] during the summer, when there hasn’t been any rain for a long period of time. And during any time of the year, there is a good chance of floods[2], when the snow thaws[3], or when there is a sudden thunderstorm[4], causing the rivers to overrun their banks[5].

But this is nothing compared to the United States. We have all this and more. Not that we’re proud of it. In 1993, the Mississippi River, the fourth largest in the world and the symbolic dividing line of the country into east and west, overran its banks during 7 months, from April to October! On the West Coast, every once in a while[6], there is an earthquake[7] that causes the ground to tremble, and threatens to separate California from the rest of the continent. In the Great Plains, the Spring is tornado season. And on both the Gulf and East Coast, hurricanes regularly land[8] during the Fall[9]. In 2005, the hurricane season was one of the most devastating, there were four major storms, including Katrina, which ravaged[10] Louisiana and its principal city, New Orleans. And let's not forget the volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens in the Northwest in the year 1980, the most destructive in US history!

So you can snuggle[11] safely in your bed at night without worrying too much about natural disasters!

[1] sequía, [2] inundación, [3] derrita, [4] tormenta, [5] exceder sus orillas, [6] de vez en cuando [7] terremoto, [8] aterriza, [9] otoño, [10] asoló, [11] acurrucarse