Natural Disasters

Learn about the Knox Covered bridge, it's link to the past and rebuilding it for the future.

The hurricanes that struck DeRidder, LA in 2020, failed to diminish the resiliency of its residents and leaders. In response to the damage wrought by Laura and Delta, particularly the devastation of West Park, the City of DeRidder, with assistance from the National Park Service - Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program, and Baton Rouge’s CARBO Landscape Architecture Firm, developed a master plan that will enhance this important community and regional resource.

In January of 2021, the University of Oregon’s Landscape Architecture Program offered to help redesign Blue River Park, and a concept plan was soon drafted. In 2022, the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program (NPS-RTCA), funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), was recruited to help with community outreach efforts. Based on input from community members and other stakeholders, a recovery master plan was finalized.

Storm surge may severely impact coastal geomorphology and inundate park resources. Brought by coastal storms, storm surge can be dangerous and have lasting effects. Coastal areas that remain at low elevation are prone to the effects of storm surge. The magnitude of a storm surge is increased when coupled with sea level rise.

NPS-RTCA is committed to helping communities build resiliency against a changing climate. As part of a larger neighborhood revitalization effort in the Lower 9th Ward, a local nonprofit organization, the Sankofa Community Development Corporation, collaborated with NPS-RTCA in developing plans for the Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature Trail – a community-driven recovery project to improve protection from hurricanes and flooding in the neighborhood.

Stampeders from all over the world came to seek their fortunes during the Klondike Gold Rush but many were unprepared for the dangers ahead. Violence, disease, and Mother Nature waited for them, and many stampeders would die before they even set foot in the gold fields of Dawson City.

Oscillation of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific drive El Niño and La Niña cycles which have large-scale impacts on ocean processes, weather, and climate around the globe.

Wind-driven waves and abnormally high sea levels contributed to hundreds of millions of dollars in flood and storm damage in the San Francisco Bay region, including Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Pinnacles National Monument. In addition to California, the 1997–1998 El Niño and the following 1998–1999 La Niña severely impacted the Pacific Northwest, including many National Park System units.

As a result of this El Niño, heavy surf and rains severely eroded beaches and fragile sea cliffs in coastal California. National Park System units in California affected by the 1982–1983 El Niño event were Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Pinnacles National Monument.

Discover the different types of storms, how they form, how they can impact the areas they cross, and some cyclic climate patterns that can create predictable weather events