Massachusetts Is Not as Safe From Natural Disasters as You Think

Every February, folks of my age reminisce about the fabled Blizzard of '78 much the way my grandparent's generation harbored memories of the Great New England Hurricane of 1938.

Significant weather events and natural disasters are mileposts in our lives and barometers for measuring everything else.

I was in Haiti mere weeks after the legendary earthquake of 2010 that killed at least a quarter of a million people. That quake is my barometer whenever earthquakes occur, and even more so for my Haitian friends who survived the devastation.

With deadly earthquakes, killer tsunamis, raging wildfires, biblical floods, hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes and all else Mother Nature throws at us, it is difficult to find a truly safe place to escape her wrath.

Southeastern Massachusetts tends to get off a bit easier than other parts of the United States. We don't get Kansas-sized tornados or California-style wildfires, but we get our share of nor'easters, an occasional trembler, and twisters are not out of the question.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) says, "From 1980-2024, there were 45 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect Massachusetts."

The costly disasters included floods, cyclones, drought, severe storms and snow.

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The area is also prone to earthquakes. A 2020, 4.0 quake shook the South Dartmouth area, causing minor damage in New Bedford.

While small earthquakes aren't all that common around these parts they do happen. There is nothing to indicate that a larger quake is imminent.