United States and Caribbean disaster records, 2012

Look up selected United States disasters and Caribbean hurricanes, including Sandy, Matthew and major floods.

Jump to a year

2012 4 events

2012 disaster events
Date	Place	Hazard	What happened and source
23 Jun 2012	Colorado Springs area, United States	Wild Fire	A wildfire near Colorado Springs forced residents to leave their homes. Source
1 Sep 2012	Downtown Carbondale, Illinois, United States	Flood	Flash flooding closed Highway 13 through the city and stranded vehicles. Floodwater also reached the train-station area on Highway 51. Source
24 Oct 2012	Jamaica, Cuba and the Bahamas, Caribbean	Tropical cyclone	Hurricane Sandy crossed Jamaica and eastern Cuba before moving through the Bahamas. Wind and heavy rain affected the islands along its track. Source
29 Oct 2012	New Jersey and New York coast, United States	Tropical cyclone	Sandy reached the New Jersey coast as a large post-tropical cyclone. Its storm surge flooded coastal communities, including parts of New York City. Source

2013 4 events

2013 disaster events
Date	Place	Hazard	What happened and source
5 Jan 2013	110 km SW of Edna Bay, Alaska, United States	Earthquake	Magnitude 7.5, depth 8.7 km (USGS). Source
17 Aug 2013	Northern California, United States	Wild Fire	A wildfire grew rapidly while crews worked to contain it. Source
30 Aug 2013	101 km SW of Atka, Alaska, United States	Earthquake	Magnitude 7, depth 29 km (USGS). Source
11 Sep 2013	Colorado Front Range, United States	Flood	Several days of heavy rain brought widespread flooding along the Front Range during 11–15 September. Source

2014 3 events

2014 disaster events
Date	Place	Hazard	What happened and source
27 Apr 2014	United States Midwest and South	Tornado	A severe weather system produced deadly tornadoes. Source
13 May 2014	Southern California, United States	Wild Fire	A wildfire spread during hot, windy conditions and forced evacuation orders. Source
23 Jun 2014	Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States	Earthquake	Magnitude 7.9, depth 109 km (USGS). Source

2015 3 events

2015 disaster events
Date	Place	Hazard	What happened and source
20 Feb 2015	Middle Tennessee and Cumberland Plateau, United States	Winter storm	Freezing rain on 20–21 February added ice to snow from two recent storms. Fallen trees and power poles blocked highways and left widespread outages. Source
24 Dec 2015	Southern United States	Tornado	Severe storms and tornadoes led to an emergency declaration in parts of Mississippi. Source
26 Dec 2015	United States Midwest	Flood	Winter floods affected communities across the Midwest. Source

2016 7 events

2016 disaster events
Date	Place	Hazard	What happened and source
23 Jan 2016	United States East Coast	Snowstorm	A major snowstorm caused power cuts across the eastern states. Source
24 Jan 2016	47 km ESE of Pedro Bay, Alaska, United States	Earthquake	Magnitude 7.1, depth 125.6 km (USGS). Source
23 Jun 2016	West Virginia, United States	Flood	Repeated thunderstorms caused flash floods and river flooding, damaging homes and roads. Source
29 Jul 2016	Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands, United States	Earthquake	Magnitude 7.7, depth 196 km (USGS). Source
11 Aug 2016	Baton Rouge and Hammond areas, United States	Flood	Prolonged rain flooded homes and businesses and closed major highways in southeastern Louisiana. Source
4 Oct 2016	Haiti and eastern Cuba, Caribbean	Tropical cyclone	Hurricane Matthew made landfall in Haiti and Cuba, bringing powerful winds, storm surge and heavy rain. Source
8 Oct 2016	South Carolina and North Carolina, United States	Tropical cyclone	Matthew made landfall in South Carolina, while heavy rain caused widespread flooding in the Carolinas. Source

Choose a destination before the warning

Coastal evacuation and winter power cuts call for different shelter choices. Record both in a household emergency plan. Check your carry-away supplies, compare emergency radio options and organize safe containers for drinking water. Review the household preparedness steps with everyone who shares the home.

Compare the world disaster catalog or check official alert terms.

About the records

This selective list covers notable disasters in 2012–2016. Dates and descriptions come from the linked agencies and research. Some events span several days. USGS dates are UTC unless a local date is stated. Magnitudes and other estimates may change after assessment.