Disaster Scenarios

Catastrophe takes many forms and could occur at any moment, so sometimes dread gets the best of us. But some of our fears are justified. What disasters may really be in our future?

By Nicholas Gerbis

A pair of physicians determined that the great British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton died from a hole in his heart.

By John Donovan

They can be, and they already are, but there's a lot more that we could do with drones to save lives.

By Chris Opfer

The will to survive is ingrained in all of us, but some have had that will tested to the extremes. What would you do to stay alive if you were stranded in the desert or thrown overboard at sea? Find out what these 10 people did.

By Patrick J. Kiger

If you live in a disaster-prone area, you probably know how to prepare your home and what to stock up on in case a hurricane or tornado strikes. But have you thought about what to do with your pet? That's a part of disaster preparedness, too.

By Sarah Grace McCandless

When two thrill-seeking snowboarders decide to take a chance on a slope that's marked off-limits, it's the tax payers who ultimately pay for their rescue. Or, do the rule-breaking skiers foot the bill?

By Charles W. Bryant

Superman, Spider-Man and Batman use supernatural powers to save people in distress. But regular old humans and animals have some tricks up their sleeves as well. What are they?

By Sarah Winkler

You may not be envious of MacGyver's mullet, but having a talent for surviving the elements with only a wristwatch, socks and a soda can is pretty cool.

By Debra Ronca & Chris Warren

Let's say your vacation tour group ditches you in the outback. Or your car slips off an icy road in the middle of nowhere. Will you have the tools to save your life?

By Charles W. Bryant

If you're the lone survivor of a plane crash on a deserted island or if your car breaks down on the way to grandma's, what scary medical conditions could come your way?

By Charles W. Bryant

It was hailed as the world's fastest, most luxurious ship, and proclaimed unsinkable. But on a moonless, frigid night, a brush with an iceberg resulted in disaster. Why did the Titanic sink? And was it doomed from the start?

By Melanie Radzicki McManus & Kathryn Whitbourne

You surface from a scuba dive to find that the boat ditched you. Are you a dead man? Between the sharks and the dehydration, we've got to admit -- it doesn't look good.

By Charles W. Bryant

A summer squall stirs up the ocean. When the boat bangs into a wave, you're bounced off the vessel and into the choppy water. What do you do now?

By Charles W. Bryant

Most likely, Leonardo DiCaprio won't be aboard to help you evacuate safely. So, it's best you have your own strategy in mind. What do you do when the ship goes down?

By Charles W. Bryant

The Bermuda Triangle is an area in the Atlantic Ocean that has baffled scientists due to the high number of ship and plane crashes in the area. Delve into the disasters and the lore of this mysterious location.

You're hoping by tomorrow the search and rescue teams will locate you. In the meantime, you set up shelter for night. But night never comes. Is your mind playing tricks on you?

By Cristen Conger

Imagine being trapped in a submarine 3,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. It's not 20,000 leagues under the sea, but it's too far for someone to swim down and save you. That's where deep-sea rescue comes in.

By Charles W. Bryant

You can't control the weather -- but you can prepare for it. We'll take you through 10 ways to survive a snowstorm, from whether to pick mittens or gloves to how you should shovel snow.

By Charles W. Bryant

You've seen it on the news -- a hiker goes missing, and the woods swarm with helicopters, dogs and volunteer searchers. How do search-and-rescue teams explore the depths of the sea and sift through piles of rubble to find survivors?

By Charles W. Bryant

Sometimes a three-hour tour turns into a much longer trip than planned. Your ship's gone down and now you're on a desert island with only the remnants of your life raft. Now what?

By Charles W. Bryant

A plane crash is every air traveler's nightmare. But there are things you can do to better your chances of making it out alive. We've uncovered some plane crash myths and the real-life stories of survivors.

By Charles W. Bryant

You're standing in the middle of the frozen Great Lakes with your ice fishing gear and your best buddy. All of a sudden, you hear the cracks, then BAM! You've fallen through the ice. What now?

By Katherine Neer

If your SCUBA diving equipment failed, would you know what to do? Although having your diving equipment fail while you are dozens or even hundreds of feet underwater sounds like a scary thing, it's really not so bad if you're prepared.

By Katherine Neer & Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

It's a beautiful day in November, and you decide it's the perfect opportunity to take the boat out. You spend all day on the lake and right when you turn around to come home, the engine dies.

By Katherine Neer

The Bermuda Triangle is an area off the southern coast of the U.S. that's known for a slew of strange disappearances since the mid-19th century. Here are 10 of the most infamous.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. & Marie Willsey