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About This Quiz
It's hard to put a price on the lives, homes and irreplaceable historic sites that can be destroyed in natural disasters. But multibillion-dollar price tags can give you a sense of how much damage an earthquake or tsunami caused. Test your history knowledge and see if you know the financial impact of these disasters.
What's the estimated cost of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, China?
$100 billion
$150 billion
$200 billion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
The Guardian (U.K.) estimates the earthquake will cost China $150 billion to rebuild destroyed towns and rural areas.
The Superstorm of 1993 was actually the combined force of three separate weather patterns colliding. The storm created dangerous conditions that shut down the U.S. East Coast. What is the estimated cost of the damage?
$750 million
$3 billion
$6 billion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
In addition to causing a transportation shutdown from Florida to New England, the Superstorm caused approximately $6 billion worth of damage according to Popular Mechanics.
Hurricane Andrew ripped across Florida and Louisiana with tremendous wind speed. How much did the 1992 hurricane cost the United States?
$25 billion
$50 billion
$60 billion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
According to the University of Arizona's Geosciences Department, Hurricane Andrew cost the U.S. more than $25 billion and destroyed about 600,000 homes and businesses.
Australia faced its worst bushfires in Victoria at the start of 2009. More than 865,000 acres of land were destroyed, and more than 4,000 people were left homeless, according to a Bloomberg report. What is the estimated cost of these fires?
$200 million
$1.34 billion
$4 billion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
The bushfires will cost Australia more than $1.34 billion.
In 1995 Kobe, Japan, endured an earthquake that measured 7.2 on the Richter scale. Elevated highways and entire apartment buildings collapsed. How much did it cost Japan to repair the damages?
more than $50 billion
more than $75 billion
more than $100 billion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
BBC reported that the earthquake would cost Japan approximately $100 billion in repairs. The earthquake killed more than 6,400 people.
When Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, it flattened its surroundings and caused ashy rain from the West Coast to Oklahoma. How much damage did this famous volcano cause?
$24 million
$75 million
$1 billion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
The eruption's price tag is about $1 billion. The United States also picked up a new expense in additional volcano monitoring.
The 1908 San Francisco earthquake leveled the city and caused disastrous fires. A 2006 study reports the earthquake would cost how much in the 2006 economy?
more than $70 billion
more than $120 billion
more than $180 billion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
The 2006 study showed that an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 would cost more than $120 billion. The study cites population increases and more expensive buildings as contributing to the cost of a potential earthquake.
The 2004 tsunami destroyed the lives of thousands in Indonesia and caused billions of dollars in damage. The Indonesian territory Aceh incurred how many billions of dollars in damage?
$2.4 billion
$3.4 billion
$4.4 billion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
The World Bank and the U.N. estimated the damage to Aceh to be worth about $4.4 billion.
Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans and surrounding areas in 2005. Cost estimates are still in the works, but what price tag does Fox News Network put on the damage?
$59 billion
$70 billion
$96 billion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
The city is still being repaired, but Fox says the hurricane caused $96 billion worth of damage.
