Many people across the country and around the world will remember 2011 as a year of extreme weather.
On March 11, a massive earthquake struck Japan, triggering a tsunami in the northern region of the country. The tsunami traveled six miles inland and damaged over 120,000 buildings. Over 16,000 people died and over 5,000 were injured, and the quake also caused nuclear accidents at the Fukushima nuclear power plant complex. There are continued fears for those who survived after another suspected partial meltdown at a second reactor.
Japan's disaster served as a wake-up call for other countries.
"This earthquake in Japan will help the Pacific-Northwest understand what they will need eventually to be ready for," said Lucy Jones, US Geological Service.
On April 27, tornadoes struck across seven states, including Alabama. Over 330 people were killed, and the city of Tuscaloosa sustained massive damage. Over 1,000 were injured.
"We have utter destruction. We have neighborhoods that have basically been removed from the map," said Mayor Walt Maddox, Tuscaloosa.
On May 22, a massive EF5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri. The twister was three-quarters of a mile wide and cut through the heart of the town, ripping apart everything in its six-mile path. 160 people died and nearly 1,000 were injured.
"It's gonna be years," said Carol Brockman, tornado survivor, referring to the agonizing struggle to recover.
In Indianapolis on Aug. 13th, the scaffolding came down over the Sugarland stage at the Indiana State Fair during a powerful thunderstorm. The wind gusts were up to 70 mph at the time. Seven died and dozens were injured.
On Aug. 23, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake rattled buildings and nerves along the eastern seaboard.
On Aug. 28, Hurricane Irene caused major flooding in New England, including landlocked Vermont. Two days after the storm blew through New England, dozens of towns in Vermont remained cut off. Washed out roads and bridges took months to repair. The National Guard was brought in to help.
A three-week heat wave and drought led to problems for farmers and ranchers. In Texas, it was reported that 600,000 cattle were sent to the slaughterhouse early. The worst wildfires in Texas history were also recorded, including the Bastrop fire. Arizona and New Mexico also saw the largest wildfires on record. In Bastrop, 5,000 families were displaced.
