Natural Disaster Photos

Rough Weather Hits U.S. in 2011

By Chuck Oldham (Editor) - August 17, 2011

This time, the disaster came to the Salvation Army's Disaster Services truck, instead of vice versa. The storm-damaged truck rests behind the devastated Salvation Army Headquarters building in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Salvation Army and FEMA are traditional partners in responding to such disasters. FEMA photo by George Armstrong

Severe tornado damage inflicted on residential homes on Lamplighter Lane in Pratt City (Birmingham), Ala., on April 27, 2011, included this house without its exterior walls, the bright carpeting and remaining furnishings exposed for all to see. FEMA photo by Christopher Mardorf

The exact time an EF-5 tornado struck Irving Elementary School in Joplin, Mo., is frozen on a clock in one of the classrooms. Students will start the new school year in temporary school locations. FEMA will reimburse costs associated with retrofitting of those spaces. FEMA photo by Steve Zumwalt

The May 22, 2011, EF-5 tornado tore a path through Joplin, Mo., seven miles long and half a mile wide. FEMA administered assistance to the disaster survivors. FEMA photo by Steve Zumwalt

Severe damage to Hackleburg High School caused by a tornado that struck Hackleburg, Ala., on April 27, 2011. FEMA was providing guidance and recovery assistance to help the high school recover and rebuild. The high school was to reopen on Aug. 5 in temporary classrooms. FEMA photo by Christopher Mardorf

The EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin, Mo., on May 22, 2011, tore a swath of destruction through the town and left nothing but wreckage, such as this demolished car, behind. FEMA photo by Elissa Jun

FEMA Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) vehicle parked near the emergency operations center in South Minot, N.D., June 25, 2011. FEMA was providing assistance to disaster survivors in Ward and Burleigh counties. FEMA photo by Andrea Booher

Storm clouds and high winds prompted a tornado warning for Bismarck, N.D., July 8, 2011. The area was already experiencing flooding because the Missouri River had overflowed its banks. Rain and heavy snow melt caused the Missouri River to rise to record levels. FEMA photo by Patsy Lynch

Construction crews contracted by the Army Corps of Engineers add height to a dirt levee in an effort to hold back the Souris River from flooding Minot, N.D., in June 2011. FEMA worked closely with federal, state, local, and tribal partners in the flood fight and in the aftermath. FEMA photo by Andrea Booher

In Bismarck, N.D., a sandbagged elementary school holds out against the flood, July 2011. Parts of Bismarck were flooded when the Missouri River overflowed its banks due to rain and heavy snow melt. FEMA photo by Patsy Lynch

Aerial view of a gas station that lost the battle against floodwaters that breached a dirt and sandbagged levee during the Minot, N.D., flooding. FEMA was supporting the emergency management team in providing disaster assistance to those affected by the flooding. FEMA photo by David Valdez

Two shelter dogs await volunteers to walk them in Minot, N.D., June 24, 2011. More than 460 pets of evacuees were sheltered at Souris Valley Animal Shelter. FEMA photo by Andrea Booher

A raft of pelicans preens where cows used to graze in Waubay, S.D., before Rush Lake flooded and reclaimed the land. In the background, fishermen troll for walleye near a flooded barn and silos. FEMA photo by David Valdez

Flood waters reach up toward a mailbox in a Bismarck, N.D., residential neighborhood, July 10, 2011. Heavy spring rain and melting snowpack contributed to historic water levels and flooding in the area. FEMA photo by David Valdez

The spring and summer of 2011 have unfortunately given access to a multitude of natural disaster photos. The tragic events – ranging from tornadoes and flooding events to widespread wildfires from the Northwest, through the Midwest, and down to the South – have caused unusual devastation and strained local and federal resources.

While Washington added $1 billion to FEMA’s disaster response budget, it has at times been a challenge to continue the agency’s ongoing reconstruction projects as well as fund immediate disaster relief when there have already been more than 160 disaster declarations this year. While there are some who say the increased number of disaster declarations is due to the Stafford Act, there is no doubt these natural disaster photos depict the true meaning of the word disaster.

And hurricane season isn’t over, either.