Disaster Area

By Jennifer Matarese

What's Disaster Area about?

A podcast about disasters throughout history - what caused them, how people survived, and how we've responded to keep those disasters from happening again.

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Disaster Area episodes:

05.01.2024
Episode 235: The Eschede train disaster
A year ago this week, I covered the Amagasaki train derailment in 2005 in Japan. Why not cover a second one seven years earlier near a small town in Germany? Videos: Seconds from Disaster: The Eschede derailment ...
04.14.2024
Episode 234: The 1906 San Francisco earthquake - Part Three
It's early in the morning on a Tuesday when you're awakened by the shaking of your bed, of your entire home. You think for a moment it's the end of the world. You and your family make it out of...
04.07.2024
Episode 233: The 1906 San Francisco earthquake - Part Two
It's early in the morning on a Tuesday when you're awakened by the shaking of your bed, of your entire home. You think for a moment it's the end of the world. You and your family make it out of...
03.31.2024
Episode 232: The 1906 San Francisco earthquake - Part One
It's early in the morning on a Tuesday when you're awakened by the shaking of your bed, of your entire home. You think for a moment it's the end of the world. You and your family make it out of...
03.06.2024
Episode 231: The Peshtigo fire
The deadliest fire in American history happened not in Chicago, but in a small Wisconsin town to the north of Chicago on the exact same day - October 8th, 1871. Videos: Watch now: The story of the tabernacle...
02.28.2024
Episode 230: The sinking of the USS Thresher
On April 9th, 1963, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Thresher departed Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for depth tests in the Atlantic. It would never return. Videos: Second Saturday: The Loss of the USS Thresher Finding the Titanic | Bob...
01.31.2024
Episode 229: The Collinwood school fire
The deadliest school fire in American history took place on - of all days - Ash Wednesday, March 8th, 1908, in the Cleveland suburb of Collinwood just after first period ended. Within a half hour, 172 students and three adults...
01.11.2024
Review: Society of the Snow
Jennifer stops rewatching the movie long enough to review the movie. Spoilers ahead!
01.01.2024
Episode 228: Dan Air Flight 0034
You'd think if your plane crashed fifty meters from the end of the runway, you'd be saved. You'd be wrong. Videos: Disaster Breakdown: Locked into Disaster Articles and books: The Lever of Death: The crash...
12.19.2023
Bonus: Society of the Snow
Jennifer talks about "Society of the Snow," the award-nominated adaptation of the Pablo Vierci book about the survival story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571. "Society of the Snow" comes out in select theaters on December 22nd and on Netflix...
12.08.2023
Episode 227: The North Hollywood shootout - Part Two
On one February morning in 1997, a pair of men dressed in dark clothes entered a North Hollywood bank. What followed would be one of the most frightening things many Americans had ever watched live on TV up to that...
12.01.2023
Episode 226: The North Hollywood shootout - Part One
On one February morning in 1997, a pair of men dressed in dark clothes entered a North Hollywood bank. What followed would be one of the most frightening things many Americans had ever watched live on TV up to that...
11.23.2023
Episode 225: The Who concert crush
It was just supposed to be a great night out seeing one of the best rock bands in the world. It turned out to be anything but. Videos: What Really Happened During The Who Concert Disaster? We Explain...
11.17.2023
Episode 224: The 2019 Whakaari eruption
We all heard the news four years ago about a group of foolish tourists who made the mistake of visiting an active volcano and died as a result. Or at least, that's how the stories made them sound....
11.03.2023
Episode 223: Pan Am Flight 103 - Part Two
It's the first night of winter on a windy night in Scotland when a loud noise broke the quiet over a small village. What followed was a fiery nightmare caused by the cruel intentions of others. Videos: Air...
11.01.2023
Episode 222: Pan Am Flight 103 - Part One
It's the first night of winter on a windy night in Scotland when a loud noise broke the quiet over a small village. What followed was a fiery nightmare caused by the cruel intentions of others. Videos: ...
09.29.2023
Episode 221: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquke and tsunami - Part 3
In the third part of our story, we look at the train disaster caused by the tsunami and the aftermath of the disaster. Videos: Compilation in chronological order of videos of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami...
09.22.2023
Episode 220: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami - Part 2
First came the earthquake, then came the wave. Videos: Compilation in chronological order of videos of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami The man who Filmed the Tsunami - Shocking footage of the Indonesian disaster ...
09.15.2023
Episode 219: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami - Part 1
On December 26th, 2004, the world experienced one of the deadliest natural disasters we will ever see in our lifetimes. In part one, we will look at the earthquake which was just the start of a horrific tragedy. Videos: ...
08.01.2023
Episode 218: The Chilwell munitions factory explosion
On a hot summer day in 1918, the night shift workers at the National Shell Filling Factory No. 6 in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire, England, arrived as per usual. One hundred and thirty-four of them would be dead within an hour and...
07.21.2023
Episode 217: The I35W bridge collapse
Rush hour is bad enough. The bridge you're on collapsing as you cross it during rush hour is even worse. Videos: I Survived ...: Virginia Tech and the I35W collapse 20/20 In An Instant:...
07.01.2023
Episode 216: The Club Q shooting
On the eve of the Transgender Day of Remembrance in 2022, a person armed with a rifle walked into Club Q, an LGBTQIA+ club in Colorado Springs, CO. What followed was a bloodbath. Videos: ...
06.26.2023
Bonus: The OceanGate submersible implosion
While we are still close to the actual disaster for a regular episode on the subject, Jennifer takes an hour and a half to discuss the implosion of the OceanGate submersible on its dive down to the wreck of the...
06.01.2023
Episode 215: The Rhoads Opera House fire
In a small Pennsylvania town, the play set to be performed on a cold Monday night in January drew hundreds of people to the Rhoads Opera House. One hundred and seventy of them would never make it home alive. Videos:...
05.19.2023
Episode 214: The Indiana State Fair stage collapse
When the sky darkened and the winds picked up at the Indiana State Fair on August 13th, 2011, those fans waiting for country band Sugarland to perform were worried the concert might be delayed. But there was something far more...
05.16.2023
Bonus: The 9/11 Museum
Jennifer recounts her visit to the 9/11 Museum in New York City.
04.28.2023
Episode 213: The Amagasaki train derailment
Every day we head off to work or school or wherever else we might be headed with the hope we will arrive there safely. But while we might feel like we can depend on ourselves to keep safe,...
03.15.2023
Episode 212: The Grenfell Tower fire - part three
It was just a little house fire. It should have gone out in no time. In a safer building, it would have. But within an hour and a half of the first call to 999 that night, Grenfell Tower...
03.08.2023
Episode 211: The Grenfell Tower fire - part two
It was just a little house fire. It should have gone out in no time. In a safer building, it would have. But within an hour and a half of the first call to 999 that night, Grenfell Tower...
03.01.2023
Episode 210: The Grenfell Tower fire - part one
It was just a little house fire. It should have gone out in no time. In a safer building, it would have. But within an hour and a half of the first call to 999 that night, Grenfell Tower...
02.01.2023
Episode 209: The sinking of the SS Princess Sophia
Have you ever been stranded in your car in the middle of a snowstorm? Now imagine there are 350 other people in the car with you, and you're all stuck in that storm in the middle of an Alaskan canal...
01.17.2023
Episode 208: The 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision
Ah, flying in the 1950s. Fancy clothes, good food, smoking in the airplane, and the chance to see sights you’d never get to see otherwise. Two planes flying over the Grand Canyon on a summer day in 1956 should have...
12.21.2022
Episode 207: The Humboldt Broncos bus crash
On April 6th, 2018, the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team from Saskatchewan, Canada, were on their way to a playoff game in Nipawin. They weren't expecting the semi-tractor trailer headed westbound on Highway 335 - right into their path. Videos:...
12.01.2022
Episode 206: The Bazar de la Charité fire
The start of the summer season in Paris in the 1890s could arguably be the Bazar de la Charité, sort of a rummage sale for the wealthy to benefit the poor. The height of Parisian’s female society passed through its...
11.23.2022
Episode 205: The Boston Marathon bombing - Part Two
On April 15th, 2013, runners in Boston were approaching the finish line of the city's esteemed marathon at ten minutes to three in the afternoon when a large explosion tore through the crowd. Thirteen seconds later, a second one went...
11.16.2022
Episode 204: The Boston Marathon bombing - Part One
On April 15th, 2013, runners in Boston were approaching the finish line of the city's esteemed marathon at ten minutes to three in the afternoon when a large explosion tore through the crowd. Thirteen seconds later, a second one went...
09.09.2022
Episode 203: The Nepalese royal massacre
The family dinner party was in full swing, despite the host needing to be carried out in a drunken stupor only twenty minutes earlier. But this is no ordinary family. This is the royal palace of Nepal, and the host...
08.24.2022
Episode 202: The San Juanico disaster
The Mexico City suburb of San Juan Ixhuatepec was the home of poor immigrants, working-class families, dozens of large businesses, and a Pemex oil and gas company site - at least, until November 19th, 1984. Videos: Ciudadano Infraganti Explosiones...
08.12.2022
Episode 201: The 1995 Chicago heat wave
For five days in July of 1995, the city of Chicago baked underneath record temperatures, and behind closed doors people suffered for days - the poor, the elderly, the disabled. By the time the heat wave was over, over 750...
07.19.2022
Episode 200: Trans American Flight 209
Surely this can't be the 200th episode! It is the 200th episode, and don't call me Shirley. Videos: "Airplane!" "Airplane II: The Sequel" Articles and...
06.22.2022
Episode 199: Apollo 1
There is always bound to be a first - the first person to climb Mount Everest, the first person to run a four-minute mile, the first woman to become president. But there are terrible firsts, and in this episode we...
05.26.2022
Episode 198: The Christchurch mosque shootings
A man armed with semi-automatic weapons and a livestreaming camera walks into a place full of people he hates and commits a mass murder. It shouldn't be something we see more than once. But now we have.
05.10.2022
Bonus: Disaster Area road trip Part 2: The New Yorkening
In which Jennifer describes her visits to disaster sites in New York City last week, including the 9/11 Memorial, the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, and the 1920 Wall Street bombing.
05.01.2022
Episode 197: Operation Yellow Ribbon
We all hope that in a moment of great need, we would do the right thing. When the airspace over the United States closed on September 11th, the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, did just that.
04.21.2022
Episode 196: The 1967 Oak Lawn tornado outbreak
In fifteen minutes one Friday in April of 1967, one tornado slashed through the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn, leaving dozens dead in its wake. But it wasn't the only tornado to strike the area that afternoon.
04.13.2022
Episode 195: The San Bernardino massacre
It was just supposed to be a typical office training session masked as a Christmas party - the speeches, the boring videos, the slideshows that probably could have been an email. But at 11 AM, everything changed when a person...
04.06.2022
Episode 194: The 1989 San Bernardino train wreck
First, the train ran off the rails. Then, fire rained from the sky. Hell, it seemed, had come to San Bernardino.
03.02.2022
Episode 193: TWA Flight 3
When Hollywood legend Carole Lombard boarded TWA Flight 3 on January 16th, 1942, in Las Vegas, she hoped to be home in only a few short hours. She and the twenty-one other people on board only made it thirty-three miles...
02.18.2022
Episode 192: The Erfurt latrine disaster
What do you get when you have sixty noblemen in a cess pit? One of the most disgusting disasters of all time.
02.15.2022
A quick announcement!
I just wanted to share some news regarding the podcast for those of you who don't follow the social media accounts or Patreon. Nothing terrible, I promise.

What's Disaster Area about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Disaster Area episodes:

Episode 235: The Eschede train disaster

Episode 234: The 1906 San Francisco earthquake - Part Three

Episode 233: The 1906 San Francisco earthquake - Part Two

Episode 232: The 1906 San Francisco earthquake - Part One

Episode 231: The Peshtigo fire

Episode 230: The sinking of the USS Thresher

Episode 229: The Collinwood school fire

Review: Society of the Snow

Episode 228: Dan Air Flight 0034

Bonus: Society of the Snow

Episode 227: The North Hollywood shootout - Part Two

Episode 226: The North Hollywood shootout - Part One

Episode 225: The Who concert crush

Episode 224: The 2019 Whakaari eruption

Episode 223: Pan Am Flight 103 - Part Two

Episode 222: Pan Am Flight 103 - Part One

Episode 221: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquke and tsunami - Part 3

Episode 220: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami - Part 2

Episode 219: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami - Part 1

Episode 218: The Chilwell munitions factory explosion

Episode 217: The I35W bridge collapse

Episode 216: The Club Q shooting

Bonus: The OceanGate submersible implosion

Episode 215: The Rhoads Opera House fire

Episode 214: The Indiana State Fair stage collapse

Bonus: The 9/11 Museum

Episode 213: The Amagasaki train derailment

Episode 212: The Grenfell Tower fire - part three

Episode 211: The Grenfell Tower fire - part two

Episode 210: The Grenfell Tower fire - part one

Episode 209: The sinking of the SS Princess Sophia

Episode 208: The 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision

Episode 207: The Humboldt Broncos bus crash

Episode 206: The Bazar de la Charité fire

Episode 205: The Boston Marathon bombing - Part Two

Episode 204: The Boston Marathon bombing - Part One

Episode 203: The Nepalese royal massacre

Episode 202: The San Juanico disaster

Episode 201: The 1995 Chicago heat wave

Episode 200: Trans American Flight 209

Episode 199: Apollo 1

Episode 198: The Christchurch mosque shootings

Bonus: Disaster Area road trip Part 2: The New Yorkening

Episode 197: Operation Yellow Ribbon

Episode 196: The 1967 Oak Lawn tornado outbreak

Episode 195: The San Bernardino massacre

Episode 194: The 1989 San Bernardino train wreck

Episode 193: TWA Flight 3

Episode 192: The Erfurt latrine disaster

A quick announcement!