What Geologic Disasters Can Teach Us About the COVID-19 Crisis

The long duration of the COVID-19 pandemic puts a strain on people and their lives, yet we've seen this kind of slow crisis happen elsewhere.

Rocky Planet iconRocky Planet
By Erik Klemetti
Apr 9, 2020 4:30 PMNov 3, 2020 5:01 PM
Rainier seen from Seattle - Flickr
A view of Mount Rainier, seen from Kerry Park in Seattle. (Credit: Tiffany Von Arnim/Flickr)

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Our current global pandemic is something we have not seen in over 100 years. The planet has been effectively shut down as we attempt to rein in the spread of a novel coronavirus that can kill people. It might seem that such a long, rolling crisis like that caused by COVID-19 has no real comparisons in the world of natural disasters (and, really, a pandemic is a natural disaster). However, we can draw comparisons and learn lessons from geologic disasters.

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