Horas Críticas

Volcanoes are one of the most destructive and spectacular natural forces on the planet. It is estimated that there are more than 4,000 volcanoes on Earth and each year around 50 of them are active above sea level and erupt, spewing millions of tons of dust, ash and gases into the atmosphere, and endangering the environment. lives of millions of people.

Earthquakes have always been with us but it has been in the last 50 years that their devastating impact has been recorded so clearly, not only in photographs but in moving images. First, we were able to see them thanks to television and, in the last 20 years, through the Internet.

In this episode we put ourselves in the shoes of all those who have suffered an epidemic because it is something from which no one is safe, no matter where we live. And what can we say about the pandemic, which affects us all globally. Earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, volcanoes and all cataclysms that threaten human life are, without a doubt, terrifying.

When there is wind, we can run to protect ourselves from it but there is nothing to do when the wind becomes wild. Hurricanes, cyclones, wind storms, tornadoes and typhoons. Different names for the same natural phenomenon? We'll see.

In this installment we turn up the thermostat to examine a natural phenomenon that is, at the same time, friend and enemy of humanity: fire. About four hundred thousand years ago, even earlier, our ancestors learned to make fire and control it so that it did not go out. A vital step for the development of the human being.

In this installment, we batten down the hatches and race toward dry land, all the while taking a look at the damage that water can cause. The European Union Flood Directive defines flooding as a "temporary flooding of land that is not normally covered by water.

In this sobering and exciting installment of "Desperate Hours," we will focus primarily on geological disasters. Most natural disasters, including volcanoes and earthquakes, are geological disasters. But what about avalanches, landslides, blizzards and heat waves?

In this chilling but fascinating episode we focus on nuclear and industrial catastrophes. Nuclear energy depends on the use of the energy released during one of these two processes: nuclear fission or nuclear fusion. Both are nuclear reactions that release the energy stored in the nucleus of an atom.

Today's episode is about maritime disasters. The long saga of death and misfortune at sea is as much a record of human folly as it is of nature's fury. When you begin to chart a course through maritime catastrophes, the effect can be quite sobering.

In this episode we will analyze air disasters. Since the Wright brothers invented the airplane, there have always been air accidents, despite the great technological advances in aviation. Although they have decreased considerably, that does not mean that the danger of flying continues.

Air and maritime disasters draw our attention due to the large number of accidents that occur. But it is not necessary to leave dry land for misfortune to occur. Train travel, and even the mere act of getting into a car, can lead to accidents.

Life on planet Earth entails fragility since it is an interconnected system, in which some things depend on others, and we, as a human species, must learn to prevent things from getting worse than necessary. In this rather sobering episode we focus especially on environmental catastrophes.

Volcanoes, earthquakes, tidal waves and fires. Cataclysms capable of annihilating thousands of lives in just a second. Then there are epidemics and pandemics that literally and figuratively get under the skin.