World Disasters

The SS Portland was a solid and luxurious ship, and its loss in 1898 in a violent storm with some 200 people aboard was later remembered as “New England’s Titanic.” The Portland was one of New England's largest and most luxurious paddle steamers, and after nine years' solid performance, she had earned a reputation as a safe and dependable vessel. In November 1898, a perfect storm formed off the New England coast. Conditions would produce a blizzard with 100 miles per hour winds and 60-foot waves that pummeled the coast.

Do you want to know how to survive absolutely any disaster, anywhere in the world? Disaster can strike at any moment. From earthquakes to virus outbreaks, it’s never expected, it’s never avoidable and it’s always a matter of life or death. Those who know how to survive do exactly that. Those who don’t? Unfortunately, they seldom make it out unscathed. I have good news: I am here to transform you into a survivor. I will help you become a capable and knowledgeable outdoorsman and arm you with all the skill you will need to plan your escape and then follow it through to safety.

Liverpool 1940. Alice King stands on the deck of SS Carlisle, waiting to escort a group of children to Canada as overseas evacuees. She is finally doing her bit for the war. In London, as the Blitz bombs rain down and the threat of German invasion looms, Lily Nicholls anxiously counts the days for news of her son and daughter’s safe arrival.

With 2018 marking the 100th anniversary of the worst disease outbreak in modern history, the story of the Spanish flu is more relevant today than ever. This dramatic narrative, told through the stories and voices of the people caught in the deadly maelstrom, explores how this vast, global epidemic was intertwined with the horrors of World War I - and how it could happen again. Complete with modern research and firsthand reports by medical professionals and survivors, this audiobook provides captivating insight into a catastrophe that transformed America in the early 20th century.

As a little girl and her dog embark on their daily walk through the city, they skip and spin to the familiar sounds of revving cars, clanking bikes, friendly barks, and whistling camote carts. But what they aren't expecting to hear is the terrifying sound of a rumbling earthquake...and then...silence. With captivating prose, this heartwarming story leaves listeners with the message that they can choose to be strong and brave even when they are scared, and can still find joy and hope in the midst of sadness.

Was this how the apocalypse ended for Alex? He never should have been in this mess, but Trey crossed the wrong man. Now Mr. Jackson, the leader of the thugs sent to get blood from a stone, had plans to drag him into the forest and put a bullet in his head. They couldn’t be reasoned with, so when there’s nothing to lose, one might as well go for a long shot. He attacked and caught Mr. Jackson’s men by surprise. If he was going to die, it would be this way, and not on his knees. Exhausted, bloodied, and very much alive, he bolted. Into the dense forest with one goal on his mind.

Between them and the Accountant...lies a gauntlet of roaming gangs. How will they make it to Houston? For Alex, he only has one move: Get the money from the Accountant and hope it’s enough to make things right with Vargas. There’s just one problem: The gangster’s men aren’t the only ones trying to kill him, Vee, and Ranger. Texas has become a wasteland where everyone is willing to kill to survive. Can Alex survive long enough to get to Wendy?

The Anti-Catastrophe League, informed by the author’s experience of working in the field of what is known as existential risk, tells the story of a species that is working out how to defuse several bombs at once. From ancient risks to very modern apocalypses, the book charts the imminent dangers to the human race and introduces listeners to the groups of scientists, eccentrics, diplomats and visionaries who are doing everything in their considerable power to prevent the worst from befalling us.

Carbon dioxide: this seemingly simple and ubiquitous substance is fundamental to how our planet works. All life is made from CO2, and its behavior on this planet has kept Earth bizarrely habitable for hundreds of millions of years. In its workings lie both the splendor of our world and the potential for life’s destruction. In short, it is the most important substance in history. But why is CO2 as essential to life on Earth as it is capable of destroying it? Award-winning science journalist Peter Brannen reveals carbon dioxide’s fundamental role in the operation and maintenance of our planet

Alex was in bad shape. Just this side of dead, lying in a dumpster, but he couldn’t give up. Crawling out of the garbage, the first thing he noticed, beyond the pain, was that Vee was gone. He had only one option - to keep going. Out to the street he walked. All around there was only the otherworldly destruction of burned-out cars, broken windows, and empty streets. Houston had fallen further into chaos, brimming with violence and a population at each other’s throats.

We first meet Zwazo Delalun, or Zo, during his childhood, in the 1990s, in a fishing village on the western tip of Haiti. An orphan, he learns to swim and fish, then to harvest almonds and cut cane. He travels the island in his youth, finding work wherever he can. One morning, while hauling cement in the broiling sun, he meets Anaya, a nursing student who is sipping cherry juice under a tree. Their attraction is instantaneous, fierce; what grows between them feels like the destiny-changinglove Zo has yearned for.

Cory’s family was his first concern. He had to get home, but Indiana was more than 2,000 miles away, and he had only one question: What dangers lie ahead? The warmth of the sun faded. When the temperature dropped, panic set swept the world. Fears of doom terrified the masses. Gangs roamed the streets. The girl he had helped had proved to be a valuable travel companion. Cory has no idea what Anna isn’t telling him.

On May 29, 1914, after a collision in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Empress of Ireland sank in minutes, taking 1,012 passengers and crew to their deaths. The disaster shocked the world but then was forgotten with the torpedoing of the Lusitania and the engulfing cataclysm of World War I. Now, in Dark Descent, acclaimed author and diver Kevin McMurray revives the story of this forgotten maritime catastrophe.

Rife with captivating details of survival in an icy wilderness, this reimagining of the famous 1910 expedition to the South Pole, told in Cherry's voice, is an unforgettable tale of courage and camaraderie.

Just before midnight on April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic, the largest ship in the world, hit an iceberg, setting in motion a chain of events that would ultimately make it history's most famous, and notorious, ship. The Titanic was neither the first nor last big ship to sink, so it's clear that much of its appeal stems from the nature of ship itself. Indeed, the Titanic stands out not just for its end but for its beginning, specifically the fact that it was the most luxurious passenger ship ever built at the time.

On the night of December 2nd, 1943, the Luftwaffe bombed a critical Allied port in Bari, Italy, sinking 17 ships and killing over a thousand servicemen and hundreds of civilians. Caught in the surprise air raid was the John Harvey, an American Liberty ship carrying a top-secret cargo of 2,000 mustard bombs to be used in retaliation if the Germans resorted to gas warfare. After young sailors began suddenly dying with mysterious symptoms, Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Alexander, a doctor and chemical weapons expert, was dispatched to investigate.

Entre los escombros del huracan Maria, los puertorriquenos y los "Puertopians" ultra-ricos estan atrapados en una batalla campal sobre como reconstruir la isla. Autora Naomi Klein revela como las fuerzas de las politicas de "shock" y del capitalismo del desastre, buscan minar la vision radical y resiliente de una recuperacion justa. El cien por ciento de las regalias por la venta de este libro iran directamente a JunteGente, un espacio de encuentro entre organizaciones en resistencia al capitalismo del desastre y que luchan por una recuperacion justa y sostenible de Puerto Rico.

When the lights go out, humanity’s darkest instincts take over. An unthinkable electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack has crippled the United States, erasing the conveniences of modern life in an instant. Phones go silent, engines fail, and cities descend into chaos. For Frank and Katie Lowman, survival means making impossible choices in a shattered world. Separated by hundreds of miles, Frank fights to escape the ruins of New York, where desperation breeds violence at every corner. Meanwhile, Katie must fortify their Georgia home, battling both external threats and the creeping realization ...

What happens when your perfect life implodes? For Beth, it started with a missing husband and ended with a stolen baby. Driven by a desperate need to mother, she finds herself on the run, haunted by the man she thought she knew. Her secluded houseboat becomes a sanctuary, but also a prison, as she uncovers truths that threaten to destroy her. Is she losing her grip on reality, or is the danger all too real? Prepare for a psychological rollercoaster where motherhood and survival collide.

À la fois tissé d’indignation et d’espoir, ce témoignage poignant livré en temps réel est celui d’une communicatrice projetée au cœur de conflits qui s’interroge sur les défis de l’information. L’autrice nous transporte avec elle dans les camps de réfugiés du génocide rwandais, au cœur de Sarajevo en guerre, sur des scènes de dévastations auprès des victimes d’inondations en Chine, en passant par les steppes mongoles, les périls de la Corée du Nord, les ravages du tremblement de terre en Haïti et ailleurs encore, en nous faisant vivre toute une gamme d’émotions.