Natural Disasters

The sobering and shattering scenes of the tsunami swallowing up the land, the cars, the buildings, the nuclear reactors, and the precious lives of so many people in Japan brings to all of us a sense of incredible loss and sorrow and heartbreak.

Earthquakes are always in the news. On Friday, March 11, 2011, an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 struck in Japan, generating a devastating tsunami. Thousands are reported killed. Why are we having these devastating earthquakes, seemingly one right after another?

On February 4, 2011, the asteroid 2011 CQ1 narrowly missed the earth, coming within 3,400 miles (5471 km). Five days later, a larger asteroid called 2011 GA7 passed within 65,000 miles—both astronomical near misses. On February 15, 2011, a silver streak appeared in the sky over Pennsylvania and was seen in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland. Some astronomers are concerned that an astoroid named Apophis will strike the earth in 2036.  Will this be earth's doom?

As farmers in Australia watch helplessly, locusts are marching relentlessly, devouring crops as they go. This plague is just another foretaste of an even more devastating plague to come. What can we do to prevent these plagues from happening? What can we do to escape?

Before the Haiti earthquake killed more than 150,000 and left thousands more orphaned and injured, it was already a very desperate place.  Unemployment was well above 50%.  Corruption and brutality were common.  And many people in Port au Prince survived on only $200 a year.  That was before the earthquake.  But, as terrible as it is in Haiti, even now – much worse is coming.