Documentary.

Contains unedited footage direct from the National Archives.

The National Archives has been responsible for the acquisition, preservation and public dissemination of the permanent records of the United States Government since 1935. Selected by specialists at the Archives, these films chronicles some of the world's most devastating natural disasters. Also recounted are the heroic efforts of relief workers to return cities to normal and the attempts of local governments to better prepare for future events. The authentic films on this DVD set highlight the superb collection of shared national memories available from the Archives.

Earthquake!: The story of the massive devastation of the San Fernando Earthquake of February 1971.

Earthquake below: A look at the 1906 San Francisco and 1972 Los Angeles earthquakes, and the potential for future destruction.

Loma Prieta earthquake: An examination of the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, which destroyed the Oakland Bay Bridge and the Cypress Street Viaduct and disrupted the World Series.

Peru: quake and recovery: The events surrounding the 1970 earthquake in Peru which killed 66,000 people and is considered the worst natural disaster in the western hemisphere.

Day of the killer tornadoes: The story of 147 deadly tornadoes which swept across Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama and other states in a twenty-four hour period.

Terrible Tuesday: The graphic impressions of survivors of the 1979 Wichita Falls tornado, along with remarkable tornado footage.

Twister: Accounts of the monstrous May 1970 tornado that hit Lubbock, Texas and the city's response.

A hurricane called Betsy: Hurricane Betsy's 3,000 mile trip from the Caribbean through the Bahamas, Miami, the Florida Keys, and along the Gulf Coast to New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

A lady called Camille: The 25 foot Gulf Coast storm of 1969, and the true story of twenty-four people who ignored pleas to evacuate and threw a hurricane party.

Hurricane Frederic...Picking up the pieces: Scenes from the National Weather Service as the Hurricane Frederic warning announcement is broadcast, and the clean-up and recovery efforts by the newly established FEMA.

Welcome to Corning, New York: Tropical Storm Agnes Flood: The events leading up to the June 23rd, 1972 flood, scenes of the aftermath, resident interviews and the clean-up effort.

Countdown to Calamity: A documentary of one of California's largest fire disasters.

Design for disaster: The dramatic Bel-Air, Brentwood and Santa Ynez fires of November 1961.

Fire at Malibu: Chronicles of the Los Angeles County Fire Department's three day fight against a wildfire fanned by the Santa Ana winds.

Up in flames: The development of firefighting technology, from the lookout tower to the weather satellite. Includes historical footage of Idaho's 1910 Big Blowup and Oregon's 1933 Tillamook Burn.

Eruption of Mt. St. Helens: Reenactments, personal recollections and narration of the historic eruption of Mt. St. Helens.

Kilauea Volcano eruption: The eruption of the Hawaiian volcano Kilauea, from the appearance of fissures that formed along the rift zone to great pillars of rising steam generated as lava hit the sea.

This place in time: the Mt. St. Helens story: Archival footage of Mt. St. Helens before, during and after the eruption.

Earth Resources Technology Satellite: The Earth Resources Technology Satellite provides a survey of global resources to help scientists and governments monitor disasters like volcanic eruptions and floods.

Shock troops of disaster: Relief efforts of the Works Progress Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Coast Guard after a hurricane and tidal waves hit the Long Island coast in December 1938.

The face of disaster: Details of some of the natural disasters of the 1960s, including the 1964 Alaskan earthquake and the 37 tornadoes of Palm Sunday 1965.

The plow that broke the plains: This classic film about the Dust Bowl includes a climactic dust storm sequence in which day suddenly becomes night and the landscape changes from moment to moment.

They were there: the role of the Army in disaster relief: The efforts of the U.S. Army in national and international civil disaster relief, from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake to the 1960 Chilean earthquake.

Not rated.

DVD.