13. Lima, Peru
In April of this year, Lima suffered the ramifications of being near a fault line when three earthquakes struck the country three days in a row. In spite of the fact that all three quakes measured below a magnitude of 4.5, Peru endured the deaths of 587 people (and counting) and 16,600 injured as well as a billion dollar reconstruction price tag.
14. Hawaii, USA
Hawaii has volcanic hazards as well as earthquake/tsunami threats. The island’s last big quake was in 1868 in which many islanders died in the ensuing tsunami. There have been other tremors and quakes, including a 7.2 one in 1975 and a 6.7 one in 2006. Most of Hawaii’s seismic activity is on the sparsely populated Big Island, but time will tell if a one will hit the more populated and touristic islands like Oahu or Maui. Experts believe there will be a big one sometime within the next decade.
15. Jakarta, Indonesia
Another victim of the malicious Pacific Ring of Fire, Jakarta sees the potential for deadly tsunamis thanks to its place near an underwater fault. In 2004, “a magnitude-9.1 tremor, one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded, struck off the west coast of Sumatra, unleashing a massive tsunami that struck scores of countries in the region and killed at least 227,898 people.” Tourism has picked up again in South-east Asian hotspots like Thailand, Bali, and Sri Lanka, but its only a matter of time before another catastrophic seismic event impacts the area.
