c) The Johnstown Flood

The catastrophic natural disaster that struck Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1889 was the Johnstown Flood. This devastating flood occurred when a dam broke, sending a massive wall of water into the town, killing over 2,000 people and causing widespread destruction. The flood highlighted the lack of adequate safety standards and accountability in industrial infrastructure. It remains one of the deadliest disasters in U.S. history and prompted significant changes in dam engineering and disaster response.