12 Costliest Disasters in History

12 Most Costly Disasters In History

No. 12 @ $150 Million | The Titanic

The sinking of the Titanic is possibly the most famous accident in the world. But it barely makes our list of top 12 most expensive. On April 15, 1912, over 1,500 people lost their lives when the ship ran into an iceberg and sunk in frigid waters. The ship cost $7 million to build ($150 million in today's dollars).

No. 11 @ $318 Million | Tanker Truck and Bridge

On August 26, 2004, a car collided with a tanker truck containing 32,000 liters of fuel on the Wiehltal Bridge in Germany . The tanker crashed through the guardrail and fell 90 feet off the A4 Autobahn resulting in a huge explosion and fire which destroyed the load-bearing ability of the bridge. Temporary repairs cost $40 million and the cost to replace the bridge is estimated at $318 Million.

No. 10 @ $500 Million | Metro Link Crash

On September 12, 2008, in what was one of the worst train crashes in California history, 25 people were killed when a Metrolink commuter train crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train in Los Angeles . It is thought that the Metrolink train may have run through a red signal while the conductor was busy text messaging.. Wrongful death lawsuits are expected to cause $500 million in losses for Metrolink.

No. 9 @ $1.4 Billion | B2 Bomber Crash

This B-2 stealth bomber crashed shortly after taking off from an air base in Guam on February 23, 2008. Investigators blamed distorted data in the flight control computers caused by moisture in the system. This resulted in the aircraft making a sudden nose-up move which made the B-2 stall and crash. This was 1 of only 21 ever built and was the most expensive aviation accident in history. Both pilots were able to eject to safety.

No. 8 @ $2.5 Billion | Exxon Valdez Oilspill

The Exxon Valdez oil spill was not a large one in relation to the world ' s biggest oil spills, but it was a costly one due to the remote location of Prince William Sound (accessible only by helicopter and boat). On March 24, 1989, 10.8 million gallons of oil was spilled when the ship ' s master, Joseph Hazelwood, left the controls and the ship crashed into a Reef. The cleanup cost Exxon $2.5 billion.

No. 7 @ $3.4 Billion | Piper Alpha Oil Rig

At one time, it was the world's single largest oil producer, spewing out 317,000 barrels of oil per day. On July 6, 1988, as part of routine maintenance, technicians removed and checked safety valves which were essential in preventing dangerous build-up of liquid gas. There were 100 identical safety valves which were checked. Unfortunately, the technicians made a mistake and forgot to replace one of them. At 10 PM that same night, a technician pressed a start button for the liquid gas pumps and the world's most expensive oil rig accident was set in motion. Within 2 hours, the 300 foot platform was engulfed in flames. It eventually collapsed, killing 167 workers and resulting in $3.4 Billion in damages.

No. 6 @ $5.5 Billion | Challenger Explosion

The Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed 73 seconds after takeoff on January 28, 1986 reportedly due to a faulty O-ring. It failed to seal one of the joints, allowing pressurized gas to reach the outside. This in turn caused the external tank to dump its payload of liquid hydrogen causing a massive explosion. The cost of replacing the Space Shuttle was $2 billion in 1986 ($4.5 billion in today ' s dollars). The cost of investigation, problem correction, and replacement of lost equipment cost $450 million from 1986-1987 ($1 Billion in today's dollars).

No. 5 @ $12 Billion | Prestige Oilspill

On November 13, 2002, the Prestige oil tanker was carrying 77,000 tons of heavy fuel oil when one of its twelve tanks burst during a storm off Galicia , Spain . Fearing that the ship would sink, the captain called for help from Spanish rescue workers, expecting them to take the ship into harbour. However, pressure from local authorities forced the captain to steer the ship away from the coast. The captain tried to get help from the French and Portuguese authorities, but they too ordered the ship away from their shores. The storm eventually took its toll on the ship resulting in the tanker splitting in half and releasing 20 million gallons oil into the sea.

No. 4 @ $13 Billion | Columbia Explosion

The Space Shuttle Columbia was the first space worthy shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. It was destroyed during re-entry over Texas on February 1, 2003 after a hole was punctured in one of the wings during launch 16 days earlier. The original cost of the shuttle was $2 Billion in 1978. That comes out to $6.3 Billion in today ' s dollars. $500 million was spent on the investigation, making it the costliest aircraft accident investigation in history. The search and recovery of debris cost $300 million. In the end, the total cost of the accident (not including replacement of the shuttle) came out to $13 Billion according to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

No. 3 @ $170 Billion | AIG Bailout

Rewarding Incompetence and Greed.
The bailout of the global insurance giant AIG is the third largest catastrophe for only one group of people - THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER! With large, multi-million dollar bonuses being doled out to many of its top and mid-level executives, out of the pockets of the American Taxpayer, who most of which, must actually work for a living. Each Taxpayer had to cough-up $1,224.00 of their tax money to give these greedy swindlers. It has been calculated that this 170 Billion would be enough to . . .

Double the Navy's fleet of aircraft carriers.
Pay the electric bill for every household in America for 1 year.
Cover the cost of a four-year university education for 2 million Americans.

With neither the government nor those with their hands out, for a hand out, being held responsible or accountable, the only real losers in the bailout scheme are you and I, the American Taxpayers. Will we ever get sick and tired of being taken advantage of? I don't know. I hope so.

No. 2 @ $200 Billion | Chernobyl

On April 26, 1986, the world witnessed the costliest accident in history. The Chernobyl disaster has been called the biggest socio-economic catastrophe in peacetime history. 50% of the area of Ukraine is in some way contaminated. Over 200,000 people had to be evacuated and resettled while 1.7 million people were directly affected by the disaster. The death toll attributed to Chernobyl , including people who died from cancer years later, is estimated at 125,000. The total costs including cleanup, resettlement, and compensation to victims has been estimated to be roughly $200 Billion. The cost of a new steel shelter for the Chernobyl nuclear plant will cost $2 billion alone. The accident was officially attributed to power plant operators who violated plant procedures and were ignorant of the safety requirements needed.

No. 1 @ Unknown Trillions of $$ and Counting | Obama's Election to the White House

This could be the most costly presidency in history. In the first two months alone, Obama has spent $800 Billion in a so-called bailout package. The question still remains on WHO IS HE BAILING OUT?
The cost of his term in office cannot be counted in dollars only. It must also be counted in lives.
THE INNOCENT LIVES OF UNBORN BABIES SACRIFICED ON THE ALTAR OF MOLECH, PAID FOR WITH OUR TAX DOLLARS. Including the untold lives of those he has sanctioned the death of through INDUCED LABOR ABORTION.
Only time will tell the true total devastation that will be thrust upon America at the hands of this man,

WHO HAS YET TO PROVE THAT HE CAN LEGALLY HOLD THE OFFICE!

If the saying is true,"People get the leaders they deserve", then there is only one explanation. WE ARE UNDER A CURSE FOR FORSAKING GOD IN OUR SOCIETY AND IN OUR HOMES.