Most people know that the Carolinas are at risk for hurricanes, but many are unaware that in 1886, Charleston, S.C., was the epicenter of a devastating earthquake that killed 60 people and caused $6 million in damage. Its effects were felt hundreds of miles away.

The 7.3 magnitude earthquake, the most damaging quake to occur in the southeastern United States, struck Charleston at 10 p.m. on Aug. 31, 1886. Hardly a building in the city was undamaged, and structural damage was reported as far away as central Ohio.

North Carolina has not been spared by earthquakes either. A smaller but significant quake – magnitude 5.2 – struck Waynesville, N.C., on Feb. 21, 1916, with recorded cases of varied structural damage in surrounding states.

Residents of the Carolinas are familiar with the danger and destructiveness of hurricanes.

Hurricane Hugo, a Category 4 storm, was one of the worst in recent history, making landfall just north of Charleston, S.C., on Sept. 22, 1989. The 20-foot storm surge inundated the coast from Charleston to Myrtle Beach, killing 21 and causing more than $7 billion in damage.

Hurricane Preparation Tips | Hurricane Safety Tips | Hurricane Recovery Tips

Property damage in North Carolina totaled $210 million as the storm finally weakened into a Category 1 hurricane, by that time moving nearly 200 miles inland.

In 1893, more than 1,000 people drowned near the South Carolina-Georgia border in a tidal surge from the Sea Islands Hurricane. And 1954’s Hurricane Hazel hit near the border between the Carolinas, leading to 95 deaths and more than $281 million (1954 dollars) in damage in the U.S.

With forecasters expecting increased hurricane activity nationwide for the next 15 years and with earthquakes essentially defying predictions, it is vital that North and South Carolina take steps to protect their residents from catastrophe.

According to National Hurricane Center Meteorologist Dennis Feltgen, 'we’re still in an active hurricane cycle, and those tend to last 20 to 25 years. People should use the off-season to prepare for next year.'