The major disasters of this century- the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001 that killed 2,752 people; the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) global epidemic (pandemic) that spread like fire across the globe killing 800 people in 2003 and caused $100 billion in economic loses; the December 2004 tsunami that was caused by the second largest earthquake ever recorded and killed more than 150,000 people in Asia; and the August and September 2005 hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which caused hundreds of deaths and destroyed New Orleans and other towns and cities across the Gulf of Mexico-will be seen as minor events compared to the coming catastrophes we face in 2006 and beyond.