It’s easy to see in hindsight. Yes, Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster, but it was aided by some very unnatural factors — developed wetlands and neglected levees, to name two. Figuring there must be other parts of the U.S. in human-made peril, we talked with experts to learn where we’ve made ourselves most vulnerable, and what — in lieu of scrapping the whole country and starting over — is being done to help.

Where will this country’s next “unnatural disaster” strike? Mouse over or click on the hotspots on our map to find out.

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Map: NationalAtlas.gov