Some group (in the UN?...UNESCO?) once did a survey of which countries had the most potential for natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, blizzards...). Turned out that the U.S. was at the top of the list.
I think that the fact that things like Katrina caused so few deaths says volumes about the capabilities of this country and the resilience of its people compared to other countries.
Absolutely. And major earthquakes here kill dozens, and so on. The prosperity and technological prowess of the U.S. keeps us from dying in droves like so many others.