10 Things People Weirdly Blamed for Natural Disasters

When nature freaks out, we look for rhyme or reason. We need to know why tornadoes and earthquakes happen. Why floods destroy entire towns and hurricanes upend thousands of lives. It is difficult for people to accept that we have no control over natural disasters, so many look for something to blame. This has resulted in some of the strangest scapegoats in history.

Related: 10 Big Problems That Are Being Solved Using Sound

10 The Huge Subterranean Catfish

For many centuries, the Japanese believed that a massive catfish named Namazu lived in the mud beneath the islands. The myth says that Namazu is restrained only by the thunder god Takemikazuchi, who holds a huge stone over the catfish’s head. But Takemikazuchi is prone to distraction, and when this happens, Namazu lashes out with his gigantic tail, causing earthquakes on the surface.

Following the Great Edo Earthquake of 1855, which killed thousands of people and destroyed large sections of the city, the streets were quickly flooded with Namazu-e—woodblock prints depicting the catfish. Some depicted the fish being punished by citizens, while others portrayed it as an agent of social justice, forcing wealthy elites to spend money on rebuilding efforts that benefited the poor. These prints became a form of both satire and a coping mechanism, reflecting how people tried to make sense of sudden catastrophe.^[1]

9 Skinny Jeans and Immodest Clothing

In April 2010, a high-ranking Iranian cleric claimed during a prayer sermon that women who do not dress modestly cause earthquakes. The logic behind this statement was that immodesty and “sinful” behavior create a moral imbalance, which, in turn, provokes natural disasters as a form of divine response.

This line of thinking surfaced again in 2015 after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region. Some political and religious voices in parts of Pakistan and India echoed similar sentiments, criticizing Western fashion—particularly skinny jeans—as a symbol of moral decline. While more extreme claims circulating online later proved satirical or misreported, the broader belief that human behavior can trigger divine punishment has appeared repeatedly across cultures and time periods.^[2]

8 The Iron Points of Boston

Cape Ann, Massachusetts, experienced a violent earthquake in 1755 that saw chimneys crumble and the ground roll like waves. The tremors lasted around four minutes, with sinkholes opening in nearby towns and sailors reporting that their ships felt as though they had struck ground.

Unfortunately, scientific explanations were not widely accepted at the time. Reverend Thomas Prince of South Church blamed Benjamin Franklin’s lightning rods, arguing that they interfered with God’s expression of his anger at humanity’s moral failings. According to this belief, lightning was a divine tool of punishment, and by redirecting it, people had forced God to use earthquakes instead.

So convinced were some residents that they removed their lightning rods after the quake. The incident highlights how new technology can become an easy target when fear and limited understanding collide, especially during moments of crisis.^[3]

7 Disrespected Volcanic Spirits

Mount Merapi on the island of Java, Indonesia, is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. Its name literally means “Mountain of Fire.” But for millions of people living nearby, the volcano is more than a geological feature—it is believed to be home to an invisible kingdom ruled by spiritual forces.

According to local tradition, eruptions are not simply natural events but reactions to human behavior. The Sultan of Yogyakarta was expected to maintain a spiritual relationship with the mountain through ceremonies such as the Labuhan ritual, during which offerings—including food, clothing, and even personal items like hair and fingernail clippings—were carried up its slopes.

When Merapi erupted in 2010, this belief had tragic consequences. The volcano’s spiritual gatekeeper, Mbah Maridjan, refused to evacuate despite official warnings, stating that he had not received a sign from the mountain. When the eruption sent superheated clouds of gas and ash racing down the slopes, he was killed along with hundreds of others. The disaster underscored how deeply cultural beliefs can influence life-and-death decisions in the face of natural hazards.^[4]

6 Cursing and “Foul Breath”

In medieval Europe, the atmosphere was often imagined as a semi-divine medium known as Pneuma—a kind of life-giving air that connected all living things. According to Aristotelian and Galenic thought, this air carried not just physical particles but also spiritual qualities.

This led to a curious belief: when people spoke, they were not just producing sound but releasing their inner moral state into the air. Profanity and blasphemy were thought to “pollute” the atmosphere, creating a kind of spiritual miasma. A person’s breath could be considered sour or corrupt, and enough of this “foul air” was believed to disrupt weather patterns.

During periods like the Little Ice Age, when Europe experienced severe and unpredictable weather, communities sought ways to prevent further hardship. Some towns issued orders banning swearing, believing that unclean language could trigger frosts, storms, or failed harvests. Parish records even suggest that individuals could be blamed—and fined—if bad weather followed their alleged blasphemy, showing how moral behavior and environmental events were once seen as directly linked.^[5]

5 Witchcraft and Sorcery

In the early 17th century, the city of Würzburg in Germany became infamous for its brutal witch trials. Around 1615, a series of violent storms and hailstorms devastated crops and vineyards, threatening the region’s already fragile food supply. Rather than attributing the destruction to natural weather patterns, local authorities and frightened citizens blamed witches, believing they had conjured the disasters out of spite or malice.

The consequences were catastrophic. Accusations spread rapidly, often fueled by fear, personal grudges, or social tensions. Entire families were implicated, and confessions were frequently extracted under torture. Hundreds of people were executed, including children, clergy, and prominent citizens. The Würzburg trials became one of the largest witch persecutions in Europe, illustrating how desperation in the face of natural disaster can lead to widespread hysteria and injustice.^[6]

4 The CERN Large Hadron Collider

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, located about 330 feet (100 m) underground along the border of France and Switzerland. It allows scientists to study the fundamental building blocks of matter by smashing particles together at extremely high speeds.

Despite its scientific purpose, the LHC has become the subject of numerous conspiracy theories. After the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal in 2015, some people claimed that recent high-energy experiments at CERN had somehow destabilized the Earth’s crust. According to these theories, the collider’s powerful magnets or particle collisions created tectonic disturbances or even opened “portals” that triggered seismic activity.

In reality, the energy released in these collisions is minuscule—comparable to subatomic interactions that occur naturally in Earth’s atmosphere every day. Scientific organizations, including CERN itself, have repeatedly clarified that the collider cannot influence geological processes. Nevertheless, the scale and complexity of the machine continue to make it an easy target for speculation when unexplained disasters occur.^[7]

3 The Three Gorges Dam

The Three Gorges Dam in China is the largest hydroelectric power station in the world, holding back roughly 42 billion tons of water. Its sheer scale has made it a frequent subject of speculation whenever natural disasters strike in the region.

In the late 2000s, a NASA analysis noted that redistributing such a large mass of water could very slightly affect Earth’s rotation—by about 0.06 microseconds. Although this change is negligible and well within natural variation, the detail was widely misunderstood. In the years that followed, some people claimed the dam had “unbalanced” the planet, linking it to earthquakes and unusual weather patterns.

After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, these theories gained traction online. Some suggested that the reservoir’s weight had triggered nearby fault lines, while others argued that even the tiny change in Earth’s rotation had caused instability. While large reservoirs can sometimes influence local seismic activity, there is no evidence that the dam caused major earthquakes. The persistence of these claims highlights how complex scientific findings can be easily distorted into dramatic—but inaccurate—explanations.^[8]

2 5G Towers

Since its rollout, 5G technology has been blamed for a wide range of unrelated events. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, conspiracy theories quickly emerged suggesting that 5G signals were somehow responsible for the outbreak. Soon afterward, similar claims expanded to include natural disasters.

During the devastating Australian bushfires of 2019–2020, some fringe groups argued that 5G towers were “drying out” vegetation at a molecular level, effectively turning forests into fuel for massive fires. Others claimed that 5G radiation was responsible for bird die-offs, alleging that the signals interfered with their navigation or even caused them to fall from the sky.

In reality, 5G uses non-ionizing radiation, which lacks the energy required to alter molecular structures, remove electrons from atoms, or generate heat at the levels suggested by these theories. Scientific consensus holds that it cannot cause environmental changes or natural disasters. Still, the spread of misinformation online has kept these ideas alive, particularly during times of crisis when people search for explanations.^[9]

1 Skyquakes

In recent years, people around the world—from British Columbia to parts of the United Kingdom—have reported hearing strange, metallic sounds echoing from clear skies. These unexplained noises, often described as “trumpets” or distant booms, have become known as skyquakes.

Scientists have proposed several possible explanations. Some suggest the sounds are caused by gas escaping from lakes or underground formations, while others point to distant sonic booms, atmospheric phenomena, or minor seismic activity. In many cases, the sounds remain difficult to trace to a single source.

Because of their eerie nature, skyquakes have become fertile ground for speculation. Viral videos have linked them to earthquakes, storms, and even artificial weather manipulation. Some theories claim the sounds are warnings or the result of experimental technology affecting the atmosphere. Despite these claims, there is no evidence that skyquakes cause natural disasters. Instead, they remain an unusual—but likely natural—phenomenon that continues to spark curiosity and, occasionally, misinformation.^[10]