In Kansas, many of our qualifying disasters are tornado-related, but that doesn't exclude other deadly events from causing destruction. In the Sunflower State, sometimes there are gorgeous, clear skies, and other times, Mother Nature gives us all she's got. We may be brave in the face of dark skies, but sometimes you can't expect everything. How many of these devastating Kansas natural disasters have you heard of or lived through?

1. 1867 Earthquake - Manhattan, KS

In Manhattan, Kansas, a 5.1 earthquake struck and was felt in an area of almost 200,000 square miles. It didn't cause too much damage, other than fractured walls and fallen chimneys. No one died, but there were definitely injuries reported. I'm sure the china cabinet was hurt the worst, though!

2. 1875 Swarm of Locusts

In a few areas during the month of August 1875, the rocky mountain locust swarm covered 198,000 square miles in the Kansas. With numbers reaching the trillions, there's no other recorded swarm that large in history. Only hours after they arrived, large areas of crops were reduced to twigs and stems. By the end of June, they were gone.

3. 1935 Dust Bowl

During a devastating dust bowl in 1935, on a day that is now called Black Sunday, winds up to 60mph blew topsoil across the Midwest. Some residents gave up (I don't blame them!) but others worked to make miles of windbreaks and change how we treated our cropland.

4. The Great Flood of 1951

What was then only $935 million in damage would be over $8 billion today. This flood roared from Manhattan, all the way through Topeka, Lawrence, and eventually into Kansas City. When all was said and done the flood only killed only 17 people, but displaced thousands. Precautions after this event kept the flood of 1993 from causing as much destruction.

5. 1965 Piatt St. Planecrash - Wichita, KS

In 1965, a KC-135 refuelling tanker (top right) crashed into the ground in a predominantly black neighborhood in northeast Wichita. 30 casualties happened almost instantly as thousands of gallons of jet fuel and fire rained around the site.

6. Ice Storm, January 2007

Across the Midwest in January of 2007, ice started accumulating on trees, power lines, and anything else it could touch. Power went down for days in some areas, and trees everywhere fell apart from the weight of the ice. Some places even reported up to an inch of ice coating some of the structures outside. Althojugh only at least three deaths were reported from this event, the damage was very widespread across Kansas.

7. Greensburg tornado, May 2007

In May of that same year, there were 129 confirmed tornadoes. One of these, an 5F, killed 11, greatly wounded 216, and leveled 95% of Greensburg, Kansas. After it had passed, the entire town was deemed unsafe, and anyone able to leave was evacuated.

Though plenty of tornadoes pass through Kansas without touching anyone, some of these natural disasters seemed to aim right for humanity. Have you heard any other tales of terrible disasters here in Kansas? If so, let us know below! Looking for other tornadoes? The History Of Tornadoes In Kansas Will Shock You.