I've been seeing a lot of science shows on apocalypses lately, from hypercanes to supervolcanoes to megaquakes and more.
Let's try to list several different types of disasters (naturally-ocurring or supervillain-induced). We will then figure out how to model these in Hero format (5th & 6th ED) and determine what (if any) superheroes can do to halt the disaster or at least mitigate its effects.
F'rinstance a small disaster that occurred in one of my own campaigns (Golden Age, pre-WWII) the heroes were in Cuba looking for a Nazi Spy© when an apartment building caught fire. Elastico, Tex Jones (a two-fisted adventurer) and the Great White Hunter dashed into the building to evacuate people to safety while the rest of the group tried to put out the fire. The Elemental (earth, air, fire, and water powers) aided them by providing a spray of water (8 dice EB spread to cover8 hexes, reducing it to 0 dice) to protect the rescuers and the victims as they were being evacuated. The Superman clone flew to the nearby docks and borrowed a large rowboat which he subsequently used as a scoop to bring (literally) boatloads of water to help extinguish the fire. I didn't map out the fire but just said "the building's on fire". We didn't model anything in particular and I gave credit to the heroes for coming up with imaginative ways to render aid.
So, just to get the ball rolling, let's figure out what problems our heroes would have to deal with in case of a major earthquake.
Shaking ground (keeping one's footing, etc.)
Collapsing buildings and other structures.
Cracks in the ground swallowing up people and buildings. (also soil liquefaction).
Gas and water mains break.
Fires.
Tsunamis in coastal areas.
Anything else you can think of?
ETA Links:
Thread: Natural Disasters: Giant Monsters Awaken!
Thread: Earthquake! What does it do, and how do the heroes respond?
Thread: The Buildings! They're FALLING!!
Thread: How to Save That Train!
Thread: Help! It's on fire!