Here are some of the things that listeners have had to say about the Great Disasters podcast:
Disaster Pod!! ★★★★★Host Kari Fay takes a deep dive into the unpleasant, yet fascinating world of great disasters in history with her lovely British voice. Episodes are well researched and generally more interesting than a college level history course. My only suggestion would be to change out the intro music, as it sounds like she’s doing an ad for a British funeral home. Go listen now!!
– March 2018 by HonorKnight
(Sorry, I’m keeping the music!)
Engaging look at history’s most unexpected catastrophes ★★★★★There’s something about disaster that’s so uncanny that I can’t help but want to know more. Great Disasters scratches that itch with deep historical research that examines the causes and consequences of the unexpected. I look forward to listening further!
– March 2018 by A. E. Flynn
Love This! ★★★★★Poetic and Educational I’ve learnt so much about disasters I knew about and those I didn’t (such as Operation Tiger). Kari has a compelling voice and her research is brilliantly presented.
– April 2018 by MishL1
An informative and entertaining listen. ★★★★★Kari has researched events in extreme detail to bring these accounts to life. Really interesting!
– June 2018 by Cottosqueak
Format A+ ★★★★★The show was really informative and I enjoy how the show was structured!
– June 2018 by matt kirschner
Enjoyable ★★★★★Really like this podcast!!
– August 2018 by brule71
Not an ordinary disaster podcast! ★★★★★Beautifully researched and told with a lovely voice, this is not just another disaster podcast! A unique mix of well-known and more obscure disasters. Looking forward to more new episodes
– October 2018 by Teresa Y – Rumford, ME
Good but needs work ★★★★Good but needs work
– February 2019 by skolwarrior
(Sadly, without more detail I don’t know what exactly needs work!)
A suggestion ★★★Make one on Pearl Harbor and flight 19
– February 2019 by hfgtfhhj
(As it happens, I already had plans to cover Pearl Harbor – as for Flight 19, I’m not sure. I do generally prefer to cover things that have answers, which unfortunately are missing here.)
GREAT PODCAST. Just *****Five Star***** ★★★★★Good research. Nicely done. You do a fantastic job, please keep it up. I just foubnd you so I have been binge listenign for two days. I don’t want to run out of episodes. ABSOLUTLEY FANTASTICI!!
– May 2019 by Chamacaesq
Just want to say thank you ★★★★★I have enjoyed the podcast. Keep up the great work. The podcast is great. It goes into great detail without being just a list of facts. I love the way she tells the story of each disaster and gives prospective s from those involved.
– June 2019 by Jforten7
Great work Kari, very interesting podcast and well produced. ★★★★★Love this podcast. Very interesting and Kari.
– June 2019 by Triumph319
Great disasters ★★★★★Awesome podcast!
– September 2019 by Lizzisho
Great!! ★★★★★I look forward to new episodes!
– October 2019 by jdtest921457275
Outstanding research ★★★★★I love this podcast and it has a terrific host and amazing research. The Pearl Harbor episode is especially amazing.
– October 2019 by Amy True Crime Review
Good ★★★★★Do one on 9/11
– October 2019 by BJPester
(The events of 9/11 took more than one episode to cover – six episodes, in fact, which came out for the 20th anniversary.)
Great topic, great voice ★★★★★Well-researched. I like the podcaster’s voice, because she sounds very respectful to those who perished. Very interesting podcast.
– December 2019 by Captainbossy
Love these podcasts! ★★★★★I’ve listened to every one. Never disappoints. Keep it up!
– December 2019 by ayyyydo
Very interesting and Detailed ★★★★★The topics are very interesting and well researched. Very engaging podcast. Wonderful voice and clear narration. Since “The podcast of Doom” retired, this has been my favourite podcast.
– December 2019 by Vickyunderthesky
Astrous! ★★★★★Although the content may cataclysmic, the style and detail of research is anything but!
– February 2020 by Benedict Johnson
Solid but some drawbacks ★★★The topics are great but lean towards English events. Narrator voice also isn’t the most pleasant to listen to for long periods. Thorough coverage of topics, but occasionally gets too lost into technical language from legal testimony, so can get a touch dry. Would benefit from a more dynamic oration and setting the stage with suspense. What makes disasters appealing to an audience is the buildup to them — the missteps, hubris, and bad luck that led to their occurrence. These episodes often jump right in to the event with no buildup at all, then goes back to the detail. That’s an ok approach but more details of the event need to be told as precursors so listeners have a clear picture of the accident, not the background of the victims, to start. Some episodes do this well, like the Antarctic plane crash. Others like the Flying Dutchman don’t.
– February 2020 by H Charles
(Well, okay then. Since I am English, I am most familiar with English events – and unfortunately not being multilingual, I’m also restricted to events covered by English-speaking media. However, when this review was written, I’d also covered events in America, Germany, Canada, Nepal, Indonesia, Brazil, Italy, France, Haiti, China, Ukraine, Ireland, South Korea, New Zealand, and Japan – so I think I have pretty good coverage!
I think the reviewer means Flying Scotsman, not Dutchman – and I would agree that’s one of my weakest episodes. As for my voice – can’t do much about that, I’m afraid! )
Great Narration & Interesting Topics ★★★★★Great presentation style. The host speaks clearly and with good inflection that makes for good story telling while also conveying sympathy to those affected by the incidents she covers. The topics are well researched and interesting. The host takes the time to find first-hand accounts so the human impact stays an important part of the story; she doesn’t just present us with the facts and figures.
– February 2020 by jullego
Well done. ★★★★★So refreshing. No lame jokes. No phony hipster banter. No incessant blabbing about nonsense with 2 other Millennials giggling in the background. Just great history stories well delivered. Thank you.
– March 2020 by Brhseattle68
O.k ★★★★Good
-March 2020 by 09titanicman
Great listening, no frills information ★★★★★I had to listen to several episodes before I could comment. Kari Fay does her homework. Informative and detailed accounts of major events. No gloss, no glitter, just straight forward accounts of significant events in human history. And no intrusive commercials. Will I donate? Yes!
– April 2020 by interested party ny
So good! ★★★★★I’ve recently started listening to this podcast and spend around an hour before going to bed listening, probably now one of my more favoured podcasts! I love the amount of effort put into the research, it definitely shines through! I love hearing about natural disasters mainly and would love if you could do more! You are one of the only podcasts out there that has touched on this and I do really enjoy it!!
– April 2020 by Alouise198
Informative ★★★★★As a Safety Professional and a former military and civilian mishap investigator, I find this podcast to be the most informative on general disasters. Great info and great production value. I’m always excited when a new episode enters my feed.
– May 2020 by CSP Dude
Great Disasters ★★★★★Great voice, great stories, thank you
– May 2020 by collie01
Pure, Entertaining History ★★★★★This podcast is ear candy for history lovers. Straightforward facts, well presented, and eminently interesting.
– July 2020 by S Hoover
Great podcast ★★★★★Really good podcast. Very moving narrator during harrowing moments in the best way.
– August 2020 by Rebecca angelfire east
Had my support until ★It is a pretty good show until you said that we should “support black lives matter”. I have unsubscribed. Do you not know what black lives matter stands for. Take a look around at the cities across America Antifa and blm are terrible organizations. Supporting racial equality is one thing and is great but not those organizations. Try watching something else besides your liberal media and you will see what they are. Why on earth did you get political?
– August 2020 by Dieseltuned
(The reviewer here is referring to my episode on the Tulsa Race Massacre. I suspect that they didn’t listen to the whole episode; I wish they had, as it might have given them a little more understanding.
I do indeed know what Black Lives Matter stand for- racial equality – which is why I encourage supporting them. I honestly do not understand how someone can say that supporting racial equality is great, but object to one of the major voices trying to achieve that.
As for Antifa – that means “Anti- Fascist”, and I am indeed anti-Fascist.
I didn’t “get political” – everything is political. However, in this case, it’s much more – it’s a human issue.)
Well-crafted Podcast ★★★★★This podcast has been a wonderful find. I appreciate the thorough research that has gone into each episode, and the careful and compassionate delivery. Every episode has been compelling, and I look forward to future episodes.
– August 2020 by Calamity Kit
Exceptional insight ★★★★★I listen to this podcast while at work here in the US. The narrator is well informed, and well adapt at drawing you into each story, and making you feel the empathy for the people who suffer such tragic fates, as well as heroism that accompanies these tales as well. Well worth subscribing!
– August 2020 by MountainMan36
From Stitcher
Informative and Respectful ★★★★★For those morbidly interested in catastrophes, this podcast is a great listen. I’ve been on a disaster kick myself recently and this is one of the podcasts I came across that has an appropriate tone for its content. (Some others I found were too lighthearted or aloof.) Relatively short episodes are great for the subject matter while also being thorough and informative. Thanks for making a great show!
– Jun 2019 by Katerina
From Twitter
@great_disasters is created & hosted by one person & extremely well done. Each ep is handled with respect & taste. A lot of emotion for the subject matter. There is a lot disasters I’ve never heard with very interesting. Strongly in favor of the victims and their families. pic.twitter.com/B5gOzInHvv
— ✊🏿✊🏾Black Lives Matter✊🏽✊🏼 (@angelfireeast24) August 14, 2020
@great_disasters just put out the latest podcast! As a Safety Professional with extensive investigations experience, I enjoy the episodes. It reminds me of Grad School case studies.
— Upset Citizen (@Upsetcitizen) January 10, 2020
@great_disasters OMG KARI. Just found your podcast. I have been waiting for a decent disaster podcast to come along for years. DAMN DAMN DAMN yours is perfection!!!!!!
— Kate Avery (@tagsalegirl) December 16, 2019
If you haven’t already, give Kari at @great_disasters a listen and a follow.One of my favorite podcasts because of the great research and narrative.
She’s just released part one of the Chernobyl Meltdown. https://t.co/5teyDqP65T
— OVTrueCrime (@OVTrueCrime) April 26, 2019
From Facebook
(Note: Out of an abundance of caution I’ve blurred out profile pictures and names on Facebook reviews.)
(I did start the show with very basic equipment, so the audio on early episodes was poor. However, in 2020, I re-recorded those episodes to bring them up to scratch.)
Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to rate and review the show – it really does mean a lot to me.