Learn Dutch: Een orkaan of zoiets is gevaarlijk. - A hurricane or something like that is dangerous.

Zo'n (such a) and zulke (such) are determiners, meaning they are placed directly in front of a noun (like zo'n orkaan for "such a hurricane"). Because "something like that" stands on its own without a following noun, we use the pronoun zoiets.

What is zoiets actually made up of?

It is a combination of zo (so/such) and iets (something). You will hear of zoiets constantly in spoken Dutch as a natural, compact way to say "or something" or "or something like that".

Could I translate "or something like that" word-for-word as of iets zoals dat?

You could, and people would understand you, but of zoiets is the standard phrasing. Translating it word-for-word sounds a bit clunky to native speakers.

Why is the verb is singular if the sentence mentions both a hurricane and "something like that"?

The subjects are connected by of (or). When singular subjects are linked with of, the verb remains singular, just like in English.