A
magnitude 7.0 earthquake that has a depth of 8.1 miles rocked Haiti on
January 12, 2010. Its epicenter was located just south west of
Port-Au-Prince with 59 aftershocks ranging from 4.2 to 5.9 magnitudes in
strength. The strongest earthquake to hit the country since 1770, it
had led to over 200,000 deaths, 2 million homeless, and 3 million people
in need of emergency aid. At least US $195 million have been given with
another US $120 million pledges from different countries, along with a
large number of aid workers to help with rescue operations.
The
first cyclone in 2008 to hit the northern Indian Ocean, Cyclone Nargis
made landfall in Myanmar and devastated the Ayeyarwady Delta region
along with its 37 townships for two days. Official figures showed that
84,500 people were killed with 53,800 missing. An equivalent of a
category 3 or 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, it led to
numerous storm surges and flooding.
The
2005 Pakistan earthquake, that registered 7.6 in the Richter scale, had
its epicenter in Kashmir near the city of Muzaffarabad. It occurred on
the morning of October 8, 2005 and the official death toll was 75,000
people with 106,000 people injured. The severity of the damage was
attributed to the poor construction of the buildings. Over US $5.4
billion in aid arrived from all over the world to help with rescue and
relief efforts.
The
deadliest hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, it was ranked as the
sixth strongest overall to hit the United States. It was also one of
the costliest with estimated property damages of US $81 billion.
Also
known as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, it was estimated to be a
magnitude 9.15, and occurred on December 26, 2004. While the earthquake
itself lasted for only 10 seconds, it caused a tsunami that killed
200,000 to 310,000 people along the shores of Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
South India, and Thailand with one death even occurring at Port
Elizabeth in South Africa, 8,000 miles away from the epicenter.
Also famed as La Mesa de Herveo, this stratovolcano
holds the distinction of causing the second largest volcano-related
disaster of the 20th century. The volcano, which generally generates
Plinian eruptions or swift-moving currents of hot gas and rock called
pyroclastic flows, produced an enormous flow that buried and devastated
the town of Armero in Tolima in November 13, 1985. What was tragically
known as the “Armero tragedy” caused the death of 25,000 people.
The
Great Tangshan earthquake struck China on July 28, 1976 causing the
death of 240,000 people and injured 164,000 more. Regarded as the
deadliest earthquake of the 20th century, it also rocked, both literally
and politically, the seat of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.
The very large 7.8 earthquake hit an area where it was totally
unexpected causing the city of Tangshan to be obliterated. It was caused
by the 25-mile long Tangshan Fault, which runs near the city.
This
hurricane was formed by a tropical wave that moved to the west coast of
Africa on August 14, 1992. It became a major tropical depression by
August 16, though its intensity was initially prevented by a wind shear.
During the succeeding days, it developed into a destructive tropical
cyclone, named Hurricane Andrew. Due to the massive destruction that
caused 65 fatalities and US $26 billion in property damages, this became
the 5th costliest hurricane in US history after hurricanes Katrina,
Wilma, and Ike, with the name Andrew retired from the hurricane names
list in the spring of 1993.
A
9.0 magnitude quake followed by tsunami waves hit the east coast of
Japan in March 11, 2011. With a depth of 24.4 km, this was the largest
earthquake to ever strike Japan in recorded history. Documented as the
7th largest earthquake in the world, it led to about 15 million dead or
injured, and 2,814 people missing. It also affected 18 prefectures, with
over 250,000 buildings damaged or destroyed and caused a near nuclear
disaster when there was a partial meltdown in 3 reactors of the
Fukushima nuclear plant, which is the 2nd largest nuclear disaster after
Chernobyl.
The
deadliest earthquake in history, it occurred in October 11, 1138 and
was named after the city of Aleppo in Syria, now called Halab. Its death
toll was approximated at 230,000 as the city was destroyed along with
its surrounding areas.
Also
known as the 1920 Gansu Earthquake, this is the 4th worst earthquake
ever recorded next to the Antioch Earthquake in the year 526. With a
death toll of 240,000, this quake occurred in December 16, 1920 with its
epicenter in Haiyuan County, in the Ningxia Province of China.
The
third worst earthquake disaster in the world happened in the year 526
and may have probably struck late in May between the 20th and 29th as
there is no specific date on record. This major earthquake hit Syria and
Antioch with a death toll between 250,000 to 300,000.
Reaching
wind speeds of 185 km/h, the Bhola Cyclone in Bangladesh led to over US
$490 million in damages, destroying 85% of the homes in the region. It
also fetched storm surges that wiped out entire villages, killing 45% of
the population in Tazumuddin. Nearly 500,000 perished during the
cyclone.
Also
known as the Christchurch earthquake, this magnitude 6.3 quake that
occurred on February 22, 2011 severely damaged New Zealand’s
second-largest city. It also killed 185 people, 238 were reported
missing, and164 patients were treated for injuries. One of the nation’s
deadliest peacetime disasters, this caused significant damage to
Christchurch and the central Canterbury region with an estimated US $16
billion worth of damages incurred, though it was of lesser strength than
the 7.1 magnitude quake that hit Canterbury six earlier in September 4,
2010.
The
second worst blizzard in modern history after the Iran blizzard with
regards to casualties, it had an estimated death toll of 1,337 due to
temperatures that fell below -30°C with up to 180 centimeters of snow in
the mountainous regions. Some were frozen to death, a number died when
their vehicles were blocked by snowdrifts and at least 100 people
underwent frostbite amputations in hospitals across the country. It also
claimed more than 100,000 sheep and goats and 315,000 cattle.
The
worst drought in 60 years, the Horn of Africa experienced a severe
drought since mid-July of 2011 with an estimated 12.4 million people in
need of food. It resulted in a food crisis across Kenya, Somalia,
Ethiopia, and Djibouti, threatened the livelihood of more than 9.5
million people, and caused widespread death and famine.
Recognized
as the “Arduous March”, this famine that devastated North Korea from
1994 to 1998 had an estimated death toll of between 240,000 and
3,500,000 caused by starvation and hunger-related illnesses. Out of its
24 million people, 5 million are malnourished including 800,000 children
with 80,000 on the brink of starvation. Everyone felt the impact of the
famine, but those who are further from the capital suffered greater.
Food assistance was given by the United States, Japan, South Korea,
China and other European Union countries, which continued until 2002
when the North Korean government requested to stop the deliveries of
these food supplies.
Europe
is not too used to scorching hot summers so when the 2003 European heat
wave struck, it resulted in a health crisis in several countries as
well as a drought which led to crop shortage, especially in Ukraine
where 75% of wheat crops were lost. The hottest since 1540, at least
14,802 casualties recorded in France alone with victims coming from old
people in nursing homes, or single family homes with no air-conditioning
systems. The extreme temperatures also dried up most of Europe, which
resulted in forest fires and counterintuitively, even flooding.
When
torrential rains hit southern China in August 1931, it caused the
Yangtze River to flood killing nearly 3.7 million people. This was
considered the worst natural disaster of the 20th century.
Occurring between
the months of February and March in 2000 the catastrophic flooding was
caused by torrential rainfall that lasted for 5 weeks. It made many
people homeless as it affected 1,400 sq km of arable land, killing 800
people and 20,000 cattle.
While
the Revolutionary War was reshaping society and politics along the
eastern seaboard, the Great Smallpox Epidemic was ravaging the entire
North American continent from 1775 to 1782. Caused by a contagious virus
known as “Variola major,” the initial signs of smallpox came 12 days
later after exposure, where early symptoms included backache, fever,
headache, vomiting, and general malaise. While there have been
devastating outbreaks of smallpox from the time of early Spanish
exploration, none were as fully documented as the early conflicts of the
American Revolution from 1775 to 1776.
This tuberculosis
epidemic in Europe during the 17th century lasted for nearly 200 years.
It was the leading cause of death in 1650 and very likely propagated
due to poor sanitary conditions.
This
earthquake happened on India’s 51st Republic Day celebration in January
26, 2001. The quake, which had a magnitude between 7.6 and 7.7, lasted
for over 2 minutes with the epicenter about 9 km south-southwest of the
Chobari village. It resulted in a death toll of 20,000 people, injured
167,000 and destroyed 400,000 homes. It also caused major shock waves
that spread 700 km where 21 districts were affected and left 600,000
people homeless.
An
epidemic that swept through Europe from 1348 to 1351, it killed an
estimated 25 to 60% of Europe’s population, though some estimates were
higher which would mean somewhere between 75 million to 200 million
people. Also known as “the Great Mortality” or “the Pestilence,” it was
the second plague pandemic of the Middle Ages, next only to the
Justinian plague in the 6th century.
The
first wave of the Spanish flu, which is one of the several types of
influenza viruses, might have begun in March 1918 and began to spread
throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. A contagious illness, it was
responsible for the death of 20 million to 40 million people, though
other estimates range from 40 million to 100 million people.
