11 BIGGEST Natural Disasters
- il y a 6 ans
From the earthquake in Japan that led to a tsunami to the deadliest \r
cyclone that was just huge and caused unbelievable destruction.\r
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# 7 2005 Pakistan Earthquake \r
In 2005 an Earthquake struck at the fault line that created the Himalaya Mountains in South Asia. The earthquake was registered as a 7.6 on the Richter scale, nearly flattening almost all of the townships in the Kashmir region even damaging parts of Eastern Pakistan and Northern India. Towns that were built into the side of mountains just completely slid off; the rest would be left destroyed and unlivable. The town of Balakot was demolished with almost nothing left. Because of the sudden and unpredictable nature of Earthquakes, it led to the deaths of more than 80,000 people and a displacement of 4 million more. \r
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# 6 2005 Hurricane Katrina\r
In August of 2005, the infamous Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina escalated from a Category 1 to a Category 5 right before making landfall on the border between Louisiana and Mississippi. The Hurricane caused extensive flooding in the low-elevation of the New Orleans; estimates say that 80 percent of the city was flooded. Katrina was ultimately one of the most damaging natural disasters to hit the United States in history. The hurricane and subsequent flooding displaced more than 1 million Americans, one of the biggest displacements of a population since the Great Depression. \r
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# 5 Boxing Day Tsunami\r
In 2004, an earthquake with energy reportedly equal to 23,000 of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, struck in the shallows of the Indian Ocean near South and Southeast Asia, ultimately resulting in the death of an estimated 200,000 - 300,000 people along the coasts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. The aftershocks even resulted in death all the way in South Africa, more than 5,000 miles away. Waves resulted from the earthquake were crashing into the coast at 50 feet high, some reportedly measuring 100 feet high.\r
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# 4 Afghanistan Blizzard\r
One of the worst blizzards in modern history took place in an area many might not have expected: Afghanistan. Although a lot of us think that Afghanistan is one huge arid desert, there are varied climates and geographies, so a blizzard in the country isnt impossible. The extreme blizzard had an estimated death toll of 1,337 and temperatures fell below -22 degrees Fahrenheit, more than 40 degrees below freezing. Snow was measured at nearly 6 feet high in some region. In addition to the deaths, there were at least 100 people who needed to have amputations because of frostbite and the death more than 400,000 livestock. \r
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# 3 2003 European Heat Wave\r
Europe is almost ubiquitously known for its colder and temperate weather climates, so when you hear that there was a severe heat wave that tortured Europeans in the summer of 2003, you might think they were just a little too sensitive to anything above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. But the record-breaking temperatures of 104 degrees to 118 degrees Fahrenheit in some countries is enough to even make the American Southwest feel nervous. With temperatures like those hitting countries where almost the entire population has never needed to buy an air conditioner, you can imagine the chaos that might ensue. 75% crops in the Ukraine were lost, and more than 14,000 casualties were recorded in France alone, and a death toll of 70,000 across the whole continent. \r
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# 2 2008 Sichuan Earthquake \r
On May of 2008, the Sichuan Province in China experienced a 7.9 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 70,000 people. The estimated financial damage was put at $85 billion US dollars. Three years later, displaced people are still living as refugees in tents, with an estimated 18,222 people still missing. Despite fundraising efforts, poor infrastructure and misspending has made recovery and reconstruction efforts slow and challenging.\r
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# 1 new Tohoku Earthquake\r
In March of new, Northeastern Japan felt the brunt of a magnitude 9 level earthquake and the resulting tsunami. The earthquake was felt in places all around the globe, and the tsunami is still washing up Japanese debris on the North American West Coast. This disaster caused a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, causing radioive water to leak out, displacing 230,000 people or more from their homes. The economic costs of this catastrophe have been estimated at 25 trillion yen or 300 billion US dollars. Since the meltdown, the power plant has leaked hundreds of tons of radioive water into the Pacific Ocean, possibly creating health hazards and environmental issues in the future.
cyclone that was just huge and caused unbelievable destruction.\r
\r
# 7 2005 Pakistan Earthquake \r
In 2005 an Earthquake struck at the fault line that created the Himalaya Mountains in South Asia. The earthquake was registered as a 7.6 on the Richter scale, nearly flattening almost all of the townships in the Kashmir region even damaging parts of Eastern Pakistan and Northern India. Towns that were built into the side of mountains just completely slid off; the rest would be left destroyed and unlivable. The town of Balakot was demolished with almost nothing left. Because of the sudden and unpredictable nature of Earthquakes, it led to the deaths of more than 80,000 people and a displacement of 4 million more. \r
\r
# 6 2005 Hurricane Katrina\r
In August of 2005, the infamous Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina escalated from a Category 1 to a Category 5 right before making landfall on the border between Louisiana and Mississippi. The Hurricane caused extensive flooding in the low-elevation of the New Orleans; estimates say that 80 percent of the city was flooded. Katrina was ultimately one of the most damaging natural disasters to hit the United States in history. The hurricane and subsequent flooding displaced more than 1 million Americans, one of the biggest displacements of a population since the Great Depression. \r
\r
# 5 Boxing Day Tsunami\r
In 2004, an earthquake with energy reportedly equal to 23,000 of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, struck in the shallows of the Indian Ocean near South and Southeast Asia, ultimately resulting in the death of an estimated 200,000 - 300,000 people along the coasts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. The aftershocks even resulted in death all the way in South Africa, more than 5,000 miles away. Waves resulted from the earthquake were crashing into the coast at 50 feet high, some reportedly measuring 100 feet high.\r
\r
# 4 Afghanistan Blizzard\r
One of the worst blizzards in modern history took place in an area many might not have expected: Afghanistan. Although a lot of us think that Afghanistan is one huge arid desert, there are varied climates and geographies, so a blizzard in the country isnt impossible. The extreme blizzard had an estimated death toll of 1,337 and temperatures fell below -22 degrees Fahrenheit, more than 40 degrees below freezing. Snow was measured at nearly 6 feet high in some region. In addition to the deaths, there were at least 100 people who needed to have amputations because of frostbite and the death more than 400,000 livestock. \r
\r
# 3 2003 European Heat Wave\r
Europe is almost ubiquitously known for its colder and temperate weather climates, so when you hear that there was a severe heat wave that tortured Europeans in the summer of 2003, you might think they were just a little too sensitive to anything above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. But the record-breaking temperatures of 104 degrees to 118 degrees Fahrenheit in some countries is enough to even make the American Southwest feel nervous. With temperatures like those hitting countries where almost the entire population has never needed to buy an air conditioner, you can imagine the chaos that might ensue. 75% crops in the Ukraine were lost, and more than 14,000 casualties were recorded in France alone, and a death toll of 70,000 across the whole continent. \r
\r
# 2 2008 Sichuan Earthquake \r
On May of 2008, the Sichuan Province in China experienced a 7.9 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 70,000 people. The estimated financial damage was put at $85 billion US dollars. Three years later, displaced people are still living as refugees in tents, with an estimated 18,222 people still missing. Despite fundraising efforts, poor infrastructure and misspending has made recovery and reconstruction efforts slow and challenging.\r
\r
# 1 new Tohoku Earthquake\r
In March of new, Northeastern Japan felt the brunt of a magnitude 9 level earthquake and the resulting tsunami. The earthquake was felt in places all around the globe, and the tsunami is still washing up Japanese debris on the North American West Coast. This disaster caused a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, causing radioive water to leak out, displacing 230,000 people or more from their homes. The economic costs of this catastrophe have been estimated at 25 trillion yen or 300 billion US dollars. Since the meltdown, the power plant has leaked hundreds of tons of radioive water into the Pacific Ocean, possibly creating health hazards and environmental issues in the future.