In April, forest fires consumed the colorful port city of Valparaiso in Chile. This calamity resulted in the death of 16 people and the destruction of around 2000 homes. An estimated 756 hectares were destroyed and 10000 people were needed to be evacuated. A tremendous amount of resources were spent in trying to quell these fires and today even more are being used to rebuild Valparaiso. This once again demonstrated the ability of natural disasters to cause utter chaos, to countries or cities which have done no wrong. It has also brought up the key issue of how to minimize the damages caused by the same. In 2012, 357 natural disasters were registered, 9655 people were killed and 124.5 million people became victims worldwide. Research and statistics have shown that over the last decade India, Indonesia, China, The United States of America and Philippines have been the worst affected countries. What is important to note, is that in the top ten countries in terms of disaster mortality in 2012, six are classified as low income or lower middle income countries. Asia accounted in 2012 for 64.5% of global disaster victims, followed by Africa (30.4%). Compared to their 2002-2011 annual averages, the number of victims in 2012 increased in Africa and Oceania, but decreased in the Americas and Europe. This further puts the spotlight on countries which are not so strong economically as they are the ones which are facing the bulk of the problems. While the richer countries continue to accumululate the technolology needed to help them cope with disasters, it is the poorer countries which are suffering and are in need of help. The estimate of economic damages in 2012 was around 157 billion dollars. Natural disasters whether earthquakes, tornadoe... ... middle of paper ... .... Large scale mudslides covered the town of Armero, killing nearly the entire population. An estimated 20000 out of 29000 people lost their lives. • 1991- The cyclone which struck Chittagong in 1991 is rated as one of the deadliest cyclones ever seen. The death toll was an estimated 138,000 while nearly 10 million people were homeless. • 1992- Hurricane Andrew in 1992 proved to be one of the most destructive hurricanes ever to hit the United States. The storm caused roughly $27 billion in damages to Southern Florida and $250 million in the Bahamas. • 2000- The 2000 Mozambique flood was a natural disaster that occurred in February and March 2000. The catastrophic flooding was caused by heavy rainfall that lasted for five weeks and made many homeless. Approximately 800 people were killed. 1,400 km² of arable land was affected and 20,000 head of cattle were lost.
Nearly 45 years ago one of the most powerful and damaging weather phenomenon’s ever to be recorded slammed into the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, a storm that effected people far and wide. Camille formed on August 14th just west of the Cayman Islands and rapidly intensified overnight becoming a category 3 hurricane approaching the island of Cuba. The storm trekked north-northwestward across the Gulf and became a stage 5 hurricane and maintained its strength before making landfall on the Mississippi Coast on the eve of August 17th. The devastating aftermath in the weeks to follow induced by the winds, surges, and rainfall took the lives of 256 people, and caused an estimated damage of 1.421 billion dollars.
In 1992, hurricane Andrew was a category four hurricane and said to be one of the worst natural disasters to happen in the United States at the time. It’s winds surpassed 160 miles per hour and caused damage to over 125,000 homes within 400 square miles. Hurricane Andrew left approximately 175,000 families and children temporarily homeless.
Hurricane Mitch was a Category 5 Hurricane which means it had the strongest wind speed on October 29,1998,.Hurricane Mitch caused a lot of destruction,Mudslides and Flooding.
On August 24th, 1992 in the state of Florida, complete destruction was the end result of Hurricane Andrew. A Hurricane that began in the Atlantic ocean at 20mph. That is almost twice the strength that normal hurricanes begin at. The peak strength of Hurricane Andrew was so strong that devices were not able to measure the winds. An approximation of the force of the winds was said to be up to 200mph. Andrew destroyed about 28,000 homes, damaged 100,000 homes and left 250,000 people homeless along with 30 billion dollars in damage and almost 30 deaths. Hurricane Andrew did not end its devastation in Florida, soon it went to Louisiana causing more damage. (Fig.1)
On August 29th 2005, Hurricane Katrina, a category 3 storm, slammed into the Gulf Coast. In it’s wake, Katrina left a trail of destruction that killed over 1800 people and cost an estimated 108 billion dollars in damages, making it the most destructive natural disaster in US history. Right in the path of the most powerful part of the storm was the city of New Orleans. (Hurricane Katrina)
The total value of damage and losses caused by earthquake is estimated at US$7.8 billion — US$4.3 billion represents physical damage and US$3.5 billion are economic losses — some 120 percent of the 2009 gross domestic product (GDP) of Haiti
With the winds and waters sweeping away taking away people’s lives and property the storm made it to be one of the costliest in the history of America. According to FEMA:
The study, which was released Nov. 15, said even after payment of insurance claims and federal reimbursement for rescue, cleanup and infrastructure repair costs, the net damage to the economy is likely to be at least $16 billion in lost economic output.
On November 1, 1755, All Saints’ Day, Lisbon suffered through the most destructive natural disaster to date. Nearly all citizens were attending mass as this disaster began. After the earthquakes, causing a great amount of damage on their own, Lisbon then suffered through 3 tidal waves and a fire which burned for 5 days. Combined, this earthquake, these tidal waves, and this fire destroyed the entirety of the formerly prosperous city of Lisbon. By the end of these disasters, although there’s no definitive information due to most, if not all records being lost within this disaster, it’s estimated that anywhere from 15,000 to 60,000 casualties were suffered as Lisbon was flattened. Although Lisbon itself suffered many casualties, it’s important to remember the impact that this earthquake had on Portugal and Europe as a whole. At the time of this earthquake, Lisbon was heavily involved in trade with various countries such as Asia, Africa, India, and France. This economic loss became widespread quite quickly.
On August 29th, 2006 New Orleanians were expecting a total of 12 to 15 inches of rain and extended five or six inches from the upcoming storm later known as the costliest hurricane in U.S history. The Category 3 hurricane devastated most of eastern North America with blustery winds of 170 mph (280 km per hour) and storm surge values ranging from 10 to 20 feet. The storm called ‘’Hurricane Katrina’’ originated in the Bahamas on August 23th, 2005, but only became a devastation the next day. On August 28th, Hurricane Katrina succeeded a Category 3 hurricane(sustained winds of 122 kt) and exceeded the limits of a Category 5 storm (sustained winds of 136 kt). The following day, the cyclone shifted northwest towards Mississippi and Louisiana, where the hurricane hit the hardest. New Orleans was one of the cities where the most damage was caused; leaving a negative environment, residential and economic effects on the Gulf Coast.
Hurricane Katrina, stated one of the strongest storms ever to hit the United States over the past 100 years. It is considered the 3rd most powerful hurricane to make a record of 108 billion dollars in damage. The duration of the storm was from August 23rd to August 31st in 2005, the
Hurricane Katrina did its destruction in late August of 2005. It began as a category 5 and then became a category 3 hurricane. Before hitting New Orleans, Katrina hit South Florida and then the Gulf Coast. Before Katrina struck land, a state of emergency was declared and mandatory evacuations were issued. Katrina was the most destructive and costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States and the deadliest since 1928. Over 1,400 people died and almost 2,000 people are still unaccounted for.
Isaac Storm On Friday evening, September 7, 1900, many of the 37,000 residents of Galveston, Texas, were settling down to dinner, few if any of them concerned about the steady 15 mph northerly wind rattling their windows. Within 48 hours, at least 8,000 of the townspeople would be dead, victims of the single worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Relatively few people are aware that the deadliest natural disaster in the United States was the hurricane that struck Galveston Island on September 8, 1900. One of the best resources that can be found to help fully understand the significance of this storm is Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson.
On August 29, 2005 is the day when Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf Coast of the United States. (Staff, 2009) Hurricane Katrina was known as the eleventh Hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season. This Hurricane was known as one of the 5 deadliest Hurricanes in U.S History. On the day of August 29, 2005, New Orleans had its most dreadful day in history when Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans which caused damage worth up to 108 billion dollars, gas prices going up significantly, and causing a lot of environmental and economic issues.
The United States of America has dealt with many hurricanes that have cost a great amount of damage. However, there is one hurricane that happened in 2005 that stands out among the others, Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst hurricanes to hit the United States, a category 5 on the Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale. An estimated 1836 people died because of the hurricane and the flooding that happened after (Zimmermann 1). Katrina initially began forming over the Bahamas on August 23rd, as a tropical depression....