2023-09-14 15:32:35
6 of the worst natural disasters that have struck the world throughout history… Get to know them
Many countries throughout the ages have been affected by huge natural disasters that left many dead and changed the features of cities and villages. There are 6 natural disasters that have wiped out societies and caused enormous damage in our time, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica:
Great Galveston Storm (1900)
The Great Galveston Storm occurred on September 8, 1900, when a Category 4 hurricane struck Galveston, Texas. This hurricane remains the deadliest natural disaster in United States history, as well as the worst hurricane in the country’s history.
More than 8,000 people were killed, and 10,000 others were displaced. The hurricane devastated Galveston, which at the time was one of the most developed cities in Texas. The hurricane had a tidal height estimated at 15 feet (4.5 metres).
It struck without warning, as storm forecasting at the time lacked the advanced technology needed to accurately predict the massive material and human toll a hurricane would cause.
More than 8,000 people died due to the major Galveston storm (AP)
Kashmir earthquake (2005)
On October 8, 2005, a devastating earthquake struck Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, and adjacent parts of India and Afghanistan.
The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.6, and relief efforts for survivors were hampered by numerous followingshocks and ensuing landslides and rock falls. The severity of the damage worsened and the number of deaths increased due to poor construction in the affected areas. In Kashmir, at least 79,000 people were killed, and more than 32,000 buildings collapsed.
A devastating earthquake struck the Pakistan-administered part of the Kashmir region (Archyde.com)
Tokyo-Yokohama earthquake (1923)
A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area around noon on September 1, 1923. The death toll from the earthquake is estimated at more than 140,000 people. Most of these deaths were caused by subsequent large-scale fires. It shook or burned hundreds of thousands of homes, and the shock generated a tsunami that reached 39.5 feet (12 meters) high in the city of Atami, on Sagami Bay. The earthquake and its followingmath destroyed Japan’s largest mall and damaged the nation for decades.
A scene showing the devastation following a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Typhoon Nina – Banqiao Dam failure (1975)
Hurricane Nina struck China’s western Henan Province in August 1975. The hurricane caused a catastrophic dam failure, and the ensuing floods caused more than 150,000 casualties. The Banqiao Dam was built in the early 1950s in an attempt to control the Huang He (Yellow River), but Typhoon Nina produced floods twice as severe as the flood levels the dam was able to withstand.
According to death toll reports, at least 26,000 people died in the floods. An estimated 145,000 people died from epidemics caused by water pollution and starvation. The number of people affected by the disaster exceeded 10 million people.
Banqiao Dam following the disaster (Ohio University)
Haiti earthquake (2010)
On January 12, 2010, an earthquake struck Haiti regarding 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The earthquake registered a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale, and was followed by followingshocks measuring 5.9 and 5.5. Another 5.9 magnitude followingshock struck on January 20.
There has been debate regarding the total number of deaths from this earthquake, but estimates are that around 200,000-300,000 people died. Hundreds of thousands were also displaced.
Destruction appears following the earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 (Archyde.com)
Yangtze River flood (1931)
Major floods have occurred along the Yangtze (Zhangjiang) River in central and eastern China from ancient times to the present, causing significant property destruction and many casualties, but the great flood of 1931 is considered the most powerful.
The floods covered tens of thousands of square miles, submerging rice fields and various cities, including Nanjing and Wuhan. The floods affected more than 50 million people. Government organizations, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, put the death toll at 3.7 million people.
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