Introduction

A disaster can be defined as an emergency of such severity and magnitude that the resultant combination of deaths, injuries, illness, and property damage cannot be effectively managed with routine procedures or resources. These events can be caused by nature, equipment malfunction, human error, or biological hazards and disease. Public health agencies must be concerned about the universal risk for disaster, the increase in natural disasters across the United States, the negative impact of disasters on public health, and the likely increase of actual and potential effects of manmade disasters.

Disasters pose a number of unique problems not encountered in the routine practice of emergency health care. Examples include the need for warning and evacuation, widespread urban search and rescue, triage and casualty distribution, and coordination among multiple jurisdictions, government offices, and private sector organizations. The effective management of these concerns requires special expertise. However, hospitals and other health care agencies must be able to address these situations quickly and effectively to meet the standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the regulations of the Occupational and Safety Health Administration.

TYPES OF DISASTER Generally, disasters are of two types – Natural and Manmade. Though, all kinds of disaster require more or less similar skill-sets and rescue-efforts at least a few days after the event, it is important to understand various kinds of disasters. Depending upon the actual nature of disaster, the immediate reaction needs to be different.

Also, the first few moments of disasters are distinctly different for each kind of disasters. Thus, understanding of each kind of disaster might also help in identifying the onset of a disastrous event, so that a trained person can undertake some key actions, during the initial few moments. This could have a major impact on the final outcome in terms of amount of final loss.

Natural Disasters

Natural disasters can be categorized as "acute" or "slow" in their onset. They are predictable because they cluster in geographic areas. Natural hazards are unpreventable and, for the most part, uncontrollable. Even if quick recovery occurs, natural disasters can have long term effects. Natural disasters with acute onsets include events such as , flood, hurricane or typhoon, tornado, fire, tsunami or storm surge, avalanche, volcanic eruption, extreme cold or blizzard, and heat wave. Natural hazards with a slow or gradual onset include drought, famine, desertification, deforestation, and pest infestation. The most important natural disasters and examples of their environmental effects are listed in.

Technological or manmade disasters include nuclear accidents, bombings, and bioterrorism. Increasingly, agencies involved in disasters and their management is concerned with the interactions between man and nature, which can be complex and can aggravate disasters.

The severity of damage caused by natural disasters is affected by population density in disaster-prone areas, local building codes, community preparedness, and the use of public safety announcements and education on how to respond correctly at the first signs of danger. Recovery following a disaster varies according to the public's access to pertinent information (e.g., sources of government and private aid), pre-existing conditions that increase or reduce vulnerability (i.e., economic or biological factors), prior experience with stressful situations, and availability of sufficient savings and insurance.

Manmade Disasters

Manmade disasters are unpredictable, can spread across geographical boundaries, may be unpreventable, and may have limited physical damage but long-term effects. These are mostly caused due to certain human activities. These include road, rail, river, marine and aviation accidents, oil spill, building and bridge collapse, bomb blast, industrial and chemical accidents etc. These also include the threats of nuclear, biological and chemical disasters. Some disasters in this class are entirely manmade, such as terrorism. The disasters themselves could be unintentional, but, are caused due to some intentional activity. Most of these (barring coordinated terrorist activities) are due to certain accidents – which could have been prevented – if sufficient precautionary measures were put in place. Other technological disasters occur because industrial sites are located in communities affected by natural disasters, equipment failures occur, or workers have inadequate training or fatigue and make errors. The threat of terrorism is categorized as a potential technological disaster and includes bioterrorism, bombings, civil and political disorders, riots, and economic emergencies. Bhopal gas tragedy is a grim reminder of the colossal damages that single industrial and chemical disasters can bring to life and society Road accidents are common in India due to reckless driving, untrained drivers and poor maintenance of roads and vehicles. At least 67 people were killed and 50 injured when two firebombs went off on the New Delhi-Wagah Samjhauta Express just before midnight on 18 February.

A significant proportion of Americans are at risk from only three classes of natural disasters: floods, , and hurricanes. Twentyfive to 50 million people live in floodplains that have been highly developed as living and working environments. Another 110 million people live in coastal areas of the United States, including the Great Lakes region. By the year 2010, 60 percent of the US population may be living within 50 miles of the East or West Coast. A category 4 hurricane has an 80 percent chance of hitting the coastal area from Maine to Texas.

Technological disasters include a broad range of incidents. Routes of exposure are water, food and drink, airborne releases, fires and explosions, and hazardous materials or waste (e.g., chemical, biological, or radioactive) released into the environment from a fixed facility or during transport. Fires, explosions, building or bridge collapses, transportation crashes, dam or levee failures, nuclear reactor accidents, and breaks in water, gas, or sewer lines are other examples of technological disasters.

WHAT IS DISASTER? Disaster is a sudden, calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, and destruction and devastation to life and property. The damage caused by disasters is immeasurable and varies with the geographical location, climate and the type of the earth surface/degree of vulnerability. This influences the mental, socio- economic, political and cultural state of the affected area. Generally, disaster has the following effects in the concerned areas, 1. It completely disrupts the normal day to day life 2. It negatively influences the emergency systems 3. Normal needs and processes like food, shelter, health, etc. are affected and deteriorate depending on the intensity and severity of the disaster. It may also be termed as ―a serious disruption of the functioning of society, causing widespread human, material or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected society to cope using its own resources.‖ Thus, a disaster may have the following main features:- o Unpredictability o Unfamiliarity o Speed o Urgency o Uncertainty o Threat

Thus, in simple terms we can define disaster as a hazard causing heavy loss to life, property and livelihood. e.g. a cyclone killing 10,000 lives and a crop loss of one crore can be termed as disaster.

. Based on the devastation, these are further classified into major/minor natural disaster and major/minor manmade disasters. Some of the disasters are listed below,

Minor natural disasters: Major natural disasters:  Cold wave  Flood  Thunderstorms  Cyclone  Heat waves  Drought  Mud slides  Earthquake  Storm Major manmade disaster: Minor manmade disaster:  Road / train accidents, riots  Setting of fires  Food poisoning  Epidemic  Industrial disaster/ crisis  Deforestation  Environmental pollution  Pollution due to prawn cultivation  Chemical pollution.

 Wars

Natural

These are primarily natural events. It is possible that certain human activities could maybe aid in some of these events, but, by and large, these are mostly natural events.

When Nature unleashes her fury, humanity can seem instantly frail and subordinate. Cyclones, tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes can kill thousands in moments. Often the final death tolls are never truly known.

It is impossible to compare modern and historical disasters and develop any objective list of the worst, yet a subjective list can prove instructive. Here are the challenges:  Loss of life can be the most traumatic aspect of one terrible event, such as the catastrophic Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar this week, whereas financial cost and remarkable devastation can be the more notable signatures left by another, as was the case with Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

 The world's population has increased dramatically in the past century and a far higher percentage of people live near dangerous coastlines, so coastal storms and tsunamis stand to kill more people nowadays than in the past.

 Finally, records of events long ago are typically much less accurate.

All that in mind, here we present 15 of the worst disasters of all time in reverse chronological order, with no attempt to rate one in comparison to another. We recognize the list is weighted heavily with modern events and that other disasters — both in modern times and in the distant past — could arguably supplant some of these based on individual perspective and interpretation.

May 2008 - The death toll from Cyclone Nargis remains uncertain but has been put at 140,000 or more. Caught with nowhere to run, residents of low-lying rice fields in Maynmar were simply swept away.

Oct. 8, 2005 - Magnitude-7.6 earthquake in Pakistan killed more than 40,000 people. The destruction was due in part to the quake's shallow origin.

August 2005 - Hurricane Katrina killed more than 1,800 people and is the costliest hurricane in U.S. history. More so than any U.S. disaster in recent decades, its effects linger even today as New Orleans and many coastal communities still struggle to get back on their feet.

Dec. 26, 2004 - The magnitude-9.3 Indian Ocean earthquake and resulting Sumatran tsunami is estimated to have killed more than 225,000 people. It affected a broader region and more people than any modern disaster.

1992 - Hurricane Andrew killed 26, but property damage was $25 billion -- most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history at the time.

1985 - Nevado del Ruiz (Columbia) volcano killed 25,000 people, most caught in a massive mudflow.

1976 - Tangshan earthquake in , a magnitude-8 event, killed somewhere between 255,000 and 655,000.

1931 - Yellow River flood, estimated to have killed 1 million to 3.7 million people via drowning, disease, ensuing famines and droughts. The river also had flooded catastrophically in 1887, killing nearly as many.

1815 - Tambora, Indonesia, volcano of 1815. 80,000 people died of subsequent famine.

1811-12 - Three New Madrid earthquakes in Missouri represent some of the strongest earthquakes in the contiguous United States in recorded history. With magnitudes estimated as high as 7.8 or so, they were felt as far away as Boston. Damage was relatively light due to sparse population, but the quakes serve as a frightening reminder of how fickle nature can be and they are also alarmingly predictive of what could happen in the future now that the area is far more populous.

1737 - Calcutta, India, event killed 300,000. Once thought to have been an earthquake, scientists now lean toward typhoon. 1556 - Shaanzi, China, earthquake killed 830,000. Nobody knows the seismic magnitude.

1330-1351 - The Black Death or Bubonic Plague, a pandemic caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis, killed an estimated 75 million people, wiping out somewhere between 30 to 60 percent of Europe's population.

1138 - Aleppo earthquake in Syria, killed about 230,000. It is listed by the U.S. Geological Survey as the fourth deadliest earthquake of all time.

1500 B.C., or so - The Mediterranean Stroggli island blew up. A tsunami virtually wiped out Minoan civilization. Area now called Santorini; Plato called it the site where Atlantis disappeared.

A natural disaster is the consequence of a natural hazard (e.g. volcanic eruption, earthquake, ) which moves from potential in to an active phase, and as a result affects human activities. In some cases these disasters have lead to the loss of millions of lives. This is a list of the top 10 natural disasters (ranked by number of fatalities). From fewest to most killed:

10. Aleppo Earthquake – 1138, Syria [Deaths: 230,000]

The Citadel at Aleppo

Aleppo is located along the northern part of the Dead Sea Transform system of geologic faults, which is a plate boundary separating the Arabian plate from the African plate. The earthquake was the beginning of the first of two intense sequences of earthquakes in the region: October 1138 to June 1139 and a much more intense series from September 1156 to May 1159.

The worst hit area was Harim, where Crusaders had built a large citadel. Sources indicate that the castle was destroyed and the church fell in on itself. The fort of Atharib, then occupied by Muslims, was destroyed. The citadel also collapsed, killing 600 of the castle guard, though the governor and some servants survived, and fled to Mosul.

9. Indian Ocean Earthquake – 2004, Indian Ocean [Deaths: 230,000]

The tsunami hits

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra- Andaman earthquake, was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing large numbers of people and inundating coastal communities.

The magnitude of the earthquake was originally recorded as 9.0, but has been increased to between 9.1 and 9.3. At this magnitude, it is the second largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. It was large enough that it caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as half an inch, or over a centimetre.

8. Banqiao Dam Failure – 1975, China [Deaths: 231,000]

The dam After it failed

Banqiao Dam was designed to survive a 1-in-1,000-year flood (306 mm (12 inches) rainfall per day). In August of 1975, however, a 1-in-2,000 year flood occurred, pouring more than a year’s rainfall in 24 hours, which weather forecasts failed to predict. The sluice gates were not able to handle the overflow of water, partially due to sedimentation blockage. As a result of the blockage, 64 dams failed. When the dam finally burst, it caused a large wave, which was 10 kilometers (6 miles) wide, 3-7 meters (9-23 feet) high, to rush downwards into the plains below at nearly 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph). It almost wiped out an area 55 kilometers long, 15 kilometers wide, and created temporary lakes as large as 12,000 km² (4,600 square miles). Evacuation orders had not been fully delivered because of weather conditions and poor communications.

7. Tangshan Earthquake – 1976, China [Deaths: 242,000]

Aftermath of the quake

The Tangshan earthquake is one of the largest earthquakes to hit the modern world, in terms of the loss of life. The epicentre of the earthquake was near Tangshan in , China, an industrial city with approximately one million inhabitants. The earthquake hit in the early morning, at 03:42:53.8 local time (1976 July 27 19:42:53.8 UTC), and lasted for around 15 seconds. Chinese Government’s official sources state 7.8 on the Richter magnitude scale, though some sources list it as 8.2. It was the first earthquake in recent history to score a direct hit on a major city.

The People’s Republic of China government refused to accept international aid, and its own efforts were criticized as inadequate. It was also criticized for having ignored scientists’ warnings of the need to prepare for an earthquake. The ramifications of the political situation created, largely contributed to the end of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

6. Kaifeng Flood – 1642, China [Deaths: 300,000]

Kaifeng today

Kaifeng, a prefecture-level city in eastern province, People’s Republic of China, located along the southern bank of the Yellow River, was flooded in 1642 by the Ming army with water from Yellow River to prevent the peasant rebel Li Zicheng from taking over. Roughly half of the 600,000 residents of Kaifeng were killed by the flood and the ensuing peripheral disasters such as famine and plague, making it one of the deadliest single acts of war in history (excluding systematic genocide) and the second greatest single loss of human life of its time. The flood is sometimes referred to as a natural disaster due to the role of the Huang He river.

5. India Cyclone – 1839, India [Deaths: 300,000+]

A site near Coringa today

In 1839, a 40-foot tidal wave caused by an enormous cyclone wiped out the harbor city of Coringa that was never entirely rebuilt; 20,000 vessels in the bay were destroyed and 300,000 people died. This was not the first major catastrophe to occur in Coringa: in 1789 three tidal waves caused by a cyclone destroyed the harbour city at the mouth of the Ganges river. Most ships were sunk and estimated 20,000 people drowned.

4. Earthquake – 1556, China [Deaths: 830,000]

The effect of the quake

The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake or Hua County earthquake is the deadliest earthquake on record, killing approximately 830,000 people. It occurred on the morning of 23 January 1556 in Shaanxi, China. More than 97 counties were affected. A 520 mile-wide area was destroyed and in some counties, sixty percent of the population was killed. Most of the population in the area at the time lived in , artificial caves in cliffs, many of which collapsed during the catastrophic occurrence, with great loss of life.

Modern estimates, based on geological data, give the earthquake a magnitude of approximately eight on the moment magnitude scale. While it was the most deadly earthquake and the fifth deadliest natural disaster in history, there have been earthquakes with higher magnitudes. Aftershocks continued several times a month for half a year.

An account written at the time says:

“In the winter of 1556 AD, an earthquake catastrophe occurred in the Shaanxi and Provinces. In our Hua County, various misfortunes took place. Mountains and rivers changed places and roads were destroyed. In some places, the ground suddenly rose up and formed new hills, or it sank in abruptly and became new valleys. In other areas, a stream burst out in an instant, or the ground broke and new gullies appeared. Huts, official houses, temples and city walls collapsed all of a sudden.”

3. Bhola Cyclone – 1970, Bangladesh [Deaths: 500,000 - 1,000,000]

The impact of the cyclone The 1970 Bhola cyclone was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on November 12, 1970. It was the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, and one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern times. Up to 500,000 people lost their lives in the storm, primarily as a result of the storm surge that flooded much of the low-lying islands of the Ganges Delta. The Pakistani government was severely criticized for its handling of the relief operations following the storm, both by local political leaders in East Pakistan and in the international media.

The cyclone intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on November 11, and began to turn towards the northeast as it approached the head of the Bay. A clear eye formed in the storm, and it reached its peak later that day with sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph). The cyclone made landfall on the East Pakistan coastline during the evening of November 12, around the same time as the local high tide.

2. Yellow River Flood – 1887, China [Deaths: 900,000 - 2,000,000]

Boats on the Yellow River

The Yellow River (Huang He) in China is prone to flooding, due to the broad expanse of largely flat land around it. The 1887 Yellow River floods devastated the area, killing between 900,000-2,000,000 people. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded. For centuries, the farmers living near the Yellow River had built dikes to contain the rising waters, caused by silt accumulation on the riverbed. In 1887, this rising seabed, coupled with days of heavy rain, overcame the dikes, causing a massive flood. The waters of the Yellow River are generally thought to have broken through the dikes in Huayankou, near the city of Zhengzhou in Henan province.

Owing to the low-lying plains near the area, the flood spread quickly throughout Northern China, covering an estimate 50,000 square miles, swamping agricultural settlements and commercial centers. After the flood, two million were left homeless. The resulting pandemic and lack of basic essentials claimed as many lives as those lost directly by the flood itself.

1. Yellow River Flood – 1931, China [Deaths: 1,000,000 - 4,000,000]

Refugees caused by another Yellow River flood

The 1931 Yellow River flood (Huang He flood) is generally thought to be the deadliest natural disaster ever recorded, and almost certainly of the twentieth century (when pandemics are discounted). Estimates of the number of people killed in the 1931 flooding range from 1 to 4 million. Deaths caused by the flooding include but are not limited to drowning, disease, ensuing famines, and droughts. Lesser population densities in prehistoric times make it unlikely that this toll had previously been surpassed.

Between July and November, some 88,000 sq km of land were completely flooded, and about 21,000 sq km more were partially flooded. The river is often called “China’s sorrow” because millions of people have been killed by flooding.

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 Athens, 430 B.C.: Typhus epidemic  Pompei, 79: Volcanic eruption  Antioch, Syria, 526: Earthquake (250,000 dead)  Costantinopole, 542: Bubonic plague  Beirut, Lebanon, 551: earthquake and tsunami (tens of thousands dead)  Japan, 1181: famine (100,000 dead)  Holland, 1228: sea flood (100,000 dead)  Chihli, China, 1290: Earthquake (100,000 dead)  Europe and Asia, 1346-52: Bubonic plague or "black death" (one third of the European population dead plus millions in Asia and North Africa for a total of 25 million)  Brazil, 1555: smallpox (? dead)  Mexico, 1555-76: smallpox (more than one million dead)  Shensi, China, 1556: earthquake (800,000 dead)  Russia, 1601-03: famine (one million dead)  Northern Italy, 1629-31: plague (120,000 dead)  Napoli, Italy, 1631: Mt Vesuvius erupts (3,000 dead)  Havana, 1648: Yellow fever epidemic  Sevilla, Spain, 1649: Plague (80,000 dead)  Russia, 1654-56: plague (200,000 dead)  Napoli, Italy, 1656: plague (150,000 dead)  Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1663: plague (50,000 dead)  London, Britain, 1665: plague (150,000 dead)  Turkey, 1668: earthquake (8,000 dead)  Bengal, India, 1669: famine (3,000,000 dead)  Korea, 1671: famine (? dead)  Vienna, Austria, 1679: plague (76,000 dead)  Iceland, 1707: smallpox (18,000 dead)  Prussia, Sweden and Finland, 1709-11: plague (300,000 dead)  Hokkaido, Japan, 1730: Earthquake (140,000 dead)  Lisbon, 1755: earthquake and tsunami (30,000 dead)  Calcutta, 1737: Earthquake (300,000 dead)  Bengal, India, 1769: famine (10 million dead)  Russia, 1770-71: plague (200,000 dead)  India, 1775: Tsunami (60,000 dead)  Northamerica, 1775-82: Smallpox (130,000 dead)  Iran, 1780: earthquake (200,000 dead)  Caribbeans, 1780: Hurricane (22,000 dead)  Korea, 1784: Famine (500,000 dead)  Philadelphia, 1793: Yellow fever epidemic (5,000 dead)  Prussia, 1813-14: typhoid (200,000 dead)  Sumbawa, Indonesia, 1815: Mt Tambora erupts (88,000 dead)  Japan, 1826: Tsunami (27,000 dead)  Russia, 1830-31: cholera (500,000 dead)  Hungary, 1831: cholera (100,000 dead)  Cairo, 1831: Cholera epidemic, which spreads to London  London and Paris, 1832: Cholera epidemic (25,000 dead)  Concepcion, Chile, 1835: earthquake (5,000 dead)  Ireland, 1845: famine (one million dead)  Russia, 1847-51: cholera (one million dead)  Mapoli, Italy, 1857: earthquake (11,000 dead)  India, 1864: Cyclone (70,000 dead)  Russia, Prussia, Austria, Hungary, 1867: cholera (225,000 dead)  France and Germany, 1870-71: Smallpox (500,000 dead)  Germany and Austria-Hungary, 1873: cholera (230,000 dead)  India, 1875-78: Famine (10 million dead)  Bangladesh, 1876: Cyclone (200,000 dead)  China, 1876-78: Famine (9 million dead)  China, 1881: Typhoon (300,000 dead)  Mount Krakatoa, Indonesia, august 1883: volcano eruption and tsunami (40,000+ dead)  Huayan Kou, China, 1887: Yang-tse Kiang flooding (one million dead)  Mino-owari, Japan, 1891: earthquake (7,000 dead)  Russia, 1891: famine (500,000 dead)  Germany, 1892: cholera (140,000 dead)  Yunnan, China, 1894: plague (?)  Sanriku, Japan, 1896: Tsunami (27,000 dead)  India, 1897: earthquake (1,500 dead)  Shantung, China, 1898: famine (? dead)  Galveston, 1900: Hurricane (8,000 dead)  Martinique, 1902: Volcano (38,000 dead)  San Francisco, 1906: earthquake and fire (3,000 dead)  Colombia, 1906: earthquake (1,000 dead)  Valparaiso, Chile, 1906: earthquake (20,000 dead)  China, 1907: famine (20 million dead)  Messina, Italy, 1908: 7.5 earthquake (70,000 dead)  Ukraine, 1910: cholera (110,000 dead)  Mexico City, 1911: earthquake  Guatemala, 1917: earthquake (600 dead)  Worldwide, 1918: Influenza pandemic (25-100 million dead)  , China, 1920: 8.6 earthquake (200,000 dead)  Hebei, China, 1920-21: famine (500,000 dead)  Ukraine, 1921: Famine (5 million dead)  Lower Volga, Russia, 1921-22: Famine (5 million dead)  Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan, 1923: 8.3 earthquake (143,000 dead)  Nanshan, China, 1927: 8.3 earthquake (200,000 dead)  China, 1928-30: Famine (3 million dead)  Florida, USA, 1928: Hurricane (1800 dead)  China, 1931: Flooding (3.7 million dead)  Ukraine and Russia, 1932: Famine (5 million dead)  Gansu, China, 1932: 7.6 earthquake (70,000 dead)  Sanriku, Japan, 1933: 8.4 earthquake (3,000 dead)  Bihar, India, 1934: 8.1 earthquake (10,700 dead)  Quetta, Pakistan, 1935: 7.5 earthquake (60,000 dead)  China, 1936: Famine (5 million dead)  New York, USA, 1938: Rains (600 dead)  Erzincan, Turkey, 1939: 7.8 earthquake (33,000 dead)  Santiago, Chile, 1939: earthquake (30,000 dead)  Henan, China, 1941-43: famine (3 million dead)  Bengal, India, 1943: famine (3.5 million dead)  Tonankai, Japan, 1944: 8.1 earthquake (1,200 dead)  Nankaido, Japan, 1946: earthquake (1,330 dead)  Ukraine and Russia, Soviet Union, 1946-47: famine (one million dead)  Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 1948: earthquake (100,000 dead)  Assam, India, 1950: earthquake (1,526 dead)  Holland, 1953: Sea flood (1,794 dead)  Iran, 1953: Rain flood (10,000 dead)  Louisiana, USA, 1957: Hurricane (400 dead)  Worldwide, 1957: Influenza pandemic (about four million dead)  Japan, 1958: Typhoon (5,000 dead)  Ethiopia, 1958: Famine (100,000 dead)  China, 1958-61: Famine (38 million dead)  Morocco, 1960: earthquake (10,000 dead)  Valdavia, Chile, 1960: 9.5 earthquake (most powerful of the century) and tsunami (5,700 dead)  Mt Huascaran, Peru, 1962: Volcano eruption (3,000)  Skopje, Yugoslavia, 1963: earthquake (1,066)  India, 1965: Famine (1.5 million dead)  Worldwide, 1968: Influenza pandemic (about 750,000 dead)  China, 1969: Famine (20 million dead)  North Peru, 1970: 7.8 earthquake (66,000 dead)  Bangladesh, 1970: Sea flood (200-500,000 dead)  Vietnam, 1971: Red River flood (100,000 dead)  Managua, Nicaragua, 1972: earthquake flood (10,000 dead)  Bangladesh, 1974: floods (28,000 dead)  Honduras, 1974: hurricane (5,000 dead)  Ethiopia, 1974: famine (200,000 dead)  Haicheng, China, 1975: 7.0 earthquake (10,000 dead)  Tangshan, China, 1976: 8.0 earthquake (750,000 dead)  Guatemala, 1976: earthquake (23,000 dead)  Cambdia, 1976-78: famine (700,000 dead)  Andhra Pradesh, India, 1977: cyclone (10,000 dead)  Caribbeans, 1979: Hurricane (2,000 dead)  Mexico, 1982: volcanic eruption (1,800 dead)  Yemen, 1982: earthquake (3,000 dead)  Bhopal, India, 1984: Chemical pollution (3,800 dead)  Mozambique, 1984: famine (100,000 dead)  Ethiopia, 1984: Famine (900,000 dead)  Ciudad de Mexico, 1985: 8.1 earthquake (9,500 dead)  Colombia, 1985: Volcano (25,000 dead)  Armenia, 1988: earthquake (55,000 dead)  Colombia, 1985: eruption of Nevado del Ruiz (23,000 dead)  Bangladesh, 1988: Monsoon flood (1,300 dead)  Gilan and Zanjan, Iran, 1990: 7.7 earthquake (35,000 dead)  Bangladesh, 1991: tsunami (138,000 dead)  Latur, India, 1993: earthquake (22,000 dead)  Kobe, Japan, 1995: earthquake (5,500 dead)  Niger, 1995: meningitis epidemic (3,000 dead)  Chicago, USA, 1995: heatwave (739 dead)  North Korea, 1995-98: Floods and famine (3.5 million dead)  West Africa, 1996: meningitis outbreak (25,000 dead)  Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 1996: earthquake (??,000 dead)  Papua New Guinea, 1998: Tsunami (2,200 dead)  Yangtze Kiang, China, 1998: flooding (3,600 dead)  Central America, 1998: Hurricane Mitch and floods (12,000 dead)  Afghanistan, 1998: Earthquakes (10,000 dead)  Colombia, 1999: earthquake (1,185 dead)  Izmit, Turkey, 1999: earthquake (17,000 dead)  Taiwan, 1999: 7.6 earthquake (2,400 dead)  Orissa, India, 1999: Cyclone (7,600 dead)  Venezuela, 1999: Floods (20,000 dead)  Vietnam, 1999: Floods (750 dead)  Gujarat, India, 2001: earthquake (20,000 dead)  El Salvador, 2001: earthquake (850 dead)  Afghanistan, 2002: earthquake (2,500 dead)  Algeria, 2003: earthquake (2,266 dead)  Asia, 2003: SARS (744 dead, mostly in China)  Andhra Pradesh, India, 2003: Heat wave (1,300 dead)  France, Spain and Italy, 2003: Heat wave (50,000 dead)  Bam, Iran, 2003: earthquake (26,300 dead)  Al-Hoceima, Morocco, 2004: earthquake (571 dead)  Haiti and Dominican Republic, 2004: rains (2,400 dead)  Philippines, 2004: typhoon (1,000 dead)  China, 2004: floods (1,300 dead)  Southeast Asia, 2004: tsunamis caused by 9.0 earthquake (245,000 dead of which111,000 dead in Indonesia, 31,000 in Sri Lanka, 10,700 in India, 5,400 in Thailand, 68 in Malaysia, 82 in the Maldives, 300 in Myanmar and 150 in Somalia, including 1,500 Scandinavian tourists, and dozens of Germans, Italians, Dutch, etc)  Zarand, Iran, 2005: earthquake (500 dead)  Nias, Indonesia, 2005: 8.7 earthquake (1000 dead)  Mumbai, India, 2005: monsoon (1,000 dead)  China, 2005: floods (567 dead)  Louisiana and Mississippi, USA, 2005: "Katrina" hurricane (1,836 dead)  Niger, 2005: famine (10,000? dead)  Kashmir, 2005: earthquake (80,500 dead, of which 79,000 in Pakistan and 1,350 in India)  Central America, 2005: floods (1,400 dead, of which 1,200 in Guatemala)  Philippines, 2006: mudslides (1,800)  Java, 2006: earthquake (4,300)  Java, 2006: tsunami (520)  India and Pakistan, aug 2006: floods (300)  Southern Ethiopia, aug 2006: floods (800)  Fujian, China, aug 2006: typhoon (260)  Indian subcontinent, june 2007: storms (228 in Pakistan, 500 in India, 600 in Bangladesh, unknown in Afghanistan)  Hungary, july 2007: heatwave (500)  North Korea, august 2007: floods (1,000?)  Peru, august 2007: earthquake (540)  Bangladesh, november 2007: cyclone (4,000)  Afghanistan, february 2008: cold wave (926)  Myanmar/Burma, may 2008: cyclone (135,000)  China, may 2008: earthquake (70,000)  Haiti, august 2008: hurricane (500)  India and Bangladesh, september 2008: floods (635)  Abruzzo, Italy, april 2009: earthquake (300)  Taiwan, august 2009: typhoon (700)  Sumatra, Indonesia, september 2009: earthquake (1200)  Philippines, october 2009: storms (189)  USA, 2009: swine flue (10,000)  Haiti, january 2010: earthquake (230,000)  Conception, Chile, february 2010: 8.8 earthquake (452)  Qinghai, China, april 2010: earthquake (760)  Russia, july 2010: drownings following heat wave (1200)  Pakistan, july 2010: flooding (1,313)  Zhouqu, Gansu, China, august 2010: landslide (700)  Indonesia, october 2010: tsunami (500)  South-east Brazil, january 2011: flooding and mudslides (500)  Japan, march 2011: earthquake and tsunami (26,000)  Thailand, october 2011: floods (350)  Turkey, october 2011: earthquake (430)  Thailand, october 2011: flooding (500)

Distasters related to the Energy industry:

1. Hydro (dams) o Johnstown, USA (1889): 2,200 dead o Santa Paula, USA (1928): 470 dead o Frejus, France (1959): 412 dead o Vayont, Itajy (1963): 1909 dead o Shimantan, China (1975): 85,000 dead 2. Coal (mines) o USA: Thousands died in coal mines in the early 20th century o China, 1950-today: between 4,000 and 6,000 miners die every year in coal-mine accidents o The indirect deaths caused by coal pollution may be in the millions 3. Chemical. Bhopal, India (1984): 14,000 dead. 4. The indirect deaths caused by chemical pollution around the world may be in the millions 5. Nuclear. Chernobyl, Russia (1986): 30 dead in 1986, 19 dead in following years from radiation, 15 children who died of thyroid cancer by 2002, several killed building the sarcophagus in later years (the Ukrainian government claims the death of 93,000 people, but it never provided any evidence, and Russia accuses it of using those numbers to claim compensation - antinuclear activists use the numbers of the Ukrainian government to claim nuclear power is dangerous - Greenpeace even counts all deaths from all diseases in that region till the end of time as caused by the explosion, thus inflating the number to 200,000 - a United Nations report of 2006 estimated 9,000 direct and indirect victims of the explosion over 20 years but using a logic that would yield colossal numbers of deaths if applied to a coal mine and probably millions of deaths if applied to the pollution caused by cars). There has not been any other major nuclear-power disaster. The second worst is Mihama, Japan (2004) when non-radioactive steam leaked from a nuclear power plant killing four workers, followed by Tokaimura, Japan (1999), when radioactive gas killed two workers. Neither the Japanese government nor environmental organizations have ever found evidence of additional indirect deaths. These numbers are very small compared with the numbers of people killed in hydro, coal and chemical accidents. 6. Nuclear. Fukushima, Japan (2011): still under investigation.