The world is expectedly designed to be some paradise devoid of destructive possibilities However, here are top 10 worst natural disasters in the world that you may need to know in order to come into the full knowledge of the fact that the world we live in is not naturally a safe place in itself.
Though many of these shameful events capable of terminating lives in bulk–all at once–are sometimes caused by human misgivings even as we may not be happy to admit that the human factor gallantly plays the evil agents behind climate change, yet many of these so called natural disasters are caused by natural inspirations. The divide between natural, man-made and man-accelerated is quite difficult to draw with human choices like architecture, fire, resource management or even climate change potentially playing a role.
What then is natural disaster?
A natural disaster is a sudden event that always causes widespread destruction, major collateral damage or loss of life, brought about by forces other than the acts of human beings. A natural disaster might be caused by earthquakes, flooding, volcanic eruption, landslide, hurricanes etc.
To be classified as a disaster, it will have profound environmental effect and/or human loss and frequently causes financial and economic loss in any space it occurred. An adverse event will not rise to the level of a disaster if it occurs in an area without vulnerable population. The disastrous consequences also affect the mental health of affected communities, often leading to post-traumatic symptoms. These increased emotional experiences can be supported through collective processing, leading to resilience and increased community engagement.
Top 10 Worst Natural Disasters in the World.
Historically, there are very destructive natural events in the world that had happened. We will be identifying some of these top 10 worst natural diseases in the world for you to know.
1. The China Floods
As one of the top 10 worst natural diseases in the world, the 1931 Yangtze–Huai River floods, occurred from June to August 1931 in China, hitting major cities such as Wuhan, Nanjing and beyond, which eventually culminated into a dike breach along Lake Gaoyou on 25 August 1931. Although at the time the government estimated that 25 million people had been affected by the flood, historians have since suggested that the true number may have been as many as 53 million.
2. The Haiti Earthquake
A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. It was so terrific that helped the country plunged into what is till now called a serious economic crisis. The earthquake caused major damage in Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other cities in the region. Notable landmark buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the main jail. Among those killed were Archbishop of Port-au-Prince Joseph Serge Miot, and opposition leader Micha Gaillard.
The headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), located in the capital, collapsed, killing many, including the Mission’s Chief, Hédi Annabi. It is one of the top 10 worst natural disasters in the world and the most recent.
3. The Shaanxi Earthquake
Occurred in the early morning of 23 January 1556 in Huaxian, Shaanxi during the Ming dynasty, it is successfully another deadliest one of the top 10 worst natural disasters in the world. It collapsed all buildings and killed every one of those sleeping inside. It wreaked a great economic havoc to the kingdom of China and the world as modern estimates put the direct deaths from the earthquake at over 100,000, while over 700,000 migrated away or died from famine and plagues, which summed up to a total loss of 830,000 people in Imperial records. It is one of the worst and fatal earthquakes in China, in turn making it one of the top disasters in China by death toll.
4. The Antioch Earthquake
Also one of the oldest earthquakes and top 10 worst natural disasters in the world, the Antioch Earthquake struck Syria and, in particular, the city of Antioch in the Byzantine Empire. It occurred some time in late May 526, probably between 20 and 29 May, during mid-morning, killing approximately 250,000 people. More unfortunately is the fact that in Antioch the earthquake was followed by a fire that destroyed most of the buildings left standing after the earthquake.
5. The Bangladesh Cyclone
In 1991, the Bangladesh Cyclone was among the deadliest tropical cyclones on record and categorically today, it is one of the top 10 worst natural disasters in the world. An estimated 138,000 people were killed by the cyclone. More than 20,000 people died on Kutubdia Upazila, an island offshore Chittagong where 80–90% of homes were destroyed, and all livestock were killed. Some smaller offshore islands lost their entire populations. There were around 25,000 dead in Chittagong, 40,000 dead in Banshkali. About 13.4 million people were affected. Around 1 million homes were destroyed, leaving 10 million people homeless.
The storm surge caused whole villages to be swept away.
6. The Typhoon Nina
Known in the Philippines as Typhoon Bebeng, was a deadly tropical cyclone that triggered the Banqiao Dam collapse in China’s Henan Province, China in August 1975. It formed on July 30, and gradually intensified as it moved generally to the west.
7. The Coringa Cyclone
The Coringa Cyclone killed over 300,000 people, making it the second-deadliest storm worldwide after the 1970 Bhola cyclone. Many ships were destroyed and houses were washed out by rising rivers and streams. Croplands were inundated and many animals drowned due to the floods and storm surge.
The port city was not rebuilt after the cyclone. Some individuals who survived the disaster rebuilt their homes far from the coast. Some British officials named the area Hope Island, hoping to protect the city from future environmental disasters. Undoubtedly, it is one of the top 10 worst natural disasters in the world.
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