[Emotional Background Music Starts Playing]
From massive flooding to mega earthquakes we countdown the 10 most devastating natural
disasters in the last 100 years.
#10 Bangladesh Cyclone - In april of 1991, one of the deadliest tropical cyclones on
record struck Southeastern Bangladesh. With sustained winds up to 260 Kilometres an hour,
the storm created a 20 foot storm surge that moved inland killing up to 138,000 people.
Many of the areas residents only had a few hours warning and were unsure of where to
go for shelter, while others refused to evacuate. By the time the storm had passed, an estimated
1.5 billion dollars of damage was done, leaving about 10 million people homeless.
#9 Great Kanto Earthquake - at 11:58 Am on Saturday Sept 1st one of the most destructive
earthquakes to ever hit japan occurred. With a magnitude of 7.9 on the richter scale, this
quake devastated Tokyo and the surrounding area. Many people at the time were preparing
lunch over open flames and this caused massive fires to break out. Casualties were estimated
to be at almost 143,000 with another 40,000 missing and presumed dead. Because of this
Tragedy, Sept 1st is now known as Disaster Prevention Day In Japan.
#8 =Yangtze River Floods - The YangTze river is the longest river in Asia, and the third
longest in the world. Tens of millions of people live in the floodplain of the yangtze,making
them severely vulnerable to flooding. In 1935, China experienced sustained heavy rains in
some areas and the consequences were catastrophic. With a death toll of up to 145,000, millions
more were displaced or injured making it the fifth deadliest flood in recorded history.
#7 Haiti Earthquake - On Jan 12th, 2010 a catastrophic earthquake hit haiti. Measuring
7.0 on the richter scale, it leveled entire towns, and caused major damage to the Nation's
Capitol Port Au Prince. The Haitian government states up to 220,000 people were killed and
up to 300,000 buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged. Many countries responded
to appeals for humanitarian aid, sending rescue and medical teams, as well as engineers and
support personnel. More than 5 years later, the scars of the tragedy remain and residents
are still rebuilding. #6 Typhoon Nina - Known as Typhoon Bebeng
in the philippines this storm was the fourth deadliest tropical cyclone on record. The
storm brought winds up to 250 kmh, and heavy rains which caused 62 dams to fail in mainland
china. The Collapse of the Banqiao dam was the most devastating, with the resulting flood
waters causing a wave 10 km wide and 7 metres high which wiped out a massive area of countryside.
Approximately 229,000 people were killed in total, and 11 million more were displaced.
#5 Haiyuan Earthquake - This devastating earthquake occurred on December 16th of 1920 in Ningxia
province, China. Measuring 7.8 on the richter scale it caused total destruction, and aftershocks
were reported for three years afterwards. There were a large number of landslides that
buried entire villages, with 1 village losing 30,000 people. Total casualties were reported
at 235,000, with some perishing due to cold because they were afraid of going inside of
buildings that may collapse.
#4 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami - On December 26th 2004 an earthquake occurred
off the west coast of Sumatra.The quake triggered a devastating tsunami with a wave up to 30
metres high. 14 countries were affected, with coastal communities completely wiped out.
Indonesia was the hardest hit, followed by Sri Lanka, India and then thailand. An estimated
280,000 people died, with one third of that being children. The United nations estimated
that the relief operation would be the costliest in human history, with reconstruction taking
up to ten years.
#3 Bhola Cyclone - On Nov 12th, 1970 this tropical cyclone struck east pakistan with
the force of a category 3 hurricane. The resulting storm surge wiped out entire villages, with
one town losing over 45% of it’s population. There were reports that the storm warning
system that existed at the time was not properly used, and may have cost tens of thousands
of lives. The cyclone is one of the deadliest on record, and although the exactly death
toll will never be known an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people lost their lives.
#2 Tangshan Earthquake - This earthquake occurred on Wednesday July 28th 1976 and is believed
to be the largest earthquake of the 20th century by death toll. The epicenter was near Tangshan
in Hebei Province, China. Reaching a magnitude of 7.8 on the richter scale the quake lasted
16 seconds with another major aftershock occurring 16 hours later. Due to the timing of the quake,
just before 4am, most people were asleep and unprepared and it’s estimated that up to
655,000 people lost their lives.
#1 China Floods - From 1928 to 1930 a long drought affected China. In the winter of 1930,
abnormal weather started occuring, bringing heavy snowstorms in the winter and heavy rains
in the spring.In addition, 9 cyclones hit the region which all contributed to the deadliest
natural disaster ever recorded. With some weather stations recording up to 24 inches
of rain over a 1 month period, several areas were extremely flooded making them completely
inaccessible. thousands died from drowning, and others died from starvation or waterborne
diseases. Although chinese sources indicate the death toll was 145,000 some western sources
say the number may be as high as 4 million.