10 Devastating Natural Disasters

Natural disasters are terrifying, destructive and devastating forces of nature. They have affected millions of people over the course of history and have caused mess, mourning, grief, destruction and turmoil wherever they go. Despite this, there is still something that fascinates us about events such as these.

I decided to put a post together showing 10 devastating natural disasters that were truly horrific.

None of the photos present can ever give a true representation about how devastating these natural disasters really were.

1. 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

The Indian Ocean Tsunami took place on boxing day 2004. The huge 30m (98ft) tsunami was caused by an earthquake underneath the Indian Ocean, the epicentre being off of the west coast of Sumatra.

The magnitude of the earthquake itself was measured at 9.1-9.3, the third largest earthquake to ever have been recorded on a seismograph. The earthquake was so powerful and long-lasting that it was able to vibrate the entire planet by a centimetre, and caused other smaller earthquakes around the globe.

Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. This monstrous force of nature claimed over 230,000 lives in fourteen different countries. More than $14 billion dollars were donated by the rest of the world in humanitarian aid.

2. Great Flood of 1931

The Great Flood of China was an absolutely devastating natural disaster that occurred in 1931. It is often referred to as the worst natural disaster in recorded history, and much more of the 20th century. 

Chinese sources say that the death toll was around the 145,000 mark, whilst most western sources place the estimation at around 3.7 - 4 million!

China had had heavier rainfall than usual that year than was usual, along with being hit with ten cyclones (the norm is 2 a year), and then saw the three major rivers: Yellow River; Yangtze River; and Huai River all flood.

3. Yellow River Flood

The Yellow River is one of the longest rivers in the world and is known for flooding. The 'Yellow River Flood' was a terrifying flood on the Yellow River in China, year 1887. The photo above is not from 1887, but is a photo of a yellow river flood. The flood of 1887 is considered it's worse, if not counting the Great Flood of 1931, but that involved other factors as-well.

The Yellow River Flood killed a massive number of people; around 900,000, and is one of the deadliest natural disasters to have ever been recorded.

4. Shaanxi Earthquake

 

The Shaangxi Earthquake is the deadliest earthquake on record. More than 97 countries were affected in the provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Gansu, Hebei, Shandong, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu and Anhu, killing roughly 830,000 individuals.

The earthquake was so powerful that it destroyed a 543 mile wide area and in some of the countries that were affected, as much as 60% of the total population was killed. Despite the earthquake being the deadliest, it is not the most powerful; modern estimations say that it was a 7.9 on the Richter scale.

5. Tangshan Earthquake

 

The Tangshan Earthquake is thought to be the largest earthquake of the 20th century by death toll. The Chinese government stated that the death toll was 655,000, but this number has been revised and is now stated to be at 240,000 - 255,000, with 164,000 being recorded as injured.

A survivor of the natural disaster stated that "the buildings were made of cards", referring to how quickly the earthquake destroyed the buildings.

Chinese government state that the earthquake was a 7.8 on the Richter scale, but other sources believe it to be as high as 8.2. After 16 hours of when the Tangshan earthquake hit, another major 7.1 aftershock occurred, killing thousands of more people.

6. Cyclone Nargis

Cyclone Nargis was a tropical cyclone that became Burma's worst recorded natural disaster. 'Nargis' hit Burma on Friday, May 2, 2008, and upon impact immediately caused destruction and turmoil. It is said to have killed at least 138,000 people. The damage costs were at $10 billion dollars.

A year later, only 17,000 homes had been rebuilt out of the 375,000 houses. There have been estimations that at least 500,000 survivors (including 200,000 children) are living in make-shift shelters.

7. 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, Japan

This is the most recent natural disaster to appear on this list as it only happened last year on Friday, 11 March 2011, Japan. The Tohoku tsunami was caused by an undersea megathrust earthquake (much like the Indian Ocean Earthquake) off of the coast of Japan, measuring at a 9.0 on the Richter scale. It was the most powerful earthquake known to have hit Japan, and one of the five worst earthquakes in the world since recording in 1900. 

The earthquake-triggered tsunami was at a towering 40 metres when it made contact with Japan. The tsunami killed 15,854 people, injured 26,992, caused 3,155 people to go missing, destroying 129,225 buildings, with an extra 254,204 buildings being half-collapsed and 691,766 buildings being partially damaged.  It also caused a number of nuclear accidents, primarily the ongoing level 7 meltdowns at three reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex, affecting thousands of residents.

The World Bank's estimated economic cost was $235 billion US dollars, making it the most expensive natural disaster in world history.

8. 1815 Tambora Eruption

The 1815 Tambora Eruption was the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history, being classified as a VEI-7 event, Ultra-Plinian.  The eruption affected a 100 km³ area, followed by steaming that lasted from 6 months - 3 years, with smaller eruptions as well.

9. 1958 Lituya Bay Megatsunami

The 1958 Lituya Bay megatsunami was the result of an earthquake that triggered a landslide that caused 30 million cubic meters of rock and ice to fall into the inlet of Lituya Bay, Alaska, occurring on July 9, 1958.

The wave that was recorded was said to make the Lituya Bay Megatsunami, the largest known in modern times. It was said to have been hundreds of metres high and was actually measured at having washed 524 metres up the opposite slope of the inlet. That's over three times as high as the empire state building.

10. Bhola Cyclone

Credit: E.C. Barrett's Climatology from Satellites

The 1970 Bhola Cyclone like Cyclone Nargis was an extremely powerful tropical cyclone the hit then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). 'Bhola' was the sixth cyclonic storm of the 1970 North Indian Ocean cyclone season and was it's most powerful reaching a strength equivalent to a strong Category 3 hurricane.

In fact, it is the worlds deadliest cyclone to have ever been recorded killing up to 500,000 people.

I don't claim ownership or credit for the pictures present, all credit is reserved for the original owners. No copyright intended, if you have an issue with a picture that is present, then please contact me.