10 Deadliest Natural Disasters in History
1. Hurricane Katrina: There is nothing that stays in our minds more in terms of natural disaster than this hurricane. Not only did it kill many, but it wiped out an entire region. The damage was immeasurable and the lack of help in a timely manner went down as one of the worst in history. People died, lost everything, and the whole city of New Orleans was brought to its knees through this.
2. Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami: This most recent tragedy is still being measured because it is so fresh. People are still missing, the damage is still being determined, and the potential for radiation and meltdown still looms. This hit the country out of nowhere and the devastation is astounding.
3. Earthquake in Turkey: In 1999, this took the lives of thousands of people. Though there was little warning, it is still hard to believe just how far reaching the damage was. People who survived weren’t discovered for what seemed like forever. Cities had to be totally rebuilt and the aftershocks were unbelievable.
4. Earthquake in Haiti: This was the essence of what devastation is all about. In a country that is already struggling with an infrastructure and economy, the damage here was just so hard to watch. People are still living in tents years later because they have nowhere else to go and nothing else left.
5. Mexico Hurricanes: There were parts of the country that were totally wiped out. Certain areas that were once beaches were no longer there and the people really suffered from the devastation. This wiped out the resort areas which is where so much of the import and money comes in from, and this was far reaching.
6. Cyclone in Bangladesh: This is a part of the 1990’s that so many of us can’t forget. This is not the type of natural disaster that many of us are used to, and perhaps that’s why we can’t forget. Though the region may have been prepared, it had no idea how many lives would be lost and how much devastation would be caused.
7. Avalanche in Peru: Though this happened in 1970, it is still being remembered for the terrible destruction. Perhaps it is because it happened in an area of the world that we don’t think of for avalanches. Whatever the reason, this was up there in terms of death toll overall.
8. Hurricane Ike: This is often forgotten about but it caused massive devastation. An entire city was wiped away in Galveston and yet the effects of it were far reaching beyond that. There is still rebuilding happening as so much was lost.
9. Chinese Earthquake: This happened in 1976, but the death toll still ranks near the top of all lists. The deaths that occurred due to this massive earthquake is hard to comprehend. The devastation was felt for years afterwards.
10. Pakistan Flooding: This happened years ago, but the flooding was just undeniable and the results were awful. People lost everything they had if they were lucky enough to live. The rebuilding took years and the region was never quite the same.
Natural disasters strike often without warning. These were very serious for a variety of reasons and they caused great harm in their paths.
Mary J Frederick writes about how to enroll in online neonatal nurse practitioner programs.