Recent Natural Disasters | Calamities | Hazards

Magnitude 4.1 aftershock hit Kathmandu at 06:10 am Monday morning, Nepal Seismological Center reported. The epicenter was located in Shivapuri Nagarjun National park near Budhanilkantha. It was South East of Nagi Gumba near Taarebhir.

Flooding at Agolo Muok on Sori-Magunga road in Homa Bay County of Kenya has claimed lives of at least five people. A vehicle heading to Nyandiwa was wept away by flood waters in an attempt to cross a bridge on Agolo Muok stream.

Magnitude 3.6 earthquake hit Cornwall, Ontario today, the Natural Resource Canada reported. The quake's epicenter was located 15 km south of Cornwall, Ontario and was felt from Morrisburg to Montreal and in northern New York State.

Magnitude 4.6 moderate earthquake hit Panchthar at 04:22 pm Friday, the Nepal Seismological Center reported. The quake's epicenter was located near Nepal - India along MaiKhola River. This is the second tremor of magnitude greater than 4 recorded in Nepal in last 24 hours. Magnitude 4.1 light aftershock rattled Kavrepalanchowk at 03:23 pm today.

Magnitude 4.1 aftershock hit Sindhupalchowk at 12:42 am Thursday morning, the Nepal Seismological Center reported. The quake's epicenter was located near Baramchi along Bhotekoshi River. This is the third aftershock with epicenter in Sindhupalchowk in last five days.

An earthquake of local magnitude 3.0 rattled Kathmandu at 09:11 am Wednesday morning. The epicenter was located around Gothatar area.

At least three aftershocks have been recorded in Nepal in an interval of eight hours, National Seismological Center reported. Magnitude 4.0 aftershock hit Nuwakot at 05:00 pm Tuesday evening. The epicenter was located near Kabilas along Likhu River.

Radio dzBB's Allan Gatus/Twitter Photo The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has raised alert level 1 for Mount Kanlaon volcano as it enters a period of unrest. The event was recorded by the Kanlaon Volcano seismic network as an explosion signal beginning at 9:30 P.M. on November 23 and lasted 30 minutes. 

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake shook Cebu at 04:36 pm Tuesday afternoon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported. According to Philvolcs, the epicenter of the earthquake was recorded in Sagbayan. The tremor was felt at Intensity IV in Talibon, Intensity III in Sagbayan and Inabanga, and Intensity II in San Miguel and Cebu City. No damage or injuries have been reported.

Weather related natural disasters have occurred almost daily in the past decade occupying 90 percent of disasters, a U.N. report said on Monday. A report issued by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) shows that 90 percent of major natural calamities have been caused by 6,457 recorded floods, storms, heatwaves, droughts and other weather related events. The United Nations report, called "The Human Cost of Weather Related Disasters," found there were an average of 335 weather related disasters annually between 2005 and August this year. The report was issued by the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. Since 1995, weather related natural disasters have claimed lives of 606,000 people, left 4.1 billion injured, homeless or in need of aid, and accounted for 90 percent of all disasters, an increase of 14% from 1995-2004, and

Photo Source: BBC/Minzayar At least 104 have died in a landslide near a jade mine in Myanmar's northern Kachin State. Other 100 are still reported to be missing. According to BBC , many of the dead are scavengers living on or near the waste dumps, who search through the debris in the hope of finding fragments of jade to sell. Jade mining attracts thousands of migrant workers from across Myanmar.

Magnitude 4.1 light earthquake rattled Myagdi today at 12:41 pm, the Nepal Seismological Center reported. The quake's epicenter was located near Devisthan along Myagdi River. No damage or injuries have been reported. Two days ago, magnitude 4.0 light earthquake rattled neighbouring Baglung. At least 411 aftershocks have rattled Nepal since April 25 earthquake .

Flooding and landslide in Perak, Malaysia have claimed lives of at least 280 people. Perak Fire and Rescue Department director Yahya Madif revised the toll to 280 from 315 individuals Saturday morning.

Mount Sinabung volcano in Karo regency, North Sumatra erupted on Wednesday spewing volcanic ash to a height of 2,000 meters toward the southwest. The pyroclastic clouds affected Bekerah and Simacen villages, Signs of the Times reported.

Rescue operation at landslide disaster site in east China's Zhejiang Province (Reuters) Landslide in east China's Zhejiang Province has claimed lives of at least 38 people, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. More than 2,300 rescuers, along with seven sniffer dogs, 60 machines and more than 80 vehicles, are helping with rescue work at natural disaster site.

Flash flood along the Red Sea coast in Saudi Arabia has claimed lives of at least twelve people. Six children died in the provinces of Yanbu, Ha'il and on the outskirts of the coastal city of Jiddah, Khaleej Times reported.

Severe storm in Washington state has claimed lives of three people and left about 185,000 homes and businesses without power. Governor Jay Inslee has declared a statewide emergency.

At least three people died by the severe hailstorm in Bulilima district of Zimbabwe. Two children from Sevako Primary School and third from Ndolwane Primary school died due to the violent storm, Chronicle reported.

Magnitude 5.3 moderate aftershock rattles Kathmandu valley at 10:00 am Thursday morning, the Nepal Seismological Center reported. The quake's epicenter was located near Shree Gyuldevi Temple along Bhotekoshi River about 26 km NNE of Nagarkot. It was 6.2 miles deep. Last Friday, magnitude 4.2 aftershock rattled Sindhupalchowk at 03:45 am. At least 407 aftershocks have rattled Nepal since April 25 earthquake .

Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador emitted gas and vapour upto the height of 200 meters in west direction Tuesday morning. Cotopaxi volcano has shown a moderate internal activity following Yellow alert status.

Thousands people have been evacuated after Mount Merapi volcano in Indonesia spewed plumes of hot ash and hurling into the air. Authorities in West Sumatra have raised Mount Merapi volcano’s status to the second highest alert level.

Severe weather in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu has claimed lives of atleast 55 people, including 27 in Cuddalore district alone. According to regional meteorological centre, a low pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal caused the downpour in the area. Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam in Chennai received 15 cm and 11.7cm of rainfall respectively on Thursday night. Kancheepuram recorded 34 cm rainfall.

Magnitude 4.2 light aftershock rattled Sindhupalchowk at 03:45 am Friday morning, the Nepal Seismological Center reported. The quake's epicenter was located 75 km E of Kathmandu. It was 6.2 miles deep. The epicenter was located near Bhimsen temple out of Langtang National Park. At least 405 aftershocks have rattled Nepal since April 25 earthquake .

Humanitarian agencies are unable to deliver aid to earthquake victims due to India-Nepal border blockade since 45 days. Food and other necessities have not been supplied to survivors of Nepal earthquake victims . Blockades along the border between Nepal and India have caused fuel shortages. Helicopters operating for the World Food Programme have also been grounded.

A computer model has been developed for the dispersion of volcanic smog (vog) which forms when volcanic sulfur dioxide gas interacts with water and coverts it to acid sulfate aerosol particles in the atmosphere. A paper published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society used measurements of the amount of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emitted by Kilauea volcano, Science Daily reported.

Is it possible to predict a volcanic eruption and how ? Scientists have developed a new method of predicting volcanic eruptions by collecting geological and historical data on previous eruptions of the volcano. Researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London collected volcanic eruptions data of the Santorini volcano in Greece, to work out the capacity of the volcano's magma-chamber.

Earthquake of magnitude 3.1 has been recorded at Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia Sunday, the National Geological Service said. The earthquake was more than three kilometers deep and occurred exactly in the crater Arenas, Prensa Latina News Agency reported.

Sinkhole damage at Meridian, Mississippi (DailyMail) A massive sinkhole has swallowed 15 cars in an IHOP parking lot in Meridian, Mississippi. Emergency crews were called to the IHOP restaurant on North Frontage Road at about 7:15 p.m. Saturday.

Are you based in Singapore? If so, rising sea level could keep you underwater by 2100. Climate Change could cause Singapores median local sea level to rise 9.5 metres, submerging the homes of 745,000 Singaporeans by 2100, according to results published by Climate Central. The report found that carbon emissions causing 4C of warming a business-as-usual scenario could cause Singapores to that level, Yahoo News quoted. This report assesses and lists global nations and urban agglomerations at risk by projected total population exposure, percent exposure, and differences in exposure under warming scenarios of 1.5, 2, 3 and 4 °C (2.7, 3.6, 5.4 and 7.2 °F).  The areas around Marina Bay, Changi Airport, Jurong, Tuas, and the Southern Islands of Singapore are at risk of going underwater if temperatures rise, even by 2C. Global megacities with the top ten populations in the balance include Shanghai, Hong Kong, Calcutta, Mumbai, Dhaka, Jakarta, and Hanoi. 4 °C warming could

Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Megh made a direct hit on Socotra Island Sunday claiming lives of two people, one week after Cyclone Chapala passed through the region . The U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) classified Megh as a Category 3 equivalent near the time it hit Socotra Island.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler has declared a Local State of Disaster to help flood recovery following the record flooding that struck the City of Austin on October 30, 2015. A Local State of Disaster which remain in effect for seven days until it is ratified and extended by the City Council, City of Austin Office of Homeland Security And Emergency Management mentioned in the news release issued on November 5, 2015.

Two dams collapse at a Brazilian iron ore mine have claimed lives of two people and injured thirty others. Iron mine dam burst unleashed a mix of water and ore mining residue, Globo TV reported.

A small earthquake swarm of 23 earthquakes occurred at Yellowstone National Park region on October 13 and 14 (MDT), Yellowstone Volcano Observatory mentioned. During October 2015, the University of Utah Seismograph Stations recorded total 83 earthquakes in the Yellowstone National Park (YNP) region.

A rare tropical cyclone Chapala has claimed lives of eight people and injured hundreds others in Yemen . Five people died by drowning and three in collapsed homes in Hadramawt province between Tuesday and early Wednesday, Yahoo News reported.

California wildfire survivors can apply for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans and also register with FEMA until November 23, 2015. Eligible small businesses applying for only the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program have until June 22, 2016 to apply, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said in a news release issued on October 30, 2015.

Three days orientation programme on the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) System has been conducted for Suriname's National Coordination Centre for Disaster Management (NCCR) staffs in Lower Estate, Barbados. This disaster management training programme was conducted to increase the understanding of the Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) Strategy and Framework and the CDEMA CU approach to supporting national level programming for CDM implementation.

Mount Rinjani volcanic eruption in Indonesia has forced authorities to close the international airport on Bali on Tuesday, temporarily grounding all flights. Indonesian authorities closed Ngurah Rai International Airport for four hours until 11.30 pm due to a large ash cloud drifting from Mount Rinjani volcano.

Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces of South Africa will be declared drought disaster areas this week or next, risk management in the department of agriculture said on Wednesday. South Africa is facing its worst drought since 1982, with more than 2.7 million households facing water shortages across the country, Lennox Mabaso, spokesperson for the local government department in KwaZulu-Natal, told Al Jazeera .

Flash floods have claimed lives of at least twelve people in Beheira and Alexandria area of Egypt on Wednesday. According to state-run Ahram Online , eleven people died in three villages in Egypt’s Delta province of Beheira and one in Alexandriain.

Severe flooding in Spain has claimed lives at least four people. Four elderly residents died near Sio River in the town of Agramunt. Nine residents on the ground floor of the retirement home were caught in the sudden flooding, the Associated Press reported. Five people managed to escape.

Heavy ice flash flood has claimed lives of at least six people in Saudi Arabia as meteorologists predicted eight years of rain in just two days over the Arabian Sea. Extreme weather condition have affected the region since October 28, 2015.

About 200 climbers have been trapped after forest fire in Selo district sector on Mount Merapi , Central Java, Indonesia. Fire erupted on a cliff near the Post 1 trekking route at around 9 a.m. on Sunday,  tempo.co reported.

Storm damage near Elroy, Texas (Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman-statesman.com via AP) Flooding triggered by heavy storm and rainfall has claimed lives of at least six people and left two other missing in Texas . According to the Associated Press , Houston police discovered two bodies believed to be weather-related deaths. Another body was found in Camp Bullis, a U.S. Army training camp. The official said the individual was a contract exmployee whose vehicle was washed down stream.