Recent Natural Disasters | Calamities | Hazards

Earthquake damaged buildings in Arquata del Tronto, Italy (Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images) October 30, 2016: At least 20 people injured after a strongest earthquake in 36 years rattled Italy at 7:41 a.m. with its epicenter near Norcia.  According to Italy’s national geophysical and volcanology institute, magnitude 6.5 tremor was recorded, the strongest to hit Italy since 1980. It was felt as far north as near the border with Austria and in Rome.

October 28, 2016: Torrential rainfall and flooding in Egypt have claimed lives of at least 30 people, Middle East News Agency (MENA), a news agency by Egyptian government confirmed.  Nine people died in South Sinai, eight in Sohag and five in Beni Suef. Similarly, nine others died in the Red Sea.

The First World Tsunami Awareness Day will be observed on November 5, 2016 during the upcoming Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR). The Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) is going to be held by the government of India in collaboration with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) between November 2-5, 2016. In December 2015, the UN General Assembly designated 5 November as World Tsunami Awareness Day. The Assembly called on all countries, international bodies and civil society to observe the day, in order to raise tsunami awareness and share innovative approaches to risk reduction.

October 26, 2016: A landslide claimed lives of at least seven people and buried more than 10 others along a mountainous stretch of Colombia's main highway between Bogota and Medellin on Wednesday. "Others four people have been injured and taken to a local hospital," Reuters reported disaster management chief for the northwestern department of Antioquia, Gilberto Mazo as saying. According to the authorities, the landslide disaster occurred due to heavy rain in the mountainous area.

October 25, 2016: A lightning strike in Pogo-ceri village, Amuru district of Uganda claimed life of a teenager at around 6:00 pm. Richard Okeny, 17, was the student of Okuture primary school.

October 25, 2016: Flash floods in the city of Bandung, West Java, Indonesia have claimed life of a person and damaged thousands of homes.  According to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson for the National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB), flash floods caused worst damage in Pasteur, Pagarsih, Solokan Jeruk and Sukajadi areas. The Citepus River overflowed due to continuous heavy rainfall. Flood damage assessment is going on.

October 24, 2016: The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) has raised the alert level for the Cleveland volcano to orange from yellow after detecting explosion. The explosion at Cleveland volcano was recorded at 13:10 AKDT (21:10 UTC). The explosion was heard by the residents in Nikolski, about 75 km from Cleveland volcano.

October 23, 2016: A moderate earthquake of magnitude 4.7 rocked Assam, India at 09:27 pm Sunday night. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the epicenter was located at a shallow depth of 10 km in Dhuburi area of Assam.

October 22, 2016: Two construction workers died due to flooding at South End street, Boston Friday night. A powerful surge of water killed two people working inside 12 to 15 feet deep trench on Dartmouth Street.

This aerial photo taken by Kyodo News helicopter shows broken grave markers and collapsed walls at a cemetery in Kurayoshi, Tottori Prefecture October 21, 2016: A very strong earthquake of magnitude 6.6 rattled Kurayoshi, Tottori Prefecture of western Japan at 2:07 p.m. Friday afternoon. At least seventeen people have been injured. Injuries have been reported from Tottori Prefecture, Okayama, Hyogo and neighboring prefectures, Kyodo News reported quoting the Fire and Disaster Management Agency and prefectural governments.

Super Typhoon Haima (Super Typhoon Lawin in Philippines) claimed lives off at least 12 people in Philippines. Eight of the victims are from the Cordillera region, Reuters reported quoting Ricardo Jalad, chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Haima made landfall over Peñablanca, Cagayan of the Philippines at 15:00 UTC on October 19, 2016. Two days later, Haima made landfall over Haifeng County, Shanwei in the Guangdong province of China.

Typhoon Sarika forecast path (Hong Kong Observatory) Severe Typhoon Sarika (Typhoon Karen in Philippines) is forecast to make landfall in Hainan, China on Tuesday. Authorities in Hainan Province held an emergency meeting Sunday night to review precautionary measures, Xinhua News Agency reported.

October 14, 2016: Hurricane Nicole damaged roofs and uprooted trees in Bermuda, before moving out into the Atlantic Ocean. According to Bermuda Electric Light Company Ltd (BELCO), more than 27,000 households were left without power. Several schools, government offices and bank offices have been closed in Bermuda on October 14 to assess damage and conduct clean up.

October 11, 2016: Magnitude 4.6 moderate aftershock was recorded in Dolakha on Vijaya Dashami at 12:53 pm, Nepal Seismological Center mentioned. The epicenter of the quake was recorded near Lakuridada. No damage or injuries have been recorded. The tremor was felt on Vijaya Dashami, the major festival celebrated in Nepal. Vijaya Dashami (Dashain) is the national festival of Nepal including Bhutan, Myanmar and India.

Hurricane Matthew made landfall Southeast of McClellanville, South Carolina on October 8, 2016, The National Hurricane Center confirmed. A public advisory issued by the hurricane center at 11:00 am EDT mentioned hurricane Matthew located 90 km SSW of Myrtle beach, South Carolina and 165 km SW of Cape Fear, North Carolina.