Recent Natural Disasters | Calamities | Hazards

More than ten people have died in record Shanghai heat wave, prompting the level two emergency heat alert for the first time. Heat alerts have been issued in nine different provinces of China, including Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Shanghai and Chongqing. Shanghai heat wave has been recorded as the hottest July in 140 years. On July 26, Xujiahui meteorological observation station in Shanghai observed 40.6℃, which is the highest since 1872. China Meteorological Administration has issued a high temperature warning for predicting temperatures up to 41 degrees Celsius in coming days. Related post: China natural calamities 2013 Below is Shanghai heat wave 2013 map from July 1 to 29 (Source China Meteorological Administration). Similarly from 18:00 of July 31, the National Meteorological Center of CMA issued a yellow warning of drought. CMA has issued level Ⅲ meteorological emergency response in 8:30 of August 1. Original post: Natural Disasters List August 1, 2013

M 5.9 very strong earthquake has hit Gansu, China. The China Earthquake Administration has launched an emergency-response plan after this deadly Gansu earthquake. The National Committee for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs has also launched a level-four emergency response and sent work teams to the quake zone. Updates below: Update 10:05 UTC Five more bodies are found, making death toll at 94. According to the Gansu seismological bureau, one person is still reported to be missing. Ukraine and Russia have expressed condolences, support over NW China earthquake. Update 2013/07/23; 02:00 UTC Death toll has further climbed to 89 with five still missing. Two helicopters have already reached the earthquake zone and are performing disaster relief missions. Earthquake relief materials like food, tents, cotton-padded clothes etc are being distributed. Update 14:55 UTC Death toll from Gansu earthquake has further risen to 89 with 628 people injured, 5 people are re

Flooded tributary of the Kosi river in Bihar, India has claimed lives of 10 people including nine kids, Indian News medias reported. A boat carrying 11 people got capsized in Madhepura in a flooded tributary of Kosi River. Nearby villagers could only save a girl. Tragedy happened at around 10.30 pm Thursday night when they were returning from Pandit Basa village after attending a function. Among the fatalities are five girls and four boys between 8 to 12 years age, NDTV has written quoting District Magistrate Upendra Kumar. Recent floods in Bihar have affected  more than 100 villages with worst in Purnea, Araria, Kishanganj, Muzaffarpur and Katihar, disaster management official said. 2008 Kosi flood, the worst flood in Bihar in the last 50 years, made more than three million people homeless. The Kosi (or Koshi) River which is a trans-boundary river flowing through Nepal and India is also known as 'Sorrow of Bihar'. Flash floods in Odisha and Hyderabad Flash flo

Update 05:30 UTC; 2013/07/11 Twelve people are confirmed dead in a landslide in Sichuan Province of China. Landslide in Sichuan province of China has buried at least 30 people and destroyed 11 houses, Xinhua reported. Heavy rainfall triggered landslide at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning in Sanxi , Dujiangyan city of China. Rescuers have reached the disaster site and villagers near have been moved to safe places. At least 340 tourists in Sanxi Village have been moved to safe areas. According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, rainstorms in China have claimed lives of 16 people since Sunday. Original post: Natural Disasters List July 10, 2013

At least 50 people have been killed in recent landslides and floods, Nepal Emergency Operation Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) said. According to the Emergency Operation Centre data, natural disasters have displaced more than six thousands people. Nepal government has provided Rs 7.5 million as a disaster relief fund. Damage Report provided by Nepal Emergency Operation Centre: -At least 50 dead; 15 injured. -More than 800 houses completely destroyed by floods; other 1,496 partially damaged. -Around 6,861 people displaced. Pre Monsoon had caused heavy flooding in Darchula . The District Administration Office (DAO) had declared a flood emergency in the area. The bridge over the Mahakali River was also closed and a red flag was placed to indicate the sign of danger in the Mahakali bridge. Similarly massive flooding in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh region of India had claimed lives of thousands of people. Original post: Natural Disasters List July 4, 20

Update July 5, 2013 35 reported to be killed with 8 still missing. At least 275 people reported to be injured. Lutheran World Relief (LWR) staff in Indonesia report that the earthquake damaged nearly 4,300 houses and nearly 80 public facilities (including health centers, schools, mosques and village offices) in Bener Meriah and Central Aceh. Nearly all damaged houses are inhabitable. Despite infrastructure damage, the majority of shops and markets are open for business, allowing affected populations to purchase needed items.  The earthquake resulted in displacement of people from their houses due to structural damage, as well as fear of additional quakes. An estimated 6,500 people are displaced and reside in approximately 60 displacement sites in Bener Meriah and Central Aceh, according to the Aceh Disaster Mitigation Agency. Update At least 25 reported to be killed in Indonesia earthquake. 100 plus injured. Magnitude 6.1 very strong earthquake in Indonesia caused landslides

At least 19 firefighters from the Granite Mountain Hotshots have died in Yarnell, Arizona wildfire. Firefighters were fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire near the town of Yarnell located 80 miles northwest of Phoenix. Arizona wildfire has already destroyed more than 200 houses and has grown to 2,000 acres by early Monday. Below is a photo of a home burned in the Yarnell Hill Fire in Yarnell, Arizona (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Tom Story). Another photo below shows residents evacuating along Hays Road in Peeples Valley, Arizona (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Tom Story). The Red Cross has opened emergency shelters in Yavapai College in Prescott and Wickenburg High School gym. Around 250 firefighters and support personnel are currently engaged in Yarnell wildfire control. Related post: Latest Wildfires in 2013 The National Weather Service has predicted 30 percent of thunderstorms and showers in the Yarnell area today (Monday). According to National Fire Protection

Recent flooding and landslides across China have claimed lives of at least 14 people, the Xinhua reported. At least eight people died due to hailstorm in Erdos city of Mongolia. Landslides buried four in Anhui province of east China. Six rivers overflowed in Huizhou district. Others two were buried in Sichuan province. The National Meteorological Center (NMC) has predicted more rainfall in Inner Mongolia . A total of 97,500 hectares of cropland have been flooded, more than 247 houses have been totally destroyed causing damage of 430 million yuan in Mongolia, the regional civil affairs department said. Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarter has expected tropical storm Rumbia to hit Guangdong province on Monday night or Tuesday. Original post: Natural Disasters List June 30, 2013

A three days national mourning has been declared after 37 people died in Central African Republic gold mine collapse, local news reported. Heavy rainfall triggered CAR gold mine collapse. Disaster area is located in Ndassima, about 440km east of Bangui. According to Al Jazeera which has quoted Prosper Ndouba, spokesman for the president's office, 10 miners have been rescued and still unknown number of bodies have been trapped. Original post: Natural Disasters List June 25, 2013

Update 2013/06/22 Death toll from Uttarakhand flood has further risen to 680. Kedarnath flooding has claimed lives of 123 alone. Click here for latest updates . Update 2013/06/21 Death toll from Uttarakhand flood has risen to 207. Still 9,000 people are stranded in Kedarnath and Badrinath. Update 2013/06/20; 11:50 UTC The Uttarakhand government has declared three-day state mourning . A three-day state mourning from June 20-22 has been declared in view of the Uttarakhand tragedy. The Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre has opened following roads today (via Times of India). Joshimath-Karnaprayag Rishikesh-Uttarakshi Dharasu-ChambaGochar Rudraparayag-Shrinagar-Rishikesh Pauri-Kotdwar Guptkashi-Mayali-Tibtiya-Tehri Uttarkashi-Chinyalisaur Karnaparayag-Ranikhet-Kathgodam Dharasu-Badkot- Damra-Dehradun Mayali-Tiwara-Rudraprayag Chainyalisaur-Subakholi -Mussoorie Ghansali-Tipri-Devprayag Ghansali- Tipri- New Tehri Tehri-Chamba-Mussorie Chamba-Rishikesh Tuni-Chakra

Heavy rainfall has caused devastating floods and landslides across North India, especially in the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The Army, ITBP, Border Security Force (BSF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Public Works department and local administration are currently engaged in rescue operations. Similarly heavy rainfall has caused massive flooding in Mahakali river in Nepal . The District Administration Office (DAO) has declared a flood emergency in the area. The bridge over the Mahakali River is currently closed and a red flag has been placed to indicate the sign of danger in the Mahakali bridge. Updates below Update 2013/07/09 According to Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, death toll in north India floods has reached 5,500 . Still 4,500 people are reported to be missing. After July 15 the missing persons will be presumed dead! Update 2013/06/24; 02:05 UTC -According to the disaster management minister Yashpal Arya, at least 5,000 people have been killed by

Landslide in Baitadi district of Nepal has claimed lives of five members of a single family. The catastrophic landslide occurred at Siddeswor-9 of Baitadi Monday night. Landslide caused by heavy rainfall swept away three children of Ram Singh Eir. They were below three years old. Locals with forces from Khodpe Police Post and Area Police Office, Patan are engaged in rescue operations. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) said local administrations, security personnel and rescue team to stay on high alert in the disaster area. Heavy rainfall has caused massive flooding in Darchula . The District Administration Office (DAO) has declared a flood emergency in the area. Original post: Natural Disasters List June 18, 2013

Landslide in Dailekh, Nepal has claimed lives of at least seven people, Dailekh Police said today. Landslide hit Malika VDC-2 of Dailekh district and killed seven members of a single family. Three of them are children below age 7. Heavy rainfall collapsed the house of Kumal family. A police team from Dungeshwor police station has been send to the landslide site. Heavy rainfall has caused massive flooding in Mahakali river . The District Administration Office (DAO) has declared a flood emergency in the area. The bridge over the Mahakali River is currently closed and a red flag has been placed to indicate the sign of danger in the Mahakali bridge.   Original post: Natural Disasters List June 18, 2013

Heavy rainfall has caused massive flooding in Mahakali river. The District Administration Office (DAO) has declared a flood emergency in the area. The bridge over the Mahakali River is currently closed and a red flag has been placed to indicate the sign of danger in the Mahakali bridge. Similarly flooding in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh region of India has claimed lives of hundreds of people. Report prepared by Ashish Khanal and Bivek Bhattarai from Nepal. Update 11:00 UTC Nepal Government has allocated Rs. 500 million for the reconstruction of physical infrastructure including roads, and drinking water projects in the flooded areas. Similarly the goverment has also decided to provide Rs. 35,000 as a relief to the each displaced family. Update 2013/06/20; 05:00 UTC -A high-level team including Chairman of Election Council Khil Raj is going for inspection of flood affected areas today. Team will have aerial view of Darchula , Kanchanpur and Kailali districts. - Flood victims

At least 72 people have died in floods and landslides in north of India. More than 50 people died in the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh alone over the last 24 hours. According to NDTV News, about 22 people have became landslide victims in the state of Haryana. Between 50 and 100 people are still reported to be missing. At least 50 people have gone missing after a cloudburst in Rambada, Uttarakhand, officials said. Following a state disaster management authority, landslide alerts have been issued for all districts in the Konkan region . Several people were evacuated following a landslide in Ratnagiri, a port city on the Arabian Sea coast in Ratnagiri district in the southwestern part of Maharashtra, India. Around 180 tourists were stranded for about three hours near Hillgrove station, following a landslide on the railway track. Tourists were travelling by the famous Nilgiri Mountain Rail service. Original post: Natural Disasters List June 17, 2013

Heavy rainfall in southern China have claimed lives of at least 15 people, the National Commission for Disaster Reduction said. The National Meteorological Center has issued thunder and rainstorm alerts. Flash flooding has affected nine provinces in southern and eastern China including Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi, Xinhua reported. Natural disaster damage is expected about 277.16 million U.S. dollars. Disaster relief materials have already been send to the areas. Original post: Natural Disasters List June 8, 2013

Lightning strikes in Bihar, India have claimed lives of at least 27 people including women and children, Disaster Management Department said. A total of 27 including six children and three women died in last 24 hours by bolts of lightning across Bihar. Fatalities are from Nalanda (6), Aurangabad (6), Rohtas (4), Shekhpura (3), Nawada (3), Gaya (2), Bhojpur (2) and Kaimur (1) districts of India. The state disaster management ministry has announced a compensation of Rs. 1.5 lakh each to the victims. Lightning strikes are common in Bihar during this season. At least twelve people died in lightning strikes in Madhya Pradesh, India in March 2013. Another lightning strikes in Uttar Pradesh claimed lives of eight people. India lacks proper lightning protection systems. Original post: Natural Disasters List June 5, 2013

At least seven people have died and four other are missing in a landslide tragedy in Taplejung region of eastern Nepal. Six people among the dead are members of the same family. Landslide occurred in a remote village of Thukimba-6 of Taplejung district. Area Police Office, Nepal Army and locals are conducting rescue works. In another landslide, three people got injured in Thukimba-6 area of Taplejung. Injured people are having treatment at the local health post. Related post: Landslide in Nepal 2013 Landslide disaster area is located at a day’s walk from Taplejung’s district headquarters. The continuous rainfall in the area caused landslide. Original post: Natural Disasters List June 6, 2013

Huge storm and heavy rainfall have claimed lives of at least 10 people and injured more than 40 others in  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) region, Pakistan Today reported. Storms collapsed walls and roofs of various houses. Around nine children are reported to be seriously injured in the tragedy. Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast more dust storm and rainfall in Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northeast Punjab, Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan in next 24 hours. Original post: Natural Disasters List June 2, 2013

Update 2013/06/02 -Death toll from tornadoes in US Midwest has risen to 12. According to Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office, nine fatalities are from Oklahoma and three from Missouri. -Flood cleanup process in Oklahoma has also been hampered. Update 02:30 UTC According to the National Weather Service, all tornado warnings and tornado emergencies for the Oklahoma City area have been expired as of 9 p.m. (10 p.m. ET). But flash flooding remains effect in much area. Update 02:25 UTC This is what The Weather Channel has recently tweeted. "Gov. Mary Fallin reports 5 dead in Oklahoma from today's storms." At least three tornadoes hit Oklahoma City area causing tornado emergency, National Weather Service confirmed. Two, a mother and a child died when storm overturned a car on an interstate highway, USA Today reported. Related post: United States natural disasters list 2013 Tornado also destroyed The Weather Channel's "Tornado Hunt" car near E