Recent Natural Disasters | Calamities | Hazards

A research article published in Journal of Disaster Risk Studies has shown the flood disasters leading to children’s poor academic performance in Muzarabani District of Zimbabwe. The natural disaster research has indicated that flood disasters cause loss of learning hours, loss of qualified personnel, outbreak of waterborne diseases, high absenteeism and low syllabus coverage leading to children’s poor academic performance. 

European Parliament has approved a total of €126.7 million in EU aid to help Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria cope with the aftermath of natural disasters in 2013 and 2014 , European Parliament has mentioned in a press release issued on December 17, 2014.

Snowstorms in Japan have claimed life of a truck driver. The truck driver died in a pileup on a snowy road in Otake, Hiroshima Prefecture, The Japan Times reported. According to the East Japan Railway Co., four bullet train services on its Akita Shinkansen Line were halted due to strong wind. In Hokkaido, 4,824 houses suffered blackouts in 20 municipalities including Nemuro, where a maximum wind speed of around 144 kph was recorded on Wednesday.

The Office of Science and Technology Policy has launched a new website Disasters.data.gov which supports efforts to drive open data, disaster preparedness and community empowerment.  Disasters.data.gov works as a public resource for disaster data and collaboration tools as part of the government’s Innovation for Disasters initiative.

Floods are among the most frequent and costly natural disasters . Conditions that cause floods include heavy or steady rain for several hours or days. Flood was among the worst natural disasters to hit the world in 2014 . These are 9 steps of flood recovery suggested by The Los Angeles Fire Department that will help you recover quickly and safely. The Los Angeles Fire Department published the nine steps of flood recovery this December.

Storm in Morocco has claimed lives of at least four people and injured four others. Wind and torrential rain pounded the Casablanca area of Morocco claiming two lives. At least four people got injured and 14 families have been affected, Modern Ghana mentioned. Other two bodies have been recovered from Safi.

A landslide at the construction site of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric power plant in Amazon region of Ecuador has claimed lives of at least 13 people, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa confirmed the news.

Snowfall in Thuloikharka of Juving VDC in Solukhumbu district of Nepal has claimed life of a French national this Saturday, The Himalayan Times has written quoting the Solukhumbu Police. The deceased has been identified as Matthiful Le Gall, 29 years old, who fell from an altitude of 4,200 metres while returning after scaling Mera Peak Mountain.

Update 16:10 UTC Death toll from landslide in Karangkobar, Banjarnegara, Central Java has risen to 18. Governor Ganjar Pranowo has declared disaster emergency for three months. The rescue workers have discovered 18 dead, 11 seriously injured and four lightly wounded. At least 91 others are still missing, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said. The rescue operation has been halted because of heavy downpours in the area, The Jakarta Post has written. Earlier, 200 rescuers and 500 volunteers had joined the search for the missing, AFP mentioned.

A violent storm in Algeria has claimed life of a person and left three others missing.

If you are living in Corbin and London areas of Southern Kentucky, you may have received a "Civil Emergency" alert to your cell phones Tuesday afternoon. The alert was sent to your cell phones via the Federal Communication Commission's Wireless Emergency Alert system mentioning "Extreme Alert" with civil emergency in your area until 11:50 a.m. MST.

Northern California residents have kick-start the emergency preparations before a powerful storm expected to pack hurricane force winds and heavy rain on Wednesday. "People have started gathering sand bags, crews clearing storm drains and San Francisco school officials canceling classes for the first time since 9/11", Yahoo News reported.

The lahar-hazard risk reduction cannot be effectively accomplished without the active, impartial involvement of volcano scientists as they play a critical role in educating emergency managers, public officials, and at-risk populations about lahar hazards, a research paper published in Journal of Applied Volcanology 2014 has mentioned.

Severe storm in Catalonia, Spain has claimed lives of at least three people and left one seriously injured. Two people died in the town of Terrassa when a wall collapsed, while a 60-year-old Swedish woman was killed when winds flipped her car over, The Local reported.

Enjoy facts and tornado videos for kids! Learn about tornadoes, characteristics, most frequently occurring countries and tornado videos for kids.

Flash floods in Thessaloniki, Greece have claimed lives of at least two people and prompted an alert along a river that divides Greece and Turkey.

Earthquake, flood and landslide were among the worst natural disasters to hit the world in 2014. Here’s a look at a few of the natural disasters as covered by Disaster report that caused major damage to lives and properties in 2014.

Natural disaster recovery efforts are still under way, a year-and-a-half after tornadoes ripped through central Oklahoma , Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has mentioned in the press release issued on December 8, 2014.

The registration deadline for disaster survivors in Southeast Michigan is until Sunday, 14th December 2014, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said in a press release issued on December 8, 2014.

Update 08:15 UTC According to the Philippine National Red Cross, at least 21 people have been dead, many of them drowned as flood waters rose in Borongan, the main town in Eastern Samar. Typhoon Ruby is predicted to make its third landfall over Northern Mindoro between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday. The government is bracing for Ruby in Metro Manila as well as in Mindoro and Calabarzon as the center of Typhoon Ruby was located 20 km East of Torrijos, Marinduque at 10 a.m. (local time).