Recent Natural Disasters | Calamities | Hazards

A state of emergency has been declared in a first Nations community on Vancouver Island after rising water levels threaten to flood as many as two dozen homes. The Somass River has been swollen due to heavy downpour leading sandbagging operation in the area, The Canadian Press mentioned quoting Tseshaht Chief Councillor Hugh Braker as saying. Tseshaht is located just west of Port Alberni.

Magnitude 4.0 light aftershock rattled Dolakha at 07:27 am Monday morning, Nepal Seismological Center reported. This is the 420th aftershock of magnitude 4 or greater recorded in Nepal since April 25 deadly Gorkha earthquake .

Heavy rain triggered flooding in several areas of Singapore Saturday afternoon. The Public Utilities Board (PUB) on its Twitter page mentioned that flash floods at Lorong Buangkok made traffic impassable.

Flooding in Ambleside (Getty Image) Flooding caused by stormy weather has claimed life of an elderly man in Britain. A 90-year-old man died near Finchley Central station in North London as storm Desmond triggered flooding in the region.

At least 383 people have died in latest flooding in South Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and the union territory of Puducherry. As of Sunday morning, December 6, 2015, at least 300 people died in Tamil Nadu followed by 81 in Andhra Pradesh and two in Puducherry.

Severe flood in Cuddalore city of Tamilnadu, India has affected about 30,000 people inundating roads and residential areas. Panruti and Kurinjipadi areas of Cuddalore have been severely affected by the flood waters. The governmental offices have also been flooded in the Cuddalore town, New India Express reported. Cuddalore received 134.87 mm rainfall. In just five days, from November 30 to December 4, 2015, the Cuddalore city recorded 503 mm of rain. While, Puducherry received 30.6 cm rainfall from 8.30 am on Tuesday to 8.30 am on Wednesday. 

Heat wave has claimed lives of two people in a shopping mall in Cape Town City of South Africa. Two people died in Khayelitsha Shopping Mall as the mercury reached 34°C in Cape Town City.

A landslide in Tawi Al Nisf of Samayil province of Oman has claimed life of a worker Monday afternoon. A truck was hit by the debris that crashed down from a mountainside, Gulf News reported quoting an official at the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance.

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 .