Recent Natural Disasters | Calamities | Hazards

January 20, 2020: A total of 909 people have been killed by natural disasters in China in 2019, with about 130 million more people adversely impacted. According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, natural disasters in China caused about 47.5 billion U.S. dollars direct economic losses in 2019. China was hit mainly by floods, typhoons, drought and earthquakes in 2019. However, the overall impact of natural disasters in China in 2019 was smaller than the average for the past five years, with lesser death toll as well. Global natural disaster losses in 2019 Meanwhile, more than 11,000 were killed in natural disaster events in 2019. Total economic losses from natural and man-made catastrophes fell to around USD 140 billion in 2019 from USD 176 billion last year. Click for detail report on 2019 global natural disaster losses  

December 5, 2016: A research paper published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters claims fault near Kathmandu could produce magnitude 8 or greater earthquake. An international team, including researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno warned Kathmandu and other areas along the Himalayan Frontal Fault could be due for an even more powerful event.   Researchers dug two deep trenches near the mouths of major rivers at Tribeni and Bagmati and studied soils and fault lines looking back over the past 2,000 years.

Kerala government is collaborating with World Bank to establish four centers for managing natural disaster in India . According to the state disaster management authority, multipurpose cyclone risk mitigation centres will be set up at Kumbaanghi, Njarakkal, Kovilakathu Kadavu and Puthenvelikkara regions of Kerala.

Are you going to purchase flood insurance policies in Missouri? Are you searching the information regarding eligibility, cost, insurance companies and others. Then you have landed to the right place. Below are five tips before purchasing flood insurance policies in Missouri as prescribed by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Am I eligible for National Flood Insurance Program? Are you Missouri homeowners, renters or business owners? If so you are eligible to purchase National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies. Most importantantly, you can even purchase flood insurance policies if you aren't located in a flood plain or high-risk zone. Does my community participate in National Flood Insurance Program? The first step is to know whether your community participates in NFIP in order to purchase an insurance policy. Missouri communities in the program are listed here . How much it cost to purchase flood insurance policies in Missouri? The flood ins

Scotland formally launched the country's first national flood risk management plan on Monday. The flood risk management plan comprises 14 separate local strategies and identifies a total of 42 flood protection schemes that have been proposed for action over the next five years at a total cost of £235m.

A major tremor could hit Nepal’s Gorkha district within years rather than the centuries that usually pass between quakes, researchers say predicting Nepal earthquake. The research entitled “Himalayan megathrust geometry and relation to topography revealed by the Gorkha earthquake” published in journal Nature Geoscience on 11 January 2016 claims that magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gorkha in April 2015 generated about 1 m of uplift in the Kathmandu Basin, yet caused the high Himalaya farther north to subside by about 0.6 m.

A natural disaster is a sudden natural event triggered by environmental factor which can cause loss of life or property damage. Earthquakes, floods, landslides, volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, fires etc are some of the common natural disasters worldwide that have claimed several lives causing huge economic losses. It's important to know how we can prepare for natural disasters with proper emergency preparedness plan for less natural disasters damage.

Much of China's northwest regions were blanketed by sandstorm on Wednesday evening. Many areas in the Beijing recorded PM10 air pollution causing traffic jams in most major districts of the city, South China Morning Post reported.

M 5.5 moderate earthquake shakes Cyprus today, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake's epicenter was located 14 km NW of Paphos. It was 6.2 miles deep.

A tornado that briefly touched down at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon has damaged four vehicles. The cars were parked at Lane County Community College when the possible tornado struck, The Weather Channel reported.

The Japan Meteorological Agency fears of Mount Zaosan volcanic eruption following several volcanic activities observed recently. An alert for a possible eruption of Mount Zaosan was issued on April 13. The climbers are urged not to enter a 1.2-kilometer area from the crater area due to the possibility of large rocks being ejected in an eruption, The Asahi Shimbun reported.

More than 200 birds have been found dead in the hailstorm in Ahmedabad, Gujarat  State of India. Parrots, kites and crows were among the 217 birds which died or were found critically injured at Vasna barrage, in Paldi and other parts of new west zone, The Times of Indi a reported.

Multiple lightning strikes in Bangladesh have claimed lives of at least eight people in four different districts. Lightning strike killed three people in Kishoreganj, two each in Moulvibazar and Rajbari and one in Khulna district of Bangladesh .

A powerful tornado in Cotabato, Philippines on Sunday afternoon has caused damage to infrastructure and houses. The tornado collapsed the old grandstand inside the Mlang Pilot Elementary School (MPES) and mini covered court, GMA News Online reported.

M 3.5 light earthquake hits Los Angeles today, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake's epicenter was located just 2 km SE of Baldwin Hills and 13 km WSW of Los Angeles . It was 6.0 miles deep.

Forest fires in Russia's Khakassia republic in southern Siberia have claimed lives of at least 10 people. “According to preliminary data, at least ten people were killed. All the details are currently specified,” the Sputnik News has written quoting a spokeswoman for regional authorities as saying.

Severe weather in Israel has brought a rare hail storm in Tel Aviv Sunday afternoon. Recent weather system has also affected northern Israel with 20 centimeters of snow falling on Mount Hermon since Saturday, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Flash floods in Kenya's Homa Bay have claimed lives of at least seven people including a seven month old baby. Victims were swept by heavy flash floods as they attempted to cross the bridges in Gongo and Kotieno, HomaBay police commander John Omusanga confirmed the Xinhua News Agency .

Severe thunderstorm, accompanied by massive hailstorm and squall , have damaged atleast 362 houses in Ratu village near Mizoram-Myanmar border. At least 12 houses have been completely damaged by the squall, the Business Standard has written quoting Officials of the Aizawl district deputy commissioner's office as saying.

A powerful damaging tornado in Illinois today has claimed life of a person and injured seven others. At least one person died in Fairdale with tornado damage reported on either side of Interstate 39 near Rochelle, Illinois, the Chicago Tribune reported. According to the USA Today , recent weather forced the cancellation of more than 800 flights at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and delayed hundreds more.