Recent Natural Disasters | Calamities | Hazards

January 30, 2020: At least three people have been died and around 4,500 people have been left homeless after recent flash floods in Iringa and Lindi area of Tanzania. In Lindi, at least 4,500 people have been left homeless from six villages.

January 29, 2020: Floods and landslides on Indonesia 's Sumatra island have claimed lives of at least seven people and displaced thousand others. Also, 22 have been injured in Central Tapanuli Regency due to the overflow of the Aek Sirahar river.  According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, more than 2,000 people have been forced to leave their flooded homes. The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Central Tapanuli Regency has declared a 7-day state of emergency .

January 28, 2020: A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.7 has struck in the Caribbean, prompting brief tsunami warnings and office evacuations as far away as Florida. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake hit between Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cuba at a depth of 10 km. Offices were temporarily evacuated in Miami and parts of Jamaica. A tsunami of 0.4 feet was recorded in the Cayman Islands at George Town, but no tsunami was observed at Port Royal, Jamaica, or Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. The quake hit 125 kilometers (77.6 miles) north-northwest of Lucea in Jamaica. There are no initial reports of damage or casualties. Tectonic Summary of the Earthquake According to the USGS, magnitude 7.7 earthquake in the Caribbean Sea to the south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica occurred as the result of strike-slip faulting on the plate boundary between the North America and Caribbean tectonic plates.  At the location of t

January 27, 2020: The government of Madagascar has declared a national emergency after a week long flooding claimed lives of 31 people and displaced more than 16,000 people. According to the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC), recent floodings have inundated more than 10,000 homes, with 46 totally destroyed. At least seven regions in the north of the country have been affected, with Boeny, Sofia and Alaotra Mangoro hardest hit. President Andry Rajoelina called it "a day of devastation" across the island. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Government has deployed two helicopters to conduct aerial surveillance of the flooded areas and support the evacuation of people at risk. The death toll may rise in the days ahead, as several people remain missing.

January 27, 2020: Magnitude 5.2 earthquake has been felt in Shiraz, Iran today at 04:28 pm. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake's epicenter was located around 46 km far from Shiraz, Fars, Iran. The earthquake occurred at 10 km depth. Light shaking of MMI IV has been felt in Kāzerūn and Shiraz. According to the Iran's Red Crescent, assessment teams have been dispatched to the quake site.

January 26, 2020: Flooding and landslides in southeast Brazil have claimed lives of at least 30 people. Around 2,600 people have been evacuated from their houses in Minas Gerais state. Belo Horizonte Civil Defence said that teams attended over 470 incidents of landslides and flooding across the region on 24 January, 2020. The Brazilian weather service Inmet said that in the past two days, the regional capital Belo Horizonte had seen the most intense rainfall recorded in more than 100 years.  More rain is expected in Minas Gerais as well as other parts of Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.