A natural disaster is an event that no one wants to experience in their lifetime. These disasters are extremely traumatic for those directly and indirectly affected. You've probably seen press coverage of these devastating times in newspapers and on television. One that I remember like it was yesterday was the tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
Here are the 10 deadliest natural disasters from centuries to recent times.
10. Banqiao Dam Failure, 1975
The Banqiao Dam was built to hold about 12 inches of rain each day. But in August 1975, those who created the dam realized that it was not enough. During this time, the storm came from the collision between a cold front that brought heavy rains and Super Typhoon Nina. The rain was so heavy that 7.46 inches fell every hour. That added up to about 41.7 inches of rain each day. The dam failed due to subsidence blockage and released 15.738 billion tonnes of water over the next few days. Waves 23 feet high rushed into the streets at 31 miles per hour, destroying everything. More than 231,000 people died after the flood.
9. Haiyuan earthquake, 1920
The Haiyuan earthquake, the 4th deadliest earthquake of all time, was catastrophic. 7 provinces were affected by the natural disaster. On December 16, 1920, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake occurred in Ningxia, China. Aftershocks continued for three years after the earthquake. More than 73,000 people died in Haiyuan County alone. The earthquake also caused landslides and large ground cracks, especially in areas near the epicenter of the earthquake. The earthquake was so strong that some rivers were dammed and others changed their course. More than 200 thousand people were killed.
8. Tanshan earthquake, 1976
It is said to be the largest earthquake of the 20th century. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in Tangshan, Hebei Province, China. The city was industrial and had about a million people. The natural disaster happened early in the morning and lasted for about 10 seconds. It is reported that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8-8.2. The earthquake not only killed people, but even the 7.8-magnitude earthquake increased the death toll. The earthquake was initially said to have killed 655,000 people, but this number has been reduced to around 255,000.
7. Antakya (Antakya) earthquake, m. 565.
The Antioch earthquake occurred in 565 BC. There aren't many details today, but it is said to have happened on May 20th. Damage ranging from 1 to 24 million dollars was caused. The earthquake caused the death of about 250,000 people.
6. Indian Ocean Earthquake/Tsunami, 2004
On December 26, 2004, a day after Christmas, an undersea earthquake occurred off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake struck many different places, most notably in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand. This is the second largest earthquake recorded with a magnitude of 9.1-9.3. It lasted 8-10 minutes and was so violent that it shook the entire planet and caused other earthquakes like the one in Alaska. The earthquake and tsunami killed more than 225,000 people.
5. Indian cyclone, 1839
In 1839, a huge cyclone hit the Indian city of Koringa. This happened on November 25, when a 40-foot storm surge caused by a cyclone completely destroyed a town. He deleted everything he came in contact with. Unfortunately, the city was never really rebuilt, the 20,000 ships docked in the city were destroyed. More than 300,000 people died after the storm surge subsided.
4. Cyclone Bhola, 1970
After Cyclone Bhola devastated farmland, clean-up efforts included attempts to salvage rice and other grains to avoid starvation.
After Cyclone Bhola devastated farmland, clean-up efforts included attempts to salvage rice and other grains to avoid starvation.
Cyclone Bhola hit East Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh, on 12 November 1970. It remains the deadliest cyclone ever recorded. Strong winds lashed the region at 115 miles per hour, and the storm was said to have reached the strength of a Category 3 hurricane. However, it wasn't the winds that killed. Most of those who lost their lives during this natural disaster died as a result of the storm. It is reported that up to 500 thousand people died as a result of heavy rain and floods in many regions.
3. Shaanxi earthquake, 1556
The Shaanxi earthquake remains the deadliest earthquake ever. On February 14, 1556, an earthquake occurred in China. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Wei River Valley, and 97 provinces were affected in places such as Henan, Shaanxi, Hebei, Anhui and others. Every building that stood in Huaxian was destroyed and more than half of the people who lived there were killed. Some statistics show that up to 60% of the population of some counties are killed. In total, more than 830 thousand people died from the Shaanxi earthquake. Studies have shown that the magnitude of the earthquake was about 8 points. Because it was so strong, an earthquake was felt about half a year later.
2. Yellow River flood, 1887
In 1887, the Yellow River flooded and completely destroyed about 50,000 square miles. The flood is said to have killed between 900,000 and 2,000,000 people. Farmers who live and farm near the river have built small dams that can hold back the water when it suddenly rains. But the heavy rain that fell too quickly broke the dams and flooded the river.
1. Central China floods, 1931
The Central China floods of 1931 are said to be the deadliest natural disaster ever recorded. Since then, visiting China has been called the biggest disaster. After a long drought, China was hit by seven cyclones that brought inches and inches of rain. Three different rivers overflowed during the central China flood, killing up to 4 million people. Although there were dams on the Yangzte, Yellow, and Huai rivers, they were either poorly constructed or too small.
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