Natural disasters

Natural disasters often affect millions of lives through disease, devastation and starvation. Human behavior can also contribute to how severe the problem is and may add to the death toll. These 10 worst natural disasters of all time each stole over a million lives

Deccan famine

• The Deccan Famine(1630-1632) was the result of failure of three consecutive staple crops leading to intense hunger and deaths from starvation. The famine desolated Deccan and Gujarat.

Calcutta flood

• In 1737, Calcutta witnessed one of the worst cyclones in recorded history of India. Hurricane force winds were reported to be accompanied by an earthquake and extensive flooding with an estimated death toll of 3,00,000

Bhuj earthquake

• On January 26, 2001 when India was celebrating its 51st Republic Day, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 on Richter scale hit at about 08:46 a.m. in Kutch district of Gujarat.

Around 20,000 people were killed, 1,67,000 injured and about 6,00,000 people were left homeless. The city of Bhuj that lied only 20 km from the epicenter was totally devastated. Total damages were assessed to be in excess of $5.5 billion. Indian army was called in for rescue and relief efforts.

Man can have a devastating effect on the environment and the 10 worst man-made disasters of all time have had a negative effect on the environment for decades afterwards. Frequently these disasters are related to poor industrial oversight within developing countries. However, even with regulation a catastrophe can strike.

• Bhopal disaster, also referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy is classified as the world’s worst industrial catastrophe and environmental disasters which took place in the late night hours of December 2-3, 1984 in Bhopal, Madhyah Pardesh, India at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant.

• The 2008 Mumbai attacks were twelve coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across mumbai ,india’s largest cityby members of lashkar-e-taiba, thePakistan-based militant organisation.The attackers allegedly received reconnassiance assistance before the attacks. Ajmal kabab, the only attacker who was captured alive, later confessed upon interrogation that the attacks were conducted with the support of Pakistan's ISI.The attacks, which drew widespread global condemnation, began on Wednesday, 26 November and lasted until Saturday, 29 November 2008, killing 166 people and wounding at least 308

Natural disasters often affect millions of lives through disease, devastation and starvation. Human behavior can also contribute to how severe the problem is and may add to the death toll. These 10 worst natural disasters of all time each stole over a million lives

The Deadliest Earthquake in History

• In July 5, 1201 in Egypt and Syria, the deadliest earthquake in recorded history struck making it one of the 10 worst natural disasters of all times. This disaster rocked the eastern Mediterranean and killed over 1.1 million people, destroying countless homes. Nearly every major city within the near east felt the effects of this quake.

. The Black Plague

• The bubonic plague or “Black Death” killed almost 33 percent of the entire population of Europe when it struck between 1347 and 1350. It also affected millions in Asia and North Africa. Scientists believe that the plague was a zoonotic disease caused by Yersinia pestis bacterium and spread due to poor hygiene and fleas carried by rats

North Korea Famine and Floods

• A combination of political problems and natural disasters resulted in over 3 million deaths in North Korea from 1995 to 1998. With a period of industrial decline, North Korea was unable to keep up with food production and began rationing food consumption. Soon the distribution channels began to collapse though and a series of floods devastated nearly 40% of their farm land. This led to starvation throughout many of the rural areas.

Man can have a devastating effect on the environment and the 10 worst man-made disasters of all time have had a negative effect on the environment for decades afterwards. Frequently these disasters are related to poor industrial oversight within developing countries. However, even with regulation a catastrophe can strike.

Indonesian Forest Fires

• 1997 Indonesian Forest Fires started in the middle of 1997, caused primarily by slash and burn techniques adopted by the farmers of Indonesia. The fires in Indonesia began to affect neighboring countries, as thick clouds of smoke and haze spread to cover Malaysia and Singapore. By the time the seasonal rains in early December 1997 arrived, they brought a temporary relief, but soon after wards, dry conditions and fires returned. In 1998 Brunei also had fell victim to the smoke and haze of the fires, and to a lesser degree, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines also experienced smoke and haze from them.

Great London Smog of 1952

• The Great Smog of ’52, or Big Smoke was a combination of cold weather with anticyclone and windless conditions which collected all the airborne pollutants, mostly from coal burning, mainly due to the cold weather, to form a thick layer of smog over London in December 1952. It lasted from Friday, December 5th to Tuesday, December 9th 1952, and then quickly dispersed after the weather patterns changed.