The Worst Natural Disasters To Ever Strike

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European Heat Wave

When natural disasters strike they hit hard and they hit fast leaving no one ready to prepare for what is coming. People are left homeless, animals are left strayed and property is left damaged, sometimes beyond repair. But like the amazing species we are, we come back stronger. These are 20 worst natural disasters to ever strike. 

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In 2003, Europe experienced the most serious heat wave since 1540. France was the hardest hit of all the countries. The heat wave caused health issues in multiple countries and led to a shortage in crops in many parts of Southern Europe. The death toll reached over 70,000. It is believed to have been caused by the influence of warm waters from the Atlantic combined with hot continental air and strong winds from the south. The hottest parts of the year occurred during late summer. 

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1-32 Batallion

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In March 2011, the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry was deployed to the Kandahar Province in Afghanistan, as a part of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. They were sent as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel (later Colonel) Kenneth J. Mintz. They were charged with fighting Taliban insurgents, securing US forces in the area, and increasing area stability. They worked alongside Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, Afghan National Civil Order Police, and assisted with the setup of several new elements of Afghan Local Police, before they were sent back to Fort Drum in March 2012. In this deployment alone, the batallion lost 14 soldiers who were killed-in-action, a number that totaled half of the entire brigade's casualties. 

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Palmyra

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Soldiers discovered an ISIS mass grave in the ancient city of Palmyra. Approximately 150 bodies were found, riddled with bullet holes and evidence of having undergone extensive torture. Those who discovered the mass grave were working nearby at Palmyra Airport. Originally, the grave was thought to only contain about 31 bodies, but that number was later increased significantly with the discovery of groups of civilians mixed in with other bodies. The grave was the largest mass grave to be discovered since Palmyra was liberated. 

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2001 Gujarat Earthquake

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The 2001 Gujarat earthquake is also known by the name Bhuj earthquake. This earthquake happened on January 26, 2001 at 8:46 in the morning and it lasted for more than 2 full minutes. The day was particularly tragic as many people were caught off guard, preparing to celebrate India's 52nd Republic Day. The epicenter of the earthquake was located about 5.5 miles from the village of Chobari, located in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat, India. The earthquake was categorized as an intraplate earthquake and measured at 7.7 on the Richter scale. It had a maximum intensity felt of X, meaning extreme, on the Mercalli intensity scale. Death tolls measured anywhere from 13,800 to 20,000 people and reached as far as southeastern Pakistan. Over 167,000 were injured and almost 400,000 homes were destroyed.

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Antioch Earthquake

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In the year 526, an earthquake struck the Antioch region of the Byzantine empire. It occurred somewhere in the latter half of May in the mid-morning. Approximately 250,000 people lost their lives. The earthquake was also the cause of a massive fire that destroyed the majority of the buildings that had survived the earthquake itself. On the Mercalli intensity scale, the Antioch earthquake is estimated to have been between VIII (severe) and IX (violent). 

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Bhola Cyclone

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On November 12, 1970, a cyclone hit an area of East Pakistan, or modern day Bangladesh and the West Bengal region of India. To this day, it stands as the most deadly tropical cyclone in history and one of the most deadly natural disasters of all time. It is estimated that almost half a million people were killed by the cyclone, mainly due to the enormous storm surge and flooding that it caused through the islands of the Ganged Delta. It was the strongest cyclone of the 1970 season and the sixth to hit the region that year. 

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The Armero Tragedy

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The Armero tragedy occurred on November 13, 1985. The Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted after being dormant for 69 years and caused mass casualties in neighboring towns. Pyroclastic lava flows erupted from the crater of the volcano, melting the glaciers surrounding the mountain and sending volcanic mudslides down the sides of the mountain at speeds of 30 mph. These mudslides, or lahars, sped up as they traveled and flowed into the six large rivers the converged at the volcano base. The entire town of Armero was covered in lava, causing the deaths of more than 20,000 people, in a town of just 29,000. Casualties in other towns brought the entire death toll to 23,000 people. The Colombian government was directly blamed for the deaths, as they had repeatedly ignored the warnings from several organizations regarding volcanic activity beginning in September of that same year. 

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Southeast African Floods

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In 2015, Southeast Africa was plagued by major flooding caused in part by Cyclone Bansi and Tropical Storm Chedza. The flooding caused the death of approximately 46 people in Madagascar 176 in Malawi and 86 in Mozambique. Hundreds went missing, some recovered and some not. Saulos Chilima, the Vice President of Malawi, said that the flood directly affected over 200,000 people, who lost their homes. In total, 400,000 African people were left homeless and 153 went missing. The flooding started on January 14, 2015 and continued through the month. Landslides were caused by the overly saturated soil which killed even more people. The rainfall levels were 150% higher than the norm for that time period and approximately 63,000 hectares were ruined by the floodwaters. 

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Hurricane Georges

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Hurricane Georges was a Category 4 hurricane that traveled through the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico during September of 1998. It touched land in seven different locations along its way. It was the second major hurricane of the 1998 hurricane season, the 4th total, and the it began as the 7th tropical storm. After Hurricane Mitch that also passed in 1998 and Hurricane Andrew back in 1992, Georges was the most destructive storm that season. 604 people lost their lives, with the majority of them being on the island of Hispaniola. Hurricane Georges caused almost $10 billion in damages between St. Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. Georges made history hitting seven different countries, the most since Hurricane Inez in 1966. 

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2011 Christchurch Earthquake

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Christchurch, New Zealand was hit by an earthquake in the afternoon of February 22, 2011. The earthquake magnitude was registered at 6.3 on the Richter scale. It directly hit the Canterbury Region of the South Island, with the epicenter being about 1.2 miles west of Lyttelton, a port town on the coast, and about 6 miles south-east of the town center of Christchurch. At that time, Christchurch was the second most populated city within New Zealand. The earthquake cost the lives of 185 people in Christchurch. It has been recorded as New Zealand's third deadliest natural disaster in history. 

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The Influenza Pandemic of 1918

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The 1918 influenza pandemic actually occurred between January of 1918 and December of 1920. It was the first H1N1 flue virus pandemic. Over 500 million people contracted the disease across the globe, including people in remote locations such as the Arctic, and as a result, 3-5% of the world's population was killed (50 to 100 million people total). It is one of the most deadly natural disasters ever recorded. The difference between this flu virus and others is that typically, the flu affects those with compromised immune systems. Instead, this virus cause an overreaction by the immune system to the virus, also known as a cytokine storm. Because of this, those with good immune systems went into overdrive, killing them first. 

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1920 Haiyuan Earthquake

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The Haiyuan earthquake, also known as the Gansu earthquake, struck China on December 16, 1920. It initially registered as a 7.8 but most likely would have registered at a whopping 8.5 magnitude on the modern day Richter scale. The aftershocks continued to plague the area for three more years. On the Mercalli intensity scale, it was a XII, or Extreme, causing complete destruction of the Lijunbu-Haiyuan-Ganyanchi area. In Haiyuan county alone, more than 73,000 people lost their lives. The earthquake also caused a landslike in Xiji county and killed another 30,000 in Guyuan county. Almost every structure in Longde and Huining was leveled. Intensity of VI-X damage occurred across 7 different regions and provinces throughout China. According to the United States Geological Survey, the total loss of life was recorded as over 200,000 people. 


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North American Smallpox Epidemic

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The smallpox epidemic occurred between 1775 and 1782. Although it's uncertain where the outbreak began, by mid-1775, it was raging throughout Boston and throughout Canada. Since this was during the American Revolutionary War, the disease was able to run rampart in army camps, both Continental and British. It reached into Texas by 1776 and from 1178 to 1779, New Orleans was heavily affected, primarily due to it's close quarters. Mexico was hit beginning in 1779 and caused tens of thousands of deaths. By the end of the epidemic, smallpox had been found throughout the Great Plains, pacific coast, and even in Alaska. The worst part about the smallpox epidemic was the devastation it left amongst indigenous peoples. An estimated 11,000 Native Americans lost their lives to smallpox in just the Western area of Washington state alone. 

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East African Drought

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A severe drought plagued East Africa between July of 2011 and July of 2012. It was one of the worst droughts that the continent had seen in over 60 years. The drought caused food to become severerly scarce in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya, threatening the lives of over 9.5 million inhabitants. Many refugees had fled southern Somalia to Kenya and Ethiopia, causing crowding and unsafe living conditions. Between this and the lack of proper nutrition available from the drought, thousands of people lost their lives. Sudan and parts of Uganda also suffered the effects of the drought. 

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Tangshan Earthquake in 1976

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The Tangshan Earthquake struck Tangshan, in the People's Republic of China on July 28, 1976. It only lasted for about 14 to 16 seconds, but at a magnitude of anywhere between 7.8 and 8.2 on the Richter scale, an earthquake of its force didn't need to last long to cause severe damage and death. About 16 hours after the initial quake, a 7.1 magnitude aftershock was felt, which further increased the death toll. The area of the earthquake was home to almost one million people. The total number of fatalities from the earthquake varies. It is estimated that as many of 650,000 lives were lost between the two quakes, including those in Tangshan and those in surrounding areas. 

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Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami 2011

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The Tohoku earthquake occurred on Friday, March 11, 2011 and caused massive tsunami waves, leveling everything in it path. The earthquake epicenter was 30 miles east of the Oshika Peninsula, underwater by about 19 miles. It is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan, as well as the most costly. The earthquake was so powerful that is actually shifted the entire island of Honshu 8 feet to the east and caused the entire Earth to shift on its axis somewhere between 4 and 10 inches. The earthquake caused tsunami waves up to 133 feet in height. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused 15,894 deaths, injuries to 6,152 and 2,562 missing persons. Another 228,863 people were left homeless. 

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Tuberculosis Pandemic

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The tuberculosis pandemic is ongoing. Tuberculosis affects 1/3 of the entire world's population. In 2014 alone, there were 9.6 million cases of active tuberculosis which caused the deaths of 1.5 million people. It is most prevalent in underdeveloped countries, although can be found in 5-10% of people in the United States. The tuberculosis bacteria doesn't always cause the disease though. Most tuberculosis infections do not develop symptoms, which is known as latent tuberculosis. Approximately 10% of latent infections actually progress to disease, and about half of those infections cause death. 

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North Korean Famine

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The North Korean Famine is also known by the name Arduous March, encompassing both the famine and the economic crisis associated with it. It occurred between 1994 and 1998. The famine was caused by multiple issues in the country. First, the government of North Korea mismanaged the economy so badly that they lost Soviet support which in turn significantly decreased food production and imports. Then natural disasters such as flood and drought made it even worse. The government's methods were not effective in assisting in the prevention of the disaster. North Korea began the 1990s with a population of over 22 million and lost approximately 330,000 people between starvation and hunger-related illness, with 1997 was the worst year.

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The Bubonic Plague

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The Bubonic Plague, or Black Death, originated in China in the early 1330s. It is carried by rodents and transmitted to humans by fleas. Once a human is infected, they become highly contagious and the cycle continues its downward spiral. Because of China's high amounts of trading, the plague spread through ships rapidly across the world. The plague spread through Italy and throughout Europe, even crossing the channel into England. In just five years, 1/3 of Europe'e entire population had been killed off (25 million people). 

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Willamette Valley Flood of 1996

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The Willamette Valley Flood of 1996 was actually just one part of an even bigger series of flooding which occurred between late January and mid-February of 1996 in the Pacific Northwest. It was classified as the largest flood based on number of deaths and damage in the 1990s in Oregon. Flooding also affected Washington, Idaho and California. 8 people lost their lives and there was over $500 million worth of damage. Another 3,000 residents were left homeless. 

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