2013, like every year, has seen its fair share of natural disasters. What makes them so impactful is that so many people die, and it is interesting to note that over 90% of natural disaster- related deaths occur in developing countries, according to World Vision.
When looking through those disasters, people often don’t remember them. This is either due to the fact that first world countries don’t hear a lot about it, or that the people are engaged for a week or two and then just continue their lives normally.
So here a look at the five deadliest disasters this year:
5. Mindinao floods in the Philippines in January, 2013, impacting 507,769
This disaster caused over 100,000 people to be moved, with some of them being taken care of in one of the 46 evacuation centers, numbers of those who fled are not certain. The country’s infrastructure suffered greatly, with costs growing exponentially.
Find out more on PhilStar’s Website.
4. Patuakhali cyclone in Bangladesh in May, 2013, impacting 1,285,508
The danger level of this disaster was 7 out of 10, with the cyclone covering more than 175km in nine hours. All schools, colleges and hotels have become emergency shelters.
Read more on the BBC News Website.
3. Guangdong Storm in China in March, 2013, impacting 1,398,324
Interesting about this disaster is that hardly anyone drowned, most people died from flying or falling objects.
BBC News covered the story.
2. Drought in Chad from June, 2012, to February, 2013, impacting 1,600,000
Interestingly enough, there is hardly any information about this disaster to find. Very likely this is due to the desensitization of humans due to constant exposure to it: Droughts go on over a relatively long period of time. The greatest impact is the increase of crop prices all over the world.
1. Sichuan earthquake in China in April, 2013, impacting 2,011,211
This earthquake took its name from a former natural disaster, the Sichuan Earthquake in 2008, in which over 90,000 people were killed, went missing, or are presumed dead. This earthquake was less damaging, yet the epicenter was quite close to the surface, emphasizing the 6.6 magnitude earth quake.
Read more on the Huffington Post.
