It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with List of natural disasters by death toll. (Discuss)

This article lists the worst natural disasters as judged by loss of life. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with List of deadliest natural disasters. ...

Ten deadliest natural disasters

1.

*Official Government figure. Estimated death toll as high as 655,000. The 1931 Yellow River flood (Huang He flood) is generally thought to be the deadliest natural disaster of historic times, and almost certainly of the twentieth century (when pandemics are discounted). ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... The Yellow River (Huang He) in China is prone to flooding, due to the broad expanse of largely flat land around it. ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... Lowest pressure Unknown Damages Unknown Fatalities 500,000 direct (Deadliest tropical cyclone of all time) Areas affected Bangladesh Part of the 1970 North Indian cyclone season The Bhola cyclone was a powerful tropical cyclone that made landfall in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on 13 November 1970. ... Ganges Delta The Ganges Delta is a river delta in the south Asia region of Bengal, consisting of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal, India. ... East Pakistan was a former province of Pakistan which existed between 1955 and 1971. ... November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... An earthquake is a phenomenon that results from and is powered by the sudden release of stored energy that radiates seismic waves. ... // Events The town of Riga was chartered as a city. ... Map of China showing Shaanxi province (red) and the other provinces affected by the earthquake (orange) The Shaanxi earthquake or Hua County Earthquake is the deadliest earthquake on record, killing approximately 830,000 people. ... Not to be confused with the neighboring province of Shanxi Shaanxi (Simplified Chinese: 陕西; Traditional Chinese: 陝西; pinyin: Shǎnxī; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Shensi, pronounced like Shahn-shee) is a northwestern province of the Peoples Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 16 - Abdication of Emperor Charles V. His son, Philip II becomes King of Spain, while his brother Ferdinand becomes Holy Roman Emperor January 23 - The Shaanxi earthquake, the deadliest earthquake in history, occurs with its epicenter in Shaanxi province, China. ... In June 1938, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese Kuomintang troops under Chiang Kai-Shek broke the levees holding back the Yellow River in order to stop advancing Imperial Japanese Army. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hits Thailand The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December 26, 2004. ... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Haiphong (Vietnamese: Hải Phòng, Chinese 海防, HÇŽifáng) is the third most populous city in Vietnam. ... 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Kaifeng (Simplified Chinese: 开封; Traditional Chinese: 開封; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kai-feng), formerly known as Bianliang (汴梁), is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province, Peoples Republic of China. ... Not to be confused with the unrelated provinces of Hainan and Hunan Henan (Chinese: 河南; pinyin: Hénán; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ... Events January 4 - Charles I attempts to arrest five leading members of the Long Parliament, but they escape. ... Tangshan (Chinese: 唐山市; Pinyin: Tángshān shì) is a prefecture-level city in Hebei province, Peoples Republic of China. ... July 28 is the 209th day (210th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 156 days remaining. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ...

Earthquakes

* 1556 Shaanxi earthquake
**Official Government figure. Estimated death toll as high as 655,000. Global earthquake epicenters, 1963–1998. ... Not to be confused with the neighboring province of Shanxi Shaanxi (Simplified Chinese: 陕西; Traditional Chinese: 陝西; pinyin: Shǎnxī; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Shensi, pronounced like Shahn-shee) is a northwestern province of the Peoples Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on... Old Town Aleppo viewed from the Citadel Aleppo is also the name of two townships in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... Events Robert Warelwast becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... Location of Xining Xining (Simplified Chinese : 西宁, Traditional Chinese : 西寧, Tibetan : Ziling) is the capital of Qinghai Province, Peoples Republic of China. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Map of China showing Shaanxi province (red) and the other provinces affected by the earthquake (orange) The Shaanxi earthquake or Hua County Earthquake is the deadliest earthquake on record, killing approximately 830,000 people. ...

Tropical cyclones

• Note: October 7, 1737 Bengal, India Cyclone not included on this list, because of inability to find an accurate death toll. Reports range from 3,000 (meaning it wouldn't be included on this list) to 300,000 (making it the second worst on record.)

This article is about weather phenomena. ... 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section should be merged with Mumbai Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) is the worlds most populous conurbation, and is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ... October 5 is the 278th day of the year (279th in Leap years). ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years). ... Events 12 February — The San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is inaugurated. ...

Tornadoes

Union City, Oklahoma tornado (1973) A tornado is a violently rotating column of air which is in contact with both a cumulonimbus (or, in rare cases, cumulus) cloud base and the surface of the earth. ... April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... Official language(s) English Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Area  Ranked 32nd  - Total 48,434 sq. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Official language(s) English Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Area  Ranked 32nd  - Total 48,434 sq. ... May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Flag Seal Nickname: Gateway City, Gateway to the West, or Mound City Location Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates , Government Country State County United States Missouri Independent City Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 66. ... Official language(s) None Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Largest metro area St. ... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Volcanoes

This article is about volcanoes in geology. ... For other meanings of Ve, see Ve (disambiguation). ... Mount Tambora is a stratovolcano on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. ... The Battle of New Orleans 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... An early 19th century image of Krakatoa. ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Mount Pelée (French: Montagne Pelée, Bald Mountain) is an active volcano on the northern tip of the French overseas département of Martinique in the Caribbean. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Nevado del Ruiz is a volcano in Colombia. ... This article is about the year. ... Mt. ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Kelut is a volcano located on the island of Java in Indonesia. ... 1586 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. ... The name Laki has more than one meaning:- A town called Laki in Plovdiv district in Bulgaria. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Santa Maria in Italian/Portuguese/Spanish refers to Holy Mary or Blessed Virgin Mary (Mary, the mother of Jesus) The Santa Maria was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean Places Places named Santa Maria include: Santa Maria is... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Kelut is a volcano located on the island of Java in Indonesia. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Galunggung (Galoen-gong, Gunung Galunggung) is a stratovolcano on Java, Indonesia. ... 1822 (MDCCCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

References for lower table

• Volcanoworld.org
• Global Volcanism Program
• USGS

Analysis

-Floods are the deadliest type of natural disaster, with all five of the deadliest floods appearing in the top ten deadliest disasters in recent recorded history. (For example the list excludes the eruption of the super-volcano Toba some 75,000 years ago which it is theorised killed a large proportion of all Homo Sapiens who were alive at that time due to the severe climatic effects which followed - See also Toba_catastrophe_theory). According to the Toba catastrophe theory, modern human evolution was affected by a recent large volcanic event. ...

-Of the 40 ranked disasters, 9 occurred in China, and 22 occurred in Asia. 8 occurred in Europe, 5 in North America, 5 in South America, and none in Africa or Australia. All of the ten deadliest disasters occurred in Asia.

-Major disasters of various types are concentrated in specific places. For example, all of the top five floods occurred in China, four of the top five tornados occurred in the U.S.A., and all of the worst tropical cyclones occurred in Southeast Asia. This does not mean that these types of disasters don't occur elsewhere, just that some areas are more prone to certain natural disasters.

Notes

-These disasters occurred during recorded history. Obviously, disasters occurring at times and places with good quality record keeping are more likely to be listed than disasters that occurred at times and places with poor or no records.

Resources

• The Forces of Nature: Worst Disasters page was used as a basis for this list
• The information was verified using:
  • The Guinness Book of World Records
  • The Wikipedia
  • The GEsourceThematic Timeline of Disasters
  • USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
• CRED EM-DAT is one of the most authoritative sources is this subject

See also

• Natural disaster