A natural hazard is a naturally occurring event that poses a threat to human life or property. A natural hazard becomes a natural disaster when it actually occurs, causing significant loss of life and property. The potential impact of a natural disaster depends on the size and location of the event. If the disaster occurs in a heavily populated area, it immediately causes more damage to both life and property.
Recently, the United Nations (UN) said that in the last 20 years, there has been a huge increase in natural disasters worldwide, which has led to a huge increase in human and economic losses. Experts say that heatwave and drought will be a major threat in the next decade as the temperature is steadily increasing.
Aleppo, 1138
According to historical documents, that earthquake in Syria shook Aleppo completely. The walls of the fort and the rocks became frozen. The small towns around Aleppo were also completely ruined. It is estimated that the earthquake killed 2,30,000 people.
Tsunami, 2004
The coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India, were the worst affected by the tsunami that arose in the Indian Ocean. About 10 thousand people were killed and five thousand were missing. In this campaign, the Indian Navy undertook extensive expedition operations.
Apart from Operation Help, three other operations were also carried out abroad (Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia). The naval expedition carried 32 ships, 7 aircraft, 20 helicopters for 15 days. Help was taken in relief work of the army. With the help of operation in 17 districts, nearly one lakh people were evacuated.
Tangshan earthquake, 1976
On July 28, 1976, a devastating earthquake occurred at thirty-two thirty minutes in the city of Tangshan, China. The population of this industrial city of China was around one million at that time. The magnitude of this earthquake on the Richter scale was measured from 7.6 to 8.2. The earthquake in Tangshan killed 2,55,000 people. According to unofficial reports, the number of dead was over 6 lakh.
Antioch earthquake, 526 AD
A fatal earthquake occurred in Syria and Antioch in the year 526 AD. This region was part of the Byzantine Empire at that time. This earthquake captured an incredible death toll in a short period of time. The earthquake in Antioch is said to be the only natural disaster that is more or less close to the Biblical era. This natural disaster occurred in the first millennium before the birth of Christ. In the period from 20 to 29 May 526, the city of Byzantine survived an earthquake with an intensity of 7.0 points. Due to the high population density (which was rare in the region at the time), 250,000 people died. The fire caused by the Holocaust also contributed to the increase in the number of victims.
Heyuan, 1920
The tremors of about 7.8 magnitude earthquake in China were felt thousands of kilometers up to Norway. The earthquake killed 2 million people in Heiyuan Province. A large village is buried by landslides in the neighboring province of Shijie. All the houses near big cities like Logan and Huining were demolished. The earthquake stopped some rivers and changed the way of some forever.
Coringa Cyclone, 1839
India was highly affected by the Coringa cyclone in the port city of Coringa in Andhra Pradesh. It killed about 3.2 lakh people and more than 25000 ships were wrecked by this huge cyclone. It was one of the worst natural disasters in the history of India, in the small town of Coringa in the Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, which was devastated by the cyclone. Which destroyed the entire city. It was indeed one of the biggest disasters that shook India.
Halong Storm, 1881
The Halong storm in Vietnam in 1881 put nearly 3 lakh people to death. It caused extensive damage to property and fishery industries, believed to have cost 22.8 billion dollars this storm.
Haiti, 2010
On 12 January 2010, the earthquake shook Haiti severely. A magnitude 7 earthquake on the Richter scale made 2,22,570 their own. One lakh houses were destroyed. 1.3 million people were displaced. Haiti is still rebuilding.
1970 Bhola cyclone
The Great Bhola cyclone hit Bangladesh in 1970. However, Bangladesh was called East Pakistan at that time. The Great Bhola led to tremendous flooding in East Pakistan. Apart from this, 35 feet high waves had risen in the sea adjoining Bangladesh, which had targeted a large part of Bangladesh.
It is said that 3 to 5 lakh people died in East Pakistan due to this storm. It is considered to be the most dangerous storm ever known in tropical storms. An entire city was swept away by the floods. It also had a huge impact on India.