Natural Disasters List 2011

2012 Natural Disasters List 2011

The 15 Costliest Natural Disasters in History

Some experts have gone on record to say that 2011 is already the costliest year in history for natural disasters–and that’s with a few months left to go.  Anyone who has taken a good look at all of the tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and floods that the world has had to endure this year can confirm expert estimates.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that previous years did not also endure tough financial fates at the hands of nature’s wrath. Whether due to hail damage or tsunamis, we’ve suffered some costly storms around the world. Here is a list of the 15 most expensive natural disasters in history.

1. Haiti Earthquake (2010) – $7.9 Billion

In 2010, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit Haiti and devastated the country, much of which was built on weak structural foundations. As of May 2011, the earthquake was estimated to have killed between 200,000 and 250,000 people. According to the country’s government report, known as the Preliminary Damage and Needs Assessment (PDNA), the total cost of earthquake damage was estimated at $7.9 billion.

2. Hurricane Charley (2004) – $8.479 Billion

Hurricane Charley hit Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina Aug. 13-14, 2004. Peaking with winds that reached 150 mph, this Category 4 storm caused $8.479 billion in damage, according to 2009 estimated insured losses for property coverage by the Insurance Information Institute. At the time, it was the strongest storm to hit the area since Hurricane Andrew 12 years prior.

3. Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami (2004) – $15 Billion

On Dec. 26, 2004, an earthquake shook in the Indian Ocean and shortly thereafter, a monster tsunami hit India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, causing what some estimate to be over $15 billion in loss. But while the financial loss was great, it paled in comparison to the over 110,000 lives lost and more than 700,000 who were displaced or orphaned.

Damage from Hurricane Ike--NY Times

4. Hurricane Ike (2008) – $20 Billion

Hurricane Ike was another devastating storm, affecting a whopping nine states, most of which were located away from any coastline. Occurring Sept. 12-14, 2008, the storm was deemed the largest hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic Ocean. There are numerous estimates regarding the damage the storm caused, but according to the Insurance Information Institute in 2009, Ike caused $12.648 billion in the U.S. with another $8 billion in costs to the Caribbean.

5. Izmit Earthquake, Turkey (1999) – $26 Billion

Unlike hurricanes, tornadoes and even tsunamis, earthquakes don’t offer the luxury of storm reports or the ability to prepare for the worst. Unfortunately, Turkey learned this the hard way after it was hit with 7.6-magnitude earthquake at 3 a.m. on Aug. 17, 1999.

The 37-second tremor tore through the country, claiming the lives of an estimated 17,000 and injuring another 44,000 (some say the totals are even higher). As for the financial cost, it was estimated that damage totaled $26 billion.

6. Hurricane Wilma (2005) – $29.1 Billion

Hurricane Wilma affected various areas, but made the most impact in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Cuba and even affected Florida. At least 62 deaths were reported. The storm’s cost for damage was figured in 2010 at $29.1 billion as determined by the National Hurricane Center. At the time, this made it the fourth costliest storm in U.S. history.

7. Chuetsu Earthquake, Japan (2004) – $32 Billion

Unlike some earthquakes that hit with one massive force, the Chuetsu earthquake was actually several major tremors rocking Japan minutes apart in 2004. Just in the first 66 hours, a total of 15 major quakes hit the region, killing 40 and injuring over 3,000. The damage to the property in the region was also overwhelming. According to some estimates, damage totaled $32 billion.

8. Yangtze River Floods, China (1998) – $40 Billion

In the spring of 1998, China suffered continuous downpours for three months straight. The constant rain resulted in floods in China’s northern provinces, which killed as many as 4,000 people and drove an overwhelming 14 million people from their homes. It is estimated that 18.3 million acres of country had to be evacuated and the sum of financial damage caused in the area was $40 billion.

9. Hurricane Andrew (1992) – $41 Billion

It is extremely rare that we encounter a Category 5 storm, be it a tornado or hurricane. However, in 1992, we witnessed what has been deemed the most powerful hurricane to hit the United States in the 20th century. Hurricane Andrew caused irreversible damage to areas in Florida and Louisiana and, in the end, was said to ramp up costs for property insurance companies (home and auto insurance) along with other financial entities that exceeded $41 billion.

Collapsed Freeway After Northridge Earthquake--US Dept of Transportation

10. Northridge Earthquake, California (1994) – $42 Billion

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimated that a 1994 earthquake that hit Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley in California cost the cities $42 billion in damage. The 6.7-magnitude quake lasted 10-20 seconds, caused more than 5,000 injuries and resulted in 72 deaths.

A whopping 25,000 people were left homeless, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and it became one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.

11. Irpinia Earthquake, Italy (1980) – $52 Billion

The Irpinia Earthquake goes down as Italy’s most notorious earthquake. Occurring in 1980, this massive quake killed 3,000 and caused building and infrastructure damage over about 10,000 square miles. While the world poured in hundreds of millions in aid, the total cost of damage reached an unbelievable $52 billion.

12. Hurricane Katrina (2005) – $81 Billion

It’s hard to forget Hurricane Katrina, one of the most tragic disasters to ever hit the United States. The storm hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 25, 2005 and, between the hurricane and subsequent floods, claimed the lives of nearly 2,000 people.

Thousands of people are still displaced in Mississippi and Louisiana as a result of storm and living in temporary accommodations. While storm damage reports vary, a recent one from the NOAA revealed that the storm cost $81 billion in total damage, making it the largest single loss in the history of U.S. insurance.

13. Kobe Earthquake, Japan (1995) – $100 Billion

The Great Hanshin earthquake, also known as the Kobe earthquake, occurred in the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture, Japan on Jan. 17, 1995. While the 6.8-magnitude quake shook the ground 10 miles beneath the epicenter, it caused an unbelievable amount of damage. Nearly 6,500 people were killed and it caused approximately $100 billion in destruction, according to the World Bank.

14. Sichuan Earthquake, China (2008) – $147 Billion

An 8.0-magnitude quake hit Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, in 2008. This earth-shattering event resulted in the untimely deaths of 70,000 people and left more than 18,000 missing. While the World Bank estimated that the cost of damaged added up to about $29 billion, the Chinese government pledged $147 billion over the following three years to rebuild the shattered area.

15. Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (2011) – $235 Billion

One of the costliest and most devastating natural disasters on record happened this year in Japan. On March 11, 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast near Sendai, Japan causing what the World Bank estimates to be $235 billion in damage with the number expected to climb. To date, over 8,000 residents are confirmed dead and over 10,000 are still missing.

The world has seen a lot of destruction over the years with tornado damage as well. In fact, 2011 was labeled thedeadliest year for this type of storm since 1950. But since its damage is typically localized, it doesn’t cause damage of the same magnitude as the disasters placed on this list–thank goodness!

NORTH HONSHU, Japan (March 18, 2011) An aerial view of damage to northern Honshu, Japan, after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated the area. (U.S. Navy photo by Naval Air Crewman 1st Class Jay Okonek/Released)

* Earthquake magnitude 6.9 Argentina-January 1

・ Earthquake magnitude 5.2 - Southern XinJiang, China-January 1

・ Earthquake 7.1 magnitude Chile-January 2

・ More Than 1,000 Dead Birds Fall From Sky in Arkansas-January 2

・ Dead fish cover 20-mile section of Arkansas River-January 2

・ Uganda yellow fever outbreak kills more than 40-January 3

・ Earthquake Near Japan Triggers Tsunami Warning-January 3

・ Powerful earthquake hits south-east Iran-January 3

・ Earthquake 7.0 magnitude hits northern Argentina-January 3

・ Hundreds of dead blackbirds found in Louisiana-January 3

・ 10,000s of Birds found dead in Manitoba-January 3

・ Thousands of Birds fall from the sky in South America-January 3

・ Major Flood in Rockhampto,Australia-January 3

・ Dead Birds Found In Kentucky-January 4

・ 100 tons of dead fish wash up on Brazil's shores-January 4

・ Hundreds of dead birds found in East Texas-January 5

・ Dead birds in Sweden, millions of dead fish in Maryland, Brazil and New Zealand-January 5

・ Shift of Earth's magnetic north pole affects Tampa airport-January 5

・ 40,000 crabs found dead on England beaches-January 6

・ Heavy floods leave at least 35 dead in Brazil-January 6

・ Earthquake 4.5 magnitude in California-January 12

・ Huge Waves Destroy Homes in E. Indonesia-January 12

・ Thousands of marine animals found dead  in MATO GROSSO DO SUL/AMAZON Region-Febuary 4

・ Magnitude 6.3 earthquake- SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND-Febuary 21

・ Thousands of dead fish have washed up at Sebastian Inlet State Park Florida-Febuary

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・ Millions of small fish including anchovies, sardines and mackerel were found dead at King Harbour

・ Magnitude 8.9 earthquake and tsunami devastating Japan-March 11

・ 40ft section of California Highway falls into Pacific Ocean-March 16

・ Magnitude 3.5 earthquake - OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA-March 17

・ Magnitude 6.5 earthquake- Vanuatu- March 17

・ Magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes northeastern Burma-March 23

・ Magnitude 6.8 earthquake hits Myanmar, Thailand-March 23

・ Magnitude 6.4 earthquake off the coast of Japan-March 25

・ Thousands of dead fish wash up in Florida-March 25

・ Hundreds of dead fish found in Midland,Texas-March 26

・ Hundreds of dead fish and frogs in Marquette Lagoon-April 1

・ Magnitude 5.4 earthquake in South Sandwich Islands Region-April 1

・ Magnitude 6.4 earthquake Fiji-April 3

・ Magnitude 6.7 earthquake in South of Java,Indonesia-April 3

・ Magnitude 6.5 earthquake hits Veracruz,Mexico-April 7

・ Dead birds fall into Kansas yard-April 8

・ Magnitude 7.4 earthquake hits shore of Japan-April 7

・ Dead fish found in Cedar Creek, Texas-April 10

・ Magnitude 6.5 and 6.2 earthquakes hit eastern Japan-April 11

・ Dead fish float up in 36 lakes in the state of Connecticut-April 

・ Deadly Tornadoes hit N. Carolina and Virginia, at least 47 dead-April 16

・ Thousands of dead fish are hauled away in Lakeside,NY-April 27

OFUNATO, Japan (March 15, 2011) The city of Ofunato, Japan, is severely damaged by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Matthew M. Bradley/Released

・ A massive thunderstorm front spawned 137 tornadoes, killed at least 180 people, and mangled sections of

Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Huntsville, Alabama-April

・ Dead fish wash up in San Tan Heights pond-May

・ Deadly Tornado hits Albany, New Zealand, at least 1 death-May 3

・ Major Mississippi flooding, destroys many homes-May

・ Dead fish found in Valsad district of south Gujarat-May 3,4

・ 6.5 Magnitude Earthquake hits Papua New Guinea, Tsunami warning-May 15

・ Iceland's Grimsvotn Volcano erupts,followed by small earthquakes-May 21

・ Deadly Tornadoes hit Minneapolis and Missouri-May 22

・ Deadly Tornadoes hits Oklahoma City-May 24

・ Chedeng exits Philippines, leaves 3 dead-May 28

・ 800 tons of dead fish float ashore in Philippine fish farms-May 29

・ At least 10,000 metric tons of fish dead in Bolinao and Anda waters in Pangasinan-May 31

・ Deadly tornado hits Springfield, Massachusetts-June 1

・ Dead fish found in Ogeechee River-June 3

・ Dead fish wash up in Bulacan and Ilocos Sur-June 4

・ Volcano erupts in Chile for the first time in 50 years-June 6

・ Massive wildfires in Arizona,claimed more than 30 homes-June 8

・ 6.0, 5.5 and 4.4 Magnitude Earthquakes hit Christchurch,NZ-June 11,12

・ Hundreds of dead fish float up in Delco Lake,Creek-June 15

・ Buildings,trees and mountains miraculously appear in a China lake (no explanation)-June 17

・ 40 Tornadoes rip through Nebraska,Kansas-June 21

・ 7.2 Magnitude Earthquake hits Fox Islands,Aleutian Islands,Alaska-June 24

・ Massive dust storm hits Pheonix-July 5 

・ 7.8 Magnitude Earthquake hits New Zealand-July 7

・ 7.3 Magnitude Earthquake hits northeastern Japan-July 9

・ 6.2 Magnitude Earthquake hits Philippines-July 11

・ Hundreds of fish found dead in lake in Kuantan-August 9

・ A ton of dead fish found in River Segura-August 9

・ Large number of fish found dead in Central China River-August 12

・ 5.3 earthquake hits Colorado-August 22

・ 5.9 earthquake hits Virgina, jolts NY and Carolinas-August 23

・ Hurricane Irene hits SC,NC,VA-August 26,27

・ Deadly Typhoon hits Taiwan and China-August 29

・ 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake hits Alaska-September 2

・ 6.7 Magnitude Earthquake hits Argentina-September 2

・ 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake hits Vanuatu-September 3

・ 6.6 Magnitude Earthquake hits Northern Sumatra, Indonesia-September 5

・ 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake hits Vancouver-September 9

・ Floods in Pennsylvania-September 10

・ Texas Fire destroys 1,554 homes, 17 people missing-September 11

・ Magnitude 6.8 Earthquake hits Northeastern India-September 18

・ Tornado hits Siloam Springs, AR-September 18

・ Deadly Typhoon hits Philippines-September 27

・ Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake hits Aisen, Chile-October 7

・ Magnitude 4.0 Earthquake hits Death Valley-October 7

・ Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake hits Papua New Guinea-October 14

・ Magnitude 5.9 Earthquake hits Amurskaya Oblast, Russia-October 14

・ Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake hits Simeulue, Indonesia-October 16

・ Heavy rains kill at least 84 in Central America-October 18

・ Magnitude 5.3 Earthquake hits north of Tristan da Cuhna-October 19

・ Magnitude 5.3 Earthquake hits Palau Region-October 23

・ Magnitude 5.1, 5.6, 6.0, 4.9, 7.2 Earthquake's hit Eastern Turkey (what a hit they took!)-October 23

・ Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake hits Fiji Region-October 27

・ Massive Flood hits Bangkok-October 27

・ Magnitude 6.9 Earthquake hits Peru-October 28

・ Tornadoes spawned from severe storms touch down in Oklahoma (after a 3.8 magnitude earthquake the same week)-November 8

・ Africa's most active Volcano Erupts-November 9

・ Deadly Tycoon hits the Philippines-650+ killed-December 18

・ Magnitude 6.6 Earthquake in Siberia, Russia-December 27

WASHINGTON — Nature is pummeling the United States this year with extremes.

Unprecedented triple-digit heat and devastating drought. Deadly tornadoes leveling towns. Massive rivers overflowing. A billion-dollar blizzard. And now, unusual hurricane-caused flooding in Vermont.

If what's falling from the sky isn't enough, the ground shook in places that normally seem stable: Colorado and the entire East Coast. On Friday, a strong quake triggered brief tsunami warnings in Alaska. Arizona and New Mexico have broken records for wildfires.

Total weather losses top $35 billion, and that's not counting Hurricane Irene, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. There have been more than 700 U.S. disaster and weather deaths, most from the tornado outbreaks this spring.

Last year, the world seemed to go wild with natural disasters in the deadliest year in a generation. But 2010 was bad globally, and the United States mostly was spared.

This year, while there have been devastating events elsewhere, such as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Australia's flooding and a drought in Africa, it's our turn to get smacked. Repeatedly.

"I'm hoping for a break. I'm tired of working this hard. This is ridiculous," said Jeff Masters, a meteorologist who runs Weather Underground, a meteorology service that tracks strange and extreme weather. "I'm not used to seeing all these extremes all at once in one year."

The U.S. has had a record 10 weather catastrophes costing more than a billion dollars: five separate tornado outbreaks, two different major river floods in the Upper Midwest and the Mississippi River, drought in the Southwest and a blizzard that crippled the Midwest and Northeast, and Irene.

What's happening, say experts, is mostly random chance or bad luck. But there is something more to it, many of them say. Man-made global warming is increasing the odds of getting a bad roll of the dice.

Sometimes the luck seemed downright freakish.

The East Coast got a double-whammy in one week with a magnitude 5.8 earthquake followed by a drenching from Irene. If one place felt more besieged than others, it was tiny Mineral, Va., the epicenter of the quake, where Louisa County Fire Lt. Floyd Richard stared at the darkening sky before Irene and said, "What did WE do to Mother Nature to come through here like this."

There are still four months to go, including September, the busiest month of the hurricane season. The Gulf Coast expected a soaking this weekend from Tropical Storm Lee and forecasters were watching Hurricane Katia slogging west in the Atlantic.

The insurance company Munich Re calculated that in the first six months of the year there have been 98 natural disasters in the United States, about double the average of the 1990s.

Even before Irene, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was on pace to obliterate the record for declared disasters issued by state, reflecting both the geographic breadth and frequency of America's problem-plagued year.

"If you weren't in a drought, you were drowning is what it came down to," Masters said.

Add to that, oppressive and unrelenting heat. Tens of thousands of daily weather records have been broken or tied and nearly 1,000 all-time records set, with most of them heat or rain related:

_ Oklahoma set a record for hottest month ever in any state with July.

_ Washington D.C. set all-time heat records at the National Arboretum on July 23 with 105 and then broke it a week later with 106.

_ Houston had a record string of 24 days in August with the thermometer over 100 degrees.

_ Newark, N.J., set a record with 108 degrees, topping the old mark by 3 degrees.

Tornadoes this year hit medium-sized cities such as Joplin, Mo., and Tuscaloosa, Ala. The outbreaks affected 21 states, including unusual deadly twisters in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Massachusetts.

"I think this year has really been extraordinary in terms of natural catastrophes," said Andreas Schrast, head of catastrophic perils for Swiss Re, another big insurer.

One of the most noticeable and troubling weather extremes was the record-high nighttime temperatures, said Tom Karl, director of NOAA's National Climatic Data Center. That shows that the country wasn't cooling off at all at night, which both the human body and crops need.

"These events are abnormal," Karl said. "But it's part of an ongoing trend we've seen since 1980."

Individual weather disasters so far can't be directly attributed to global warming, but it is a factor in the magnitude and the string of many of the extremes, Karl and other climate scientists say.

While the hurricanes and tornado outbreaks don't seem to have any clear climate change connection, the heat wave and drought do, said NASA climate scientist Gavin Schmidt.

This year, there's been a Pacific Ocean climate phenomenon that changes weather patterns worldwide known as La Nina, the flip side to El Nino. La Ninas normally trigger certain extremes such as flooding in Australia and drought in Texas. But global warming has taken those events and amplified them from bad to record levels, said climate scientist Jerry Meehl at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Judith Curry of Georgia Tech disagreed, saying that while humans are changing the climate, these extremes have happened before, pointing to the 1950s.

"Sometimes it seems as if we have weather amnesia," she said.

Another factor is that people are building bigger homes and living in more vulnerable places such as coastal regions, said Swiss Re's Schrast. Worldwide insured losses from disasters in the first three months this year are more than any entire year on record except for 2005, when Hurricane Katrina struck, Schrast said.

Unlike last year, when many of the disasters were in poor countries such as Haiti and Pakistan, this year's catastrophes have struck richer areas, including Australia, Japan and the United States.

The problem is so big that insurers, emergency managers, public officials and academics from around the world are gathering Wednesday in Washington for a special three-day National Academy of Sciences summit to figure out how to better understand and manage extreme events.

The idea is that these events keep happening, and with global warming they should occur more often, so society has to learn to adapt, said former astronaut Kathryn Sullivan, NOAA's deputy chief.

Sullivan, a scientist, said launching into space gave her a unique perspective on Earth's "extraordinary scale and power and both extraordinary elegance and finesse."

"We are part of it. We do affect it," Sullivan said. "But it surely affects us on a daily basis – sometimes with very powerful punches."

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Researcher Julie Reed Bell contributed to this report.

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Online:

U.S. weather records: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/records

NOAA's tornado list: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/torn/fataltorn.html

NOAA's weekly hazards map: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/threats

Munich Re's January-June U.S. disasters report: http://bit.ly/q6xfXJ