NATURAL DISASTERS IN HISTORY

NATURAL DISASTERS IN HISTORY

Violent natural disasters have devastated humanity over the centuries. You are going to read about some of the worst natural disasters in history.

1) Black Plague (1347 – 1350): This disaster is also known as “The Black Death”. It came from a disease from bacteria in rats and wiped out a third of the population of Europe.

2) The Yellow River Flood (June 9, 1938): It was a flood created by the Nationalist Government in China. They opened up the dikes on the Yellow River to stop the Japanese forces. Nearly one million Chinese peasants drowned, starved or died of diseases. Thousands of villages were destroyed. Over 12 million people were made homeless.

3) Bangladesh Cyclone (April 29, 1991): This is among the deadliest cyclones on record. More than 180,000 people died. Most deaths were caused by drowning. The cost of damage was around 1.5 million dollars.

4) Indian Ocean Tsunami and Earthquake (December
26, 2004): This disaster hit over fourteen countries
with no warning. It was around magnitude 9.2 and caused 30-metre-waves. It killed more than 230,000 people. The cost of damage was around $14 billion.

5) Haiti Earthquake (January 12, 2010): This magnitude 7 earthquake struck very close to Haiti’s capital city. Because of low quality housing, over 160,000 people died when the houses collapsed. Many countries sent rescue and medical teams to help the victims.