As much as people have developed technology, there is usually no defense against nature and devastating disasters. Increasingly frequent hurricanes, earthquakes and mass landslides, according to many experts, are the result of climate change. In recent weeks, hurricanes have been ravaging ocean states and America, but the world has been hit by much worse disasters in the past, and these are the worst of the worst. The deadliest flood The catastrophe in which most people have died so far were the floods of 1931. Between one million and four million people died. From 1928 to 1930, China was hit by severe droughts, and the winter of 1930 was one of the most severe. Large amounts of snow fell, and rains and floods followed in the spring of the following year. The region was hit by nine cyclones in July. The Yangtze River flooded millions of people. The worst periods were in July and August.
The Yangtze and the Huai River reached Nanjing, which was then the capital of China. caused catastrophic damage. Millions of people drowned, and some died of starvation, cholera and typhus. Desperate people ate everything to survive, and there were reportedly cases of cannibalism. In the city of Hankou, the water level was 16 meters higher than normal. After the water receded, authorities toured the area and promised to repair the damage. But they did not have enough money, and there was a civil war, so they managed to build only a few smaller dams on the Yangtze River. The worst tropical cyclone occurred in 1970 in Pakistan when Cyclone Bhola hit the country in December. Between 300,000 and 500,000 people died. The cyclone formed over the Bay of Bengal on November 8 and began to “travel” north. On November 11, a wind of 185 km / h was blowing. The opposition and the media criticized the authorities for warning people too late of the impending disaster. The cyclone hit India as well and brought heavy rain.
Most of the victims suffered from the huge waves that caused the floods. The poor reaction of the authorities led to student protests. These protests later escalated into a civil war that led to the secession from Pakistan and the proclamation of the independent state of Bangladesh in 1971. The largest volcanic eruption in the 20th century On May 8, 1902, a catastrophic volcanic eruption occurred on the French island of Martinique in the Caribbean, killing about 30,000 people. In terms of casualties, it was the deadliest volcanic eruption in the entire 20th century. It practically completely destroyed the city of Saint-Pierre, at that time the largest settlement on the island.
Earthquakes occurred in early May, and volcanic eruptions could be heard. Fine volcanic ash was falling over the city of Saint-Pierre. Many residents had already evacuated at the time, but a significant number decided to stay, believing that it could not be a strong eruption. The largest earthquake ever recorded The strongest earthquake in history hit the Chilean city of Valparaiso on May 22, 1960. The magnitude of the earthquake was 9.5 on the Richter scale. An earthquake of such magnitude caused tsunamis in Chile, Japan, the Philippines and New Zealand. Due to the strength of the earthquake, the number of victims did not exceed 2000.
The second largest tremor hit Alaska on March 28, 1964. The magnitude of the quake was 9.2 and it also caused a tsunami that killed 28 people. The damage was estimated at $ 330 million, and the tremors were felt in some places in Canada. The deadliest earthquake The deadliest earthquake recorded in modern human history hit China, the city of Shaanxi in 1556. It reportedly stood at 8 on the Richter scale, killing 830,000 people. The area within a radius of 840 kilometers was completely leveled.
The deadliest tornado The deadliest and most expensive tornado hit Bangladesh on April 26, 1989. The exact number of dead is not known, but it is estimated that about 1,300 people lost their lives that day, making it the deadliest tornado in known history, not just of Bangladesh but of the entire Earth. That tornado was 1.6 kilometers wide and crossed a 13-kilometer road.