List of Natural Disasters in the History

Natural disasters have occurred throughout history, causing widespread destruction and loss of life. Here is a list of some major natural disasters from various time periods and regions:

Jul 1979-May 1981 Drought. China (Hebei). Worst for sixty years. Much of area normally one of the most fertile in China, became a virtual desert. 14 000 000 peas- ants left dependent on government grain rations. It was estimated 2 000 000 children were suffering from malnutrition.
Aug-Sept 1980 Hurricane David. Dominican Republic. 20 killed. 60 000 homeless. Banana and grapefruit crops destroyed.
May 1980 Volcanic eruption. USA (Washington State). 2 000 people evacuated. Large quantities of volcanic ash blanketed communities to a depth of several feet in parts of Washington, Idaho and Montana.
Oct 1980 Earthquakes. El Asnam, Algeria. 7.5 and 6.5 on Richter scale. 3 600 dead. 8 252 injured. 300 000 homeless. The town had been destroyed in 1954 by another earthquake which killed 1 000. It was rebuilt by the French with supposedly ‘quake-proof’ structures. These were the worst affected by the 1980 earthquake.
Nov 1980 Earthquake. Southern Italy. 6.8 on Richter scale. Aftershocks continued for 10 days. 200 towns and villages affected: Naples, Salerno, Avellino worst affected. 4 500 dead. 8 000 injured. 350 000 homeless.
Jul 1981 Floods. China (Sechuan). 1 385 dead. 14 109 injured. Affected 10 million people in 135 of the province’s 212 counties, threatened the Gezhouba dam and destroyed more than l 000 000 acres of crops.
Late 1982-1983 Floods. Eastern Bolivia. 40 500 hectares (100 000 acres) of prime agricultural land destroyed. In the high valleys of Bolivia and in southern Peru drought conditions devastated the potato crop affecting about 2 million people.
Dec 1982 Earthquake. Northern Yemen (Dhamar). 6.0 on Richter scale. 1 588 killed. 1604 injured. 200 000 homeless.
Feb 1983-Jul 1984 Drought. Northeastern Brazil. Fifth year of drought. 850 000 sq
kms affected. 70% of population suffering from malnutrition. May 1985 Cyclone and tsunami. Southeastern Bangladesh. 11 000 killed. 250 000 homeless.
Sept 1985 Earthquake. Mexico City, Mexico. 8.1 on Richter scale. More than 7 000 dead. 30 000 injured. 10 000 seriously. 100 000 homeless.
Nov 1985 Volcanic eruption. Colombia. The Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted leaving 22 000 dead, 4 000 injured and 20 000 homeless. The village of Armero was totally engulfed by a torrent of mud when La Lagunilla river burst its banks. 11 000 hectares of agricultural land ruined.

Aug 1986 Toxic gases following volcanic eruption. Cameroon. Toxic gases (a mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide) were released from volcanic Lake Nyos, near the Nigerian border, killing 1 746 and injuring 3 000, though exact numbers of casualties will probably never be known. In Nyos village only 2 out of a population of 700 survived.
10 Oct 1986 Earthquake. San Salvador, El Salvador. 7.5 on Richter scale. 1 500 killed. 300 000 homeless. On the outskirts of the city a landslide buried 100 people.
Mar 1987 Earthquake. Ecuador. 7.3 on Richter scale. Followed by 1 300 aftershocks. 2-4 000 killed. 50 000 homeless. Mudslides entombed whole villages.
Aug-Sept 1987 Floods. Bangladesh. 70 killed (a very low estimate). 24 000 000 homeless and without food (from a total population of 100 000 000. 2 000 000 homes, 2 600 kms of road and 4 300 000 acres of land devastated.
Sept 1987 Heavy rains and mudslides. Medellin, Columbia. Shanty town of Villa Tina buried by mud. 355 people dead. 200 seriously injured. 2 100 homeless.
Feb 1988 Mudslides. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In a shanty town in Rio after weeks of torrential rain. 300 killed. 735 seriously injured. 11 000 homeless.
Mid 1988 Drought. USA. Farming lands were turned into disaster areas and world food production fell.
Aug-Sept 1988 Floods. Bangladesh. Widespread flooding on a similar scale to the floods of 1987.
Sept 1988 Hurricane Gilbert. Jamaica. Over 200 mph winds. Left a trail of destruc- tion across Jamaica, Grand Cayman, the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Texas. At least 240 killed, most of those in Yucatan.
Nov 1988 Earthquake. China. 7.6 on Richter scale. 900 people killed.
Dec 1988 Earthquake. Armenia. 6.7 on Richter scale. 55 000 dead. 250 000 left homeless. 80% were still living in makeshift huts and tents in April 1991.
Apr 1989 Tornado. Bangladesh. 1 000 people killed and many villages destroyed.
Sept 1989 Hurricane Hugo. USA. Widespread devastation in the northeastern Carib- bean and southeastern USA. Winds reached up to 140 mph. Guadeloupe and Leeward Islands: 6 killed, 10 000 homeless and many crops destroyed. Montserrat: 10 killed, hospital and houses destroyed and airport runway blocked. Puerto Rico: 25 killed, 100 000 homeless. Dominica: much of banana crop destroyed. South Carolina: 5 killed, houses damaged, services disrupted.
Oct 1989 Earthquake. San Francisco, USA. 6.9 on Richter scale. About 100 people killed, mostly when the elevated section of Interstate 880 highway collapsed crushing people in their cars.
Feb 1990 Mudslide. Peru. The village of San Miguel de Rio Mayo, 800 km north of Lima, was buried. 200 people killed or missing.
May 1990 Earthquake. Peru. 5.8 on Richter scale. About 200 people killed, villages flattened by landslides.
Jan 1991 Epidemic. Latin America. Cholera broke out in Peru and spread to Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador. WHO estimates 42 000 people could die unless steps are taken to combat malnutrition and lack of basic sanitary and medical facilities. Famine. Still critical in Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique and Angola, all countries in which armed conflict exacerbated food distribution problems.
2 Feb 1991 Earthquake. Afghanistan. 6.5-6.8 on Richter scale. 1 000 killed, many more injured. Resulting floods killed 200 and left 3.000 people homeless.
Mar 1991 Floods and mudslides. Malawi. 516 people dead or missing. 40-50 000 homeless.
Apr 1991 Earthquake. Peru. Three earthquakes, the worst of which was 6.9 on the Richter scale. 35 killed. 750 injured.
Apr 1991 Earthquake. Costa Rica, Panama. 7.5 on Richter scale. About 80 people killed, 800 injured, thousands of homes destroyed.
Apr 1991 Cyclone. Bangladesh. Winds up to 145 mph. 139 000 killed and thousands more threatened by epidemic. Up to 10 000 000 people homeless, 4 000 000 at risk from starvation. Toll would have been worse but for 300 cyclone shelters built under Cyclone Preparedness Programme set up by Red Crescent.
Apr 1991 Earthquake. Georgia, Russia. 7.2 on Richter scale. 100 people killed, several villages totally destroyed.

Jun 1991 Volcano. Philippines. After lying dormant for 600 years Mount Pinatubo suffered several eruptions, some shooting volcanic ash and rock 19 miles into the air. At least 343 people were killed and 100-200 000 made homeless. 600 000 Filipinos lost their means of livelihood.
Dec 1991 Earthquake. Romania. 5.7 on Richter scale. 1 700 people made homeless.
Dec 1991 Floods. Texas, USA. 13.3 inches of rain fell in six days. At least 14 people were killed.
Late Dec 1991 Cyclone. Hanoi, Vietnam. 220 people killed.
Feb 1992 Avalanche. South Eastern Turkey. Avalanches smothered remote villages killing at least 167 people, most of them soldiers.
Aug 1992 Hurricane Andrew. USA (Bahamas, Florida and Louisiana). Winds up to 264 km/hr. Hurricane Andrew caused extensive damage to property, estimated at $20 000 million in Florida. 38 people killed. Up to 200 000 people homeless.
Sept 1992 Flooding. Pakistan. Floods engulfed thousands of villages and vast acres of cropland especially in Punjab, the worst affected province. More than 2 000 people killed. At least 3 000 000 homeless.
Sept 1992 Tidal wave. Nicaragua. Coastal settlements devastated by tidal wave up to 15 metres high, triggered by earthquake beneath Pacific Ocean. Over 200 people dead. 4 200 homeless.
Oct 1992 Earthquake. Cairo, Egypt. 5.9 on Richter scale. 552 people killed. About 3000 injured. Hundreds made homeless.
Dec 1992 Mudslide. Bolivia. Town of Caranavi engulfed. Homes pushed into Tipuani River. Around 350 people killed. 135 injured.
Dec 1992 Earthquake. Indonesia (Nusa Tenggara). 6.8 on Richter scale. As many as 2000 people killed. Created a 24 metre-high tidal wave, devastating the coastal town of Maumere, killing over 1 000 and damaging a third of the buildings.
Feb 1993 Floods. Yemen, Iran. Widespread damage. At least 500 people killed. More
than 1 500 people displaced.
Mar 1993 Severe storms. USA. Heavy snow and floods caused widespread destruction from the Florida Keys through the Deep South to northern New England. 50 tornadoes hit Florida. At least 163 people killed.
Mar 1993 Earthquake. Erzincan, Turkey. 6.8 on Richter scale. More than 500 people killed. Over 1 000 injured.
Apr 1993 Floods and landslides. Colombia. At least 59 people killed in north-west area. Thousands homeless.
May 1993 Floods and mudslides. Tadjikistan. At least 200 people killed.
May 1993 Landslide. Ecuador. Over 200 people killed in a village in south Ecuador as 15 000 tonnes buried the community.
Jun 1993 Floods. Bangladesh. About 100 people killed. More than 1 million displaced. Worst affected area was Sylhet district.
Jun 1993 Mudslide. Kabul, Afghanistan. 115 people reported killed.
Jul 1993 Torrential rains and mudslides. India, Nepal, Bangladesh. Worst hit areas of India in Assam and West Bengal. More than 3 700 people killed, and millions made homeless.

Jul 1993 Flooding. USA. Midwest affected as Mississippi-Missouri river system burst its banks. 40 000 sq km flooded. At least 45 dead. 30 000 homes ruined.
Jul 1993 Earthquake. Japan. 7.8 on Richter scale. Ensuing tidal waves struck parts of Hokkaido, Honshu and devastated coastal regions of Okushiri. Triggered landslides and fires. Over 150 people killed.
Aug 1993 Tropical storm. Venezuela. Torrential rain and high winds caused mudslides in shanty towns above Caracas. At least 150 killed. More than 400 injured.
Sept 1993 Earthquake. India. 6.5 on Richter scale. Devastation in states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Over 9 000 people killed. Umarga and Khilari worst hit towns. More than 30 villages flattened.
Jan 1994 Earthquake. Los Angeles, USA. 57 people killed, thousands injured and about 25 000 homeless. Damage estimated at costing up to $20 000 million.
Feb 1994 Earthquake. Indonesia. Struck southern Sumatran province of Lampung, killing 200 people and injuring 2 700.
May 1994 Cyclone. Bangladesh. 165 people officially reported killed as cyclone hit southeastern coast.
Jun 1994 Earthquake. Colombia. 250 people killed as earthquake triggered mudslide in southwestern region. 11 000 homeless.
Aug 1994 Earthquake. Western Algeria. 5.6 on Richter scale. 149 people killed.
Jan 1995 Flooding. North Western Europe. More than 300 000 people fled their homes in Belgium, France, Germany and The Netherlands. 40 people killed. Immediate natural cause of flood was heavy rain and snow-melt.
Jan 1995 Earthquake. Kobe, Japan. 7.2 on Richter scale. About 5 000 people killed. 250 000 homeless. Widespread damage estimated at $50 000 million.
Jan 1995 Avalanches and snowstorms. Kashmir, India. More than 200 deaths.
Feb 1995 Earthquake. Colombia. 6.4 on Richter scale. 37 people killed and 200 injured in south-west region.
Mar 1995 Landslide. Afghanistan. 354 people killed in village of Qara Luk, in the northern province of Badakhshan.
May 1995 Earthquake. Sakhalin Island, Russia. 7.5 on Richter scale. Estimated 2 000 people killed. Many thousands homeless.
Jun 1995 Earthquake. Greece. 6.1 on Richter scale. 25 people killed and 60 injured in western Greece.
Jun-Jul 1995 Flooding. China (Hunan). 1 200 people killed, 1 200 000 displaced.
Jul 1995 Flooding. Pakistan. Floods caused by heavy rains in provinces of Baluchistan, Punjab and Sind killed more than 120 people.
mid-Jul 1995 Flooding. Bangladesh. More than 200 people died amid spread of disease following devastating floods which engulfed 38 districts.
Jul 1995 Typhoon. Southern Korea. Southern coast hit by Typhoon Faye. Winds of 154 mph caused a 140 000-ton oil tanker to run aground off city of Yeosoo, spreading an oil slick over a 50-km area which caused considerable damage to marine life.
Jul-Aug 1995 Flooding. North Korea. More than 5 000 000 people affected in Pyongyang. Damage estimated at $15 billion.
Sept 1995 Hurricane Ismael. Mexico. Pacific states of Sinaloa and Sonoro hit by Hurricane Ismael. 107 people killed and 52 000 homeless. 20 000 hectares of agricultural land devastated.
Oct 1995 Earthquake. Turkey. 6.0 on Richter scale. Hit South Western town of Dinar. 84 people killed and at least 200 injured.
Oct 1995 Tropical storm. Philippines. Widespread destruction throughout country caused by Tropical Storm Sybil. More than 100 people killed. At end of Oct at least 100 more people killed by Tropical Storm Zack.
Oct 1995 Hurricane Opal. USA. 17 people killed by Hurricane Opal in Florida and neighbouring states.
Oct 1995 Earthquake. Sumatra, Indonesia. 7.0 on Richter scale. Triggered landslides and killed at least 70 people. About 10 000 buildings destroyed.
Oct 1995 Flooding. Vietnam. Severe floods followed torrential rains in central province of Quang Ngai. 85 people killed. 176 000 houses covered by flood waters.
Oct 1995 Earthquake. Mexico. 7.6 on Richter scale. 66 people killed, hundreds injured and thousands homeless in western coastal states of Jalisco and Colima.
Oct 1995 Earthquake. China. 6.5 on Richter scale. At least 29 people killed and 20 000 homeless in Southwestern Yunan. More than 12 000 buildings collapsed.
Dec 1995 Volcanic eruption. Nicaragua. Relief efforts focused on clearing town of Leon (94 999 inhabitants) from ash fall to prevent spread of respiratory diseases, notably among children.
Dec 1995-Jan 1996 Flooding. South Africa. At least 147 people killed in Kwazulu-Natal when Umsunduzi River and its main tributary burst their banks following heavy seasonal rains. 4 000-5 000 homeless.
Jan 1996 Flooding. Indonesia. Affected 50 600 households. 24 600 people evacuated. 480 seriously injured and 18 killed.
Jan 1996 Forest fire. Argentina. Thousands of hectares of ancient forests destroyed in national parks in southern Chebut and Rio Negro provinces.
Jan 1996 Snowstorm. USA. Major disruption caused to transport services in northeastern region. At least 59 people killed.
Feb 1996 Flooding. USA. Melting snow and heavy rain produced severe flooding in the North Western region. Mudslides blocked roads and 16 000 people forced to flee their homes. At least 3 people killed in Oregon.
Feb 1996 Earthquake. China (Yunnan). 7.0 on Richter scale. 322 people killed and about 4 000 seriously injured. 319 600 homeless. 358 000 housing units collapsed. Total economic loss estimated at $47.1 million.
Feb 1996 Earthquake. Eastern Indonesia. 7.5 on Richter scale. 108 people killed, over 400 injured and 1 018 houses destroyed. Generated tsunami that hit Irian Jaya.
Mar 1996 Cyclone. Madagascar. 100 000-150 000 people affected by Cyclone Bonita. 9 killed.
Mar 1996 Avalanche. India (Kashmir). 36 people killed and 27 injured in remote village in Pakistan-ruled part of disputed Kashmir.
Mar 1996 Earthquake. Ecuador. 5.7 on Richter scale. 21 people killed, 66 injured and 3 000 homeless in central Ecuador.
Apr 1996 Forest fire. Mongolia. 30 000 sq km of forests and 50 000 sq km of pasture destroyed. 8 people killed, 20 injured.
May 1996 Earthquake. China. 6.4 on Richter scale. At least 18 people killed and 297 injured. 50 000 buildings damaged or destroyed around city of Baotou, 540km north-west of Beijing.
May 1996 Tornado. Northern Bangladesh. More than 600 people killed.
Jan 1997 Snowstorms. China. 34 deaths and 100 000 cut off in their homes.
Jan 1997 Storms. Brazil. 65 people killed and nearly 20 000 homeless in states of Minais Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.
Feb 1997 Earthquake. Iran. 965 people killed and more than 2 600 injured in north- west province of Ardabil.
Feb 1997 Earthquake. Pakistan. 7.3 on Richter scale. At least 100 people killed in Harnai, Balushistan province.
May 1997 Earthquake. Iran. 7.1 on Richter scale. More than 1 600 people killed, 2 200 injured and 50 000 homeless in northeastern province of Khorasan.
May 1997 Cyclone. Bangladesh. 112 people killed in coastal areas.
May 1997 Earthquake. India. 6.0 on Richter scale. At least 38 people killed and over 1000 injured in Madhya Pradesh state in central India.
May 1997 Tornadoes. Texas, USA. Series of tornadoes killed 27 people, most of them in the town of Jarrell, 40km north of Austin.
Jun 1997 Volcanic eruption. Montserrat. Eruption of Soufriere Hills volcano devastated two-thirds of the island. At least 23 people killed. 5 000 evacuated from island. Disaster compounded by huge eruption of Chance’s Peak volcano.
Jul 1997 Flooding. Eastern Germany, Poland, Czech Republic. Thousands affected by worst floods in central Europe in 20th century. Heavy rain destroyed vast areas in eastern Germany. Many people homeless after dyke holding back torrential Oder river burst. At least 48 people killed.
Jul 1997 Earthquake. Cariaco, Venezuela. 6.9 on Richter scale. At least 59 people killed and 320 injured.
Aug 1997 Flooding. India. Heavy rains in northern state of Pradesh led to rivers flooding. At least 135 people killed.
Sept 1997 Drought. Papua New Guinea. Nationwide drought affected over 700 000 people.
Sept 1997 Earthquakes. Central Italy. Two earthquakes, the most powerful measuring 5.7 on Richter scale. 11 people killed and more than 120 injured.
Sept 1997 Cyclone. Bangladesh. At least 47 killed and hundreds injured on islands off south-east coast.
Sept 1997 Earthquake. Sulawesi, Indonesia. 6.0 on Richter scale. At least 14 killed and 30 injured.
Oct 1997 Hurricane Pauline. Mexico. Acapulco devastated and widespread damage caused to state of Guerro. More than 111 people killed and 8 000 homeless.
Oct 1997 Earthquake. Chile. 6.8 on Richter scale. 8 killed, 98 injured, 15 000 left homeless.
Nov 1997 Earthquake. Bangladesh. 6.0 on Richter scale. Killed 11 people in port city of Chittagong. Thousands homeless.
Jan 1998 Flooding. Peru. 70 people killed and 22 000 homeless.
Jan 1998 Storms. Canada. Up to 100mm of freezing rain fell across eastern Ontario and Quebec. Ice load brought down about 1 000 power transmission towers and 30000 wooden utility poles. Around 3 million people lost electricity and at least 25 people were killed. Over 700 000 insurance claims filed for property damage.
Apr 1998 Storms. USA (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi). 60 people killed.
May 1998 Forest fires. Central America. Vast tracts of land destroyed.
22 May 1998 Earthquakes. Central Bolivia. Series of earthquakes measuring up to 6.8 on Richter scale. At least 100 people killed.
30 May 1998 Earthquake. Northern Afghanistan. 3 000 killed.
27 Jun 1998 Earthquake. Adana, Turkey. More than 120 people killed.
30 Jun-2 Jul 1998 Storms and flooding. USA (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Vermont). More than 20 people killed.
17 Jul 1998 Tidal wave. Papua New Guinea. 10 metres high. Generated by off-shore earthquake. Swept 2 km inland in Aitape district of north coast. At least 2 000 killed.
Jul-Aug 1998 Flooding. China. 21 million hectares of land damaged by severe floods following heavy monsoon rainfall. 13 million hectares suffered total crop loss. Extensive damage to road and rail networks. Almost 250 million people affected. 13.4 million relocated. Official death toll: 3 004. More than 5.5 million houses destroyed. A further 12 million homes damaged.
22 Sept 1998 Hurricane Georges. Dominican Republic, Haiti. 300 killed, mostly in floods and landslides.
Nov 1998 Hurricane Mitch. Central America. Wind speeds of up to 190 mph (300 km per hour). Widespread devastation of roads, homes and crops. In Honduras, 6 500 people killed, 11 000 reported missing and up to 2 million suffered loss of property. In Nicaragua, 1 000 people killed and 1 900 missing. Also deaths and extensive damage in El Salvador and Guatemala.
2-6 Jan 1999 Snow storm. USA. About 90 people killed as a result of severe storm on the eastern seaboard and in mid-western states.
14 Jan 1999 Landslide. Tacabamba, Peru. 40 killed. Several dozen village homes buried after volcanic activity caused landslide.
Jan 1999 Earthquake. Colombia. 6.0 on Richter scale. More than 900 people killed and 250 000 homeless.
11 Feb 1999 Earthquake. Afghanistan (Wardak). 5.5 on Richter scale. 50 killed and more than 500 injured. Over 5 000 buildings destroyed.
23-24 Feb 1999 Avalanches. Austria (Tyrol). Killed 38 people. Tens of thousands of people evacuated from the Alpine region.
29 Mar 1999 Earthquake. India (Uttar Pradesh). 6.8 on Richter scale. At least 110 people killed and hundreds injured in foothills of Himalayas.
3 May 1999 Tornadoes. USA (Oklahoma, Kansas). At least 47 killed and hundreds injured after dozens of tornadoes struck, some of which were 5km wide. Caused extensive property damage.
7 May 1999 Earthquake. Shiraz, Iran. 6.5 on Richter scale. At least 26 people killed and 100 injured. 20 villages damaged.
20 May 1999 Cyclone. Pakistan (Sind). Winds of up to 275 km per hour caused widespread crop damage and submerged thousands of villages. At least 400 deaths.
15 Jun 1999 Earthquake. Southern Mexico. At least 19 people killed.
Jul 1999 Flooding. Central and Southern China. Widespread flooding along banks of Yangtze river following weeks of torrential rain. 725 people killed. 5.5 million evacuated. Caused US$8 billion worth of damage.
13 Jul 1999 Landslide. Western Romania. Caused by heavy rains and floods. 13 killed and 23 injured.
Jul-Aug 1999 Heatwave. USA (Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, New York, Ohio, West Virginia). At least 20 people killed. Agricultural disaster areas declared in 15 states. Losses in West Virginia exceeded $80m.
Aug 1999 Typhoon. North & South Korea, Philippines. Typhoon Olga killed more than 165 people and made at least 100 000 homeless. Severe flooding left thousands of hectares of farm land submerged and infrastructure damaged.
Aug 1999 Earthquake. Northwestern Turkey. 7.4 on Richter scale. 14 095 people killed, 27 000 injured, 200 000 homeless and more than 72 000 buildings damaged.
Sept 1999 Flooding. Central America. 70 people killed and 100 000 homeless in Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
Sept 1999 Hurricane Floyd. USA (Florida, Georgia, Carolina). A storm system the size of Texas brought heavy rains, severe flooding and high winds. Massive mandatory evacuation took place in preparation. 60 people killed.
Sept 1999 Earthquake. Greece. 5.9 on Richter scale. More than 120 people killed and 60 000 homeless.
Sept 1999 Typhoon. Hong Kong. Winds of up to 150km per hour. One person killed and 494 injured. Caused a cargo ship to sink.
Sept 1999 Earthquake. Taiwan. 7.6 on Richter scale. 2 256 people killed, 8 713 injured, 100 000 homeless and 404 000 homes left without water supplies. Temporary power cut throughout island. Most affected were Taichung, Taiwan’s 3rd largest city, and mountain towns of Puli and Tungshi.
Sept 1999 Typhoon. Honshu, Japan. At least 26 people killed and 350 injured. 1 million homes left without power.
Sept 1999 Earthquake. Oaxaca, Mexico. 7.5 on Richter scale. At least 33 people killed.
Oct 1999 Flooding. Mexico. At least 341 people killed and 271 000 homeless.
Oct 1999 Cyclones. Orissa, India. Wind speeds of between 200 and 300 km per hour caused widespread destruction. More than 10 000 people killed, 1.5 million homeless and 323 000 hectares of land inundated by tidal wave that followed.
Oct-Nov 1999 Floods. Vietnam. At least 470 people died in floods following torrential rainstorms.
Nov 1999 Earthquake. Northwestern Turkey. Towns of Düzce, Kaynasli and Bolu devastated. Over 737 people died, 5 000 injured and tens of thousands left homeless.
Nov 1999 Flooding. Southern France. Torrential storms caused floods. Killed 31 people. Within 48 hours about 600 litres of water fell per square metre – the average rainfall for a whole year in southern France.
15-18 Dec 1999 Floods and mudslides. Venezuela. Up to 50 000 people killed after flash floods and mudslides struck 150km of coastline. Telecommunications and power supplies collapsed.
26-27 Dec 1999 Storms. France. Hurricane-force winds of over 150km per hour killed 88 people and severely damaged country’s infrastructure.
15 Feb 2000 Tornadoes. USA (Southwestern Georgia). Series of tornadoes killed 22 people and injured 100 in town of Camilla.
27 Feb 2000 Cyclone Steve. Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory). Tropical cyclone Steve caused widespread damage. Two-thirds of the area’s annual rainfall fell in just 36 hours.
Feb 2000 Flooding. Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa. Situation worsened by cyclone Eline hitting Mozambique on 21 February. Limpopo river rose 7 metres. Save and Sabi rivers also swollen. Thousands of people stranded in trees and on rooftops. Infrastructure severely affected; thousands of hectares of farmland washed away; 28 000 ha of crops destroyed; 800 000-1 million people homeless; 30 000 cattle drowned; official total of 640 deaths. In South Africa, 95 killed. Dams overflowed and 60 000 homeless in Botswana. 62 killed in Zimbabwe and 250 000 affected by floods.
Feb-Apr 2000 Cyclones. Madagascar. Cyclone Eline in February killed 7 people and left thousands homeless. On 27 February, Cyclone Gloria killed 130, left 10 000 homeless and 12 000 stranded. Cyclone Hudah hit in early April. Widespread cropland devastation.
Apr 2000 Drought and forest fires. Ethiopia, Kenya. Widespread crop devastation following 3 years of drought. Hundreds died daily through starvation.
5-10 Apr 2000 Flooding. Hungary, Romania. Flooding along several rivers. In Hungary 230 000 ha of arable land made unusable. In Romania 60 000 ha of agricultural land destroyed and 489 towns and villages cut off. At least 7 people killed.
May 2000 Flooding. Indonesia. Severe floods on border of East and West Timor, caused by monsoon rain and tidal surge. At least 148 people killed. About 20 000 homeless. Thousands of tons of harvested crops destroyed.
Jan 2001 Earthquake. El Salvador. Over 800 people killed, thousands homeless
Jan 2001 Earthquake. India. More than 20 000 people killed and hundreds of thousands homeless in a severe earthquake in the western state of Gujarat.
Jan 2001 Earthquake. El Salvador. 7.6 on the Richter scale. At least 844 deaths
Jan 2001 Earthquake. India. 7.9 on the Richter scale. Resulted in 13 805 deaths in western India, thousands more injured and devastating damage to property
Jan 2001 onwards Flooding. Mozambique. At least 115 fatalities with around 230 000 people displaced
Feb 2001 Landslides, flooding and storms. Indonesia. A minimum of 122 fatalities
Feb 2001 Earthquake. El Salvador. 6.6 on the Rochter scale. Resulted in at least 315 deaths and 3 400 people being injured
May 2001 Landslide. China (Chongqing). At least 74 people died when a landslide destroyed a multi-storey residential building.
Jun 2001 Earthquake. Peru. An estimated 145 fatalities, including 64 people reported as missing (an unknown number died following a resultant tsunami)
Jul 2001 Typhoons. The Philippines, China and Taiwan. An estimated 270 fatalities and widespread displacement
Jul-Aug 2001 Flooding. India (Orissa). At least 100 fatalities as a result of heavy monsoon season rains
Jul 2001 onwards Heatwave. USA. At least 54 fatalities by the end of July
Jul 2001 Typhoon. Taiwan. Mudslides and floods killed more than 70 people and forced nearly 300 000 to abandon their homes
Aug 2001 Flooding. Northeastern Iran. At least 240 fatalities
Aug-Oct 2001 Flooding. Vietnam (Mekong Delta). At least 322 fatalities, the majority of them children
Oct 2001 Storms, Tidal Wave. North Korea. At least 110 fatalities with thousands of homes, roads and factories destroyed
Oct 2001 Cyclone. Andhra Pradesh, India. An estimated 170 fatalities
Oct 2001-Spring 2002 Cold weather. Poland. At least 129 fatalities
Nov 2001 Flooding. Algeria. At least 764 people killed and more than 400 injured
Winter 2001-2002 Cold weather. Russia. At least 232 fatalities
Winter 2001-2002 Wildfires. Australia (New South Wales). Many homes destroyed.
Jan 2002 Earthquake. Vanuatu. 7.2 on Richter scale, many buildings were devastated
Jan 2002 Storms. Senegal. Much damage inland and many fishermen drowned off the coast
Jan 2002 Volcano. Democratic Republic of Congo. Mount Nyiragongo erupted, en- gulfing the town of Goma and killing more than 40 people
Feb 2002 Earthquake. Western Turkey. 6.0 on Richter scale, caused many deaths and much damage
Feb 2002 Storms and flooding. Bolivia. The capital was particularly badly hit
Mar 2002 Earthquake. Central Asia (Hindu Kush). 7.2 on the Richter scale. Resulted in many deaths
Mar 2002 Earthquake. Northern Afghanistan. 6.0 on Richter scale, it caused over 600 deaths
Apr 2002 Landslides. Papua New Guinea. Caused several deaths
Apr 2002 Earthquake. Northern Afghanistan. 5.8 on Richter scale, causing several deaths
Apr 2002 Storms. Bangladesh. More than 50 people killed
Apr 2002 Flooding and landslides. Rwanda, Kenya. More than 100 people killed and crops destroyed
May 2002 Storms. Bangladesh. More than 350 people killed when the Salahuddin-2, a passenger ferry, sank
May 2002 Tropical cyclone. Madagascar. More than 40 people killed and widespread property damage
May 2002 Red tide. China. Large areas of sea affected by unnaturally large algae population growth
May 2002 Flooding and landslides. Haiti, Jamaica. Over 30 people killed
May 2002 Storm. Lake Victoria, Africa. At least 30 dead when a boat capsized
Jun 2002 Heatwave. Nigeria. At least 60 people died
Jun 2002 Storm. Lake Victoria, Africa. At least 70 dead when a ferry capsized.
Jun 2002 Flooding. Southern Russia. Over 100 people drowned in floods
Jun 2002 Earthquake. Northern Iran. Over 200 people killed in an earthquake registering 6.8 on the Richter scale
Jun 2002 Flooding. India. At least 150 people drowned in floods in Gujarat
Jul 2002 Snowstorms. Peru. At least 60 people died, many of them children
Jul 2002 Explosion. Ukraine. A coal-mine blast killed 20 miners
Jul 2002 Typhoon and mudslides. India, Bangladesh, Nepal. Over 800 people killed
Jul 2002 Mudslides. Ecuador. At least 60 people killed
Aug 2002 Typhoons, mudslides and flooding. China (Hunan), South Korea, Iran. Hundreds of people died
Aug 2002 Flooding. Vietnam. Many people killed when the Mekong river flooded
Sept 2002 Flooding. Thailand. Many people killed
Sept 2002 Storm. Senegal. Almost 2000 people drowned when a ferry capsized
Oct 2002 Cold weather. Moscow, Russia. Many people died who could not cope with the sudden drop in temperature
Oct 2002 Earthquake. Italy. A school collapsed, killing at least 23 7 and 8 year olds
Dec 2002 Cold weather. Warsaw, Poland. Hundreds of people were unable to cope with the cold weather
Jan 2003 Flooding and drought. Malawi. Thousands are displaced by floodwaters during a time of severe drought and famine
Feb 2003 Storms. Democratic Republic of Congo. At least 2 500 people killed
Feb 2003 Earthquake. China (Xinjiang). Over 260 people are killed and 10 000 homes destroyed
Mar 2003 Hail storms. India. More than 500 people killed by hail
Apr 2003 Earthquake. Western Turkey. Over 5.5 on the Richter scale. More than 100 people killed.
Apr 2003 Flooding. Argentina. More than 50 000 people are displaced when rivers rose by 50cm in 12 hours
May 2003 Earthquake. Algeria. More than 2 200 people killed near Algiers
May 2003 Tornado. Oklahoma, USA. Over $100 million worth of damage
Jun 2003 Heatwave. Southern India. Thousands die in temperatures of over 50C
Jul 2003 Floods. Southern China. 600 die with half a million homes destroyed.
Jul 2003 Forest fires. France, Portugal, Spain, Greece. Serious fires, some thought to be the result of arson, with many people evacuated and some deaths
Aug 2003 Heatwave. Europe. Many elderly people die during extremely hot weather; crops are devastated
Oct-Nov 2003 Heatwave. USA (California). Droughts and forest fires rage, thousands of homes destroyed
Nov 2003 Flooding. Sumatra, Indonesia. The village of Bukit Lawang is practically wiped out and an estimated 200 people killed
Dec 2003 Earthquake. Iran. At least 40 000 are killed and a large part of the historic city of Bam destroyed
Dec 2003 Storms. Phillippines. Mudslides and stormy seas killed around 270 people
Dec 2003 Natural gas explosion. China. 233 killed, thousands taken to hospital or evacuated
Jan 2004 Explosion. Algeria. A natural gas plant exploded killing 23 with 74 injured
Feb 2004 Drowning. Morecambe Bay, UK. 19 cockle-pickers drowned while working in a notoriously dangerous area of sea with no safety equipment
Feb 2004 Drought. Southern Africa. Hundreds of thousands of people in need of food aid
Feb 2004 Earthquake. Morocco. Remote areas were devastated with nearly 600 people killed. Many were trapped in villages with rescue missions unable to get to them easily.