disasters
worst weathers
united states
Date(s) Event
1900 Galveston Hurricane
1925 Tri-state Tornado
1928 Great Okeechobee Hurricane and Flood
1930s Dust Bowl
1935 Florida Keys Hurricane
1938 New England Hurricane
1950 “Storm of the Century”
1969 Hurricane Camille
1974 Super Tornado Outbreak
1978 New England Blizzard
1982–83 & 1997–98 El Niño Episodes
1992 Hurricane Andrew
1993 Great Midwest Flood
1993 “Superstorm”
1999 Okla./Kan. Tornado Outbreak
World
1952 Great Smog of London
1953 Europe Storm Surge
1954 Great Iran Flood
1958 Typhoon Vera, Japan
1970 Bangladesh Cyclone
1971 North Vietnam Flood
1972 Iran Blizzard
1982–83 El Niño
1991 Typhoon Thelma, Philippines
1991 Bangladesh Cyclone
1998 Hurricane Mitch, Honduras and Nicaragua
Deadliest Tornado Outbreak
Source: National Weather Service
The most expensive tornado outbreak in U.S. history and the deadliest of the year occurred May 3–4, 1999, in Oklahoma and Kansas. In less than 21 hours, a total of 74 tornadoes touched down across the two states, with as many as four tornadoes from different storms on the ground at once.
An F-5 tornado, the strongest on the Fujita Tornado Scale, moved along a 38-mi. (61-km) path, from Chickasha through south Oklahoma City and the suburbs of Bridge Creek, Newcastle, Moore, Midwest City, and Del City. With 8,000 buildings damaged, the Oklahoma City tornado is the most expensive single tornado in history, causing about a billion dollars in damage. In all, the tornadoes killed 46 people, injured 800, and caused $1.5 billion in damage.
The deadliest and most devastating U.S. tornado outbreak of the 20th century was the April 3–4, 1974, “Super Tornado Outbreak.” It lasted 16 hours and produced a total of 148 tornadoes across 13 states, killing 330 people and injuring more than 5,000.
Tsunamis / Avalanches
1953
Jan. 31–Feb. 5, northwest Europe: storm followed by floods devastated North Sea coastal areas. Netherlands was hardest hit with 1,794 dead.
1954
Aug., Teheran, Iran: flood rains resulted in some 10,000 deaths.
1959
Dec. 2, Fréjus, France: flood caused by collapse of Malpasset Dam left 412 dead.
1960
May 22, Chile: a tsunami from the strongest earthquake in history hit the Chilean coast and traveled as far as Hawaii, Japan, and New Zealand, killing 2,000.
1962
Jan. 10, Peru: avalanche down extinct Huascaran volcano killed more than 3,000.
1963
Oct. 9, Italy: landslide into the Vaiont Dam; flood killed about 2,000.
1966
Oct. 21, Aberfan, Wales: avalanche of coal, waste, mud, and rocks killed 144 people, including 116 children in school.
1969
Jan. 18–26, southern Calif.: floods and mudslides from heavy rains caused widespread property damage; at least 100 dead. Another downpour (Feb. 23–26) caused further floods and mudslides; at least 18 dead.
1970
Nov. 13, East Pakistan: 200,000 killed by cyclone-driven tidal wave from Bay of Bengal. Over 100,000 missing.
1971
Aug., Hanoi, North Vietnam: heavy rains severely flooded the Red River Delta, killing 100,000.
1972
Feb. 26, Man, W. Va.: more than 118 died when slag-pile dam collapsed under pressure of torrential rains and flooded 17-mile valley.
June 9–10, Rapid City, S.D.: flash flood caused 237 deaths and $160 million in damage.
June 20, Eastern Seaboard: tropical storm Agnes, in ten-day rampage, caused widespread flash floods. Death toll 129; 115,000 left homeless; damage estimated at $3.5 billion.
1975
Aug. 5, Yangtze River, China: 63 dams failed, killing an estimated 80,000 to 200,000 people from floods and subsequent famine. The Chinese government never acknowledged the event.
1976
Aug. 1, Loveland, Colo.: flash flood along Route 34 in Big Thompson Canyon left 139 dead.
1988
Aug.–Sept., Bangladesh: heaviest monsoon in 70 years inundated three-fourths of country, killing more than 1,300 and leaving 30 million homeless. Damage estimated at over $1 billion.
1993
June–Aug., Ill., Iowa, Kan., Ky., Minn., Mo., Neb., N.D., S.D., Wis.: two months of heavy rain caused Mississippi River and tributaries to flood; 50 deaths and about $12 billion in damage. Almost 70,000 left homeless.
1997
Dec. 1996–Jan. 1997, U.S. West Coast: torrential rains and snowmelt produced severe floods in parts of Calif., Ore., Wash., Idaho, Nev., and Mont., causing 36 deaths and about $2–3 billion in damage.
March, Ohio and Mississippi Valleys: flooding and tornadoes plagued Ark., Mo., Miss., Tenn., Ill., Ind., Ky., Ohio, and W.Va. 67 were killed and damage totaled approximately $1 billion.
April, N.D., S.D., and Minn.: Grand Forks, N.D., and surrounding area devastated as the Red River swelled 13 ft above flood level. Eleven deaths were recorded.
1998
July 17, Papua New Guinea: three tsunamis, possibly spurred by an undersea landslide following an earthquake, wiped out entire villages in the northwest province of Sepik. At least 2,000 found or presumed dead.
Summer, central and northeast China: heaviest flooding of Yangtze and other rivers since 1954. More than 3,000 killed and 14 million left homeless. Estimated damages exceeded $20 billion.
1999
Summer, Asia: torrential downpours and flooding left more than 950 dead and millions homeless in S. Korea, China, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand.
Oct., southwest Mexico: over a week of heavy rains killed at least 360 people in mudslides and flood waters.
Nov. and Dec., Vietnam: devastating floods caused $285 million in damage and killed more than 700 people.
Dec. 15–16, northern Venezuela: heavy rains caused catastrophic flooding and mudslides, killing an estimated 5,000 to 20,000 people. Country's worst modern-day natural disaster.
2000
Feb., southeast Africa: weeks of rain resulted in deadly floods in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. About 700 people were killed and more than 280,000 were left homeless.
mid-September, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam: rising flood waters from the Mekong River and its tributaries destroyed crops and livestock and left at least 235 people dead and 4.5 million homeless. Damages were estimated at $50 million in Cambodia and $24 million in Thailand.
2002
Sept. 20, Karmadon Gorge, North Ossetia, Russia: an avalanche caused by a 500-foot chunk of glacier left 150 people dead.
June–Aug., Asia: annual monsoons caused record floods and more than 2,000 deaths in China, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Aug., Europe: record flooding across central and eastern Europe killed 108 people and caused billions of dollars of extensive infrastructure damage and deforestation.
2004
May 18–26, Dominican Republic and Haiti: torrential rains overflowed the Soliel River, causing floods and mudslides, destroying villages, and killing more than 2,000.
June–Aug., South Asia: annual monsoons left 5 million homeless and more than 1,800 dead in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Dec. 26, Sumatra, Indonesia: magnitude 9.0 earthquake caused a tremendously powerful tsunami in the Indian Ocean that hit 12 Asian countries, killing more than 226,000. Millions were left home
The Ten Largest1 Earthquakes Since 1900
Location Date Magnitude2
1. Chile May 22, 1960 9.5
2. Prince William Sound, Alaska March 28, 19643 9.2
3. Andreanof Islands, Aleutian Islands March 9, 1957 9.1
4. Kamchatka Nov. 4, 1952 9.0
5. Off western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia Dec. 26, 2004 9.0
6. Off the coast of Ecuador Jan. 31, 1906 8.8
7. Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands Feb. 4, 1965 8.7
8. India-China border Aug. 15, 1950 8.6
9. Kamchatka Feb. 3, 1923 8.5
10. Banda Sea, Indonesia Feb. 1, 1938 8.5
The Deadliest Volcanic Eruptions
Volcano Year Deaths Major cause of deaths
Tambora, Indonesia 1815 92,000 Starvation
Krakatau, Indonesia 1883 36,417 Tsunami
Mount Pelee, Martinique 1902 29,025 Ash flows
Ruiz, Colombia 1985 25,000 Mudflows
Unzen, Japan 1792 14,300 Volcano collapse, tsunami
Laki, Iceland 1783 9,350 Starvation
Kelut, Indonesia 1919 5,110 Mudflows
Galunggung, Indonesia 1882 4,011 Mudflows
Vesuvius, Italy 1631 3,500 Mudflows, lava flows
Vesuvius, Italy 79 3,360 Ash flows, falls
Papandayan, Indonesia 1772 2,957 Ash flows
Lamington, Papua New Guinea 1951 2,942 Ash flows
El Chichon, Mexico 1982 2,000 Ash flows
Soufriere, St. Vincent 1902 1,680 Ash flows
Oshima, Japan 1741 1,475 Tsunami
Asama, Japan 1783 1,377 Ash flows, mudflows
Taal, Philippines 1911 1,335 Ash flows
Mayon, Philippines 1814 1,200 Mudflows
Agung, Indonesia 1963 1,184 Ash flows
Cotopaxi, Ecuador 1877 1,000 Mudflows
Pinatubo, Philippines 1991 800 Disease
Komagatake, Japan 1640 700 Tsunami
Ruiz, Colombia 1845 700 Mudflows
Hibok-Hibok, Philippines 1951 500 Ash flows
