In 2024, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 393 natural hazard-related disasters. These events caused 16,753 fatalities and affected 167.2 million people. Economic losses totaled US$241.95 billion. The year 2024 was marked by extreme temperature events in Asia that caused thousands of deaths, severe droughts in Africa affecting over 25 …
A typhoon battered China's east coast on Sunday, killing 14 people and forcing the authorities to evacuate hundreds of thousands more. The 14 were killed after being washed away by flash floods or buried under collapsed houses or landslides, state news agency Xinhua said, citing authorities in Zhejiang province. Another …
Deadly storms in Chile have claimed a sixth victim and have led to evacuations in neighbouring Argentina, officials announced on 10 August. Three people died in a landslide in the port town of Tocopilla in the north, the national emergency office said. President Michelle Bachelet visited Tocopilla, as well as …
Taiwan issued a land warning and cautioned against landslides and flooding as Typhoon Soudelor barrels westward toward the island and eastern China. Taipei saw rain on Thursday evening. Traveling northwest at 22 kilometres (14 miles) an hour, Soudelor was expected to strengthen as it approaches Taiwan's shores, the island's Central …
Rich nations spend huge sums to keep the seas at bay but wealth may not save them indefinitely. New research suggests that the probability of flooding in cities and megacities built on river deltas is on the increase and over time, the Mississippi and the Rhine may become up to …
Turning natural landscapes in the Caribbean into urban areas or farmland may increase the risk of people dying from floods and storms, scientists suggest. In a study published by Scientific Reports last month (8 July), researchers from Anguilla’s health ministry and the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium investigate which …
Super Typhoon Soudelor, the most powerful storm so far this year, is generating waves of close to 15 metres as it barrels towards Taiwan. Sustained winds were last calculated at 130 knots (241km/h), with gusts reaching 160 knots (296km/h), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre. "This super typhoon was …
Super typhoon Soudelor, possibly the strongest storm of 2015, is powering towards Taiwan in the north-west Pacific after causing widespread damage in the Northern Mariana Islands. The category 5 storm is expected to strengthen further, with sustained wind speeds of 150 knots, or 277.8 km/h, later on Tuesday, US space …
An unusual cluster of thunderstorms around Chicago killed one person and injured several others Sunday afternoon. The freak weather pattern also forced the temporary evacuation of a downtown music festival. The lone fatality happened in suburban Wood Dale, Ill., when a tent collapsed at the Wood Dale Prairie Fest, the …
Warmer-than-usual water in parts of the Pacific Ocean indicates that a developing El Niño is intensifying and might become one of the strongest on record. And National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists think the weather phenomenon probably will continue through the winter of 2015-16, and into the spring of 2016. …
Question raised in Rajya Sabha on compensation to drought and hailstorm affected farmers of Vidarbha and Marathwada, 31/07/2015. State Government is empowered to undertake necessary relief measures in the wake of natural calamities like, drought, hailstorm, pest attack & cold wave/frost from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) which is readily …
Question raised in Rajya Sabha on destruction of crops due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms, 31/07/2015. In the month of February-May, 2015 many States like Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Telangana were hit by hailstorm followed by unseasonal rainfall. These States submitted Memoranda seeking financial assistance …
WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) – The World Bank is providing a US$ 6.8 million grant to help Jamaica improve the quality and use of climate related information for effective planning and action at local and national levels. The bank said that approximately 60 per cent of Jamaica’s 2.8 million residents …
Question raised in Lok Sabha on damage to crops, 28/07/2015. State Government is empowered to undertake necessary relief measures in the wake of natural calamities like, drought, hailstorm, pest attack & cold wave/frost from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) which is readily available with them. State Governments have been requested …
America’s biggest cities are at far greater risk of serious flooding in the coming decades than was previously thought, because of a “triple threat” produced under climate change, researchers said on Monday. A combination of sea-level rise, storm surge and heavy rainfall – all functions of climate change – exposes …
When storm surge and heavy precipitation co-occur, the potential for flooding in low-lying coastal areas is often much greater than from either in isolation. Knowing the probability of these compound events and understanding the processes driving them is essential to mitigate the associated high-impact risks. Here the researchers determine the …
Four people have died and another five are missing after heavy downpours hit Liancheng County in east China's Fujian Province early Wednesday morning, local authorities said Thursday. Major streets in the county seat have been inundated and water and power supplies were cut off. All 17 townships were flooded with …
Question raised in Lok Sabha on compensation for damage to crops, 21/07/2015. Also includes statement indicating assistance approved from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for drought of hail storm during 2014-15.
Nearly 20 million people were forced to flee their homes due to floods, storms and earthquakes last year, a problem likely to worsen due to climate change, but which could be eased by better construction, a report said on Monday. Asia is particularly prone to natural disasters, accounting for almost …
India is among top three Asian nations after the Philippines and China where large number of people have been displaced due to disasters as 19.3 million people were displaced globally last year alone, according to the latest estimates released by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). Latest figures from IDMC …
The death toll from natural disasters such as earthquakes, storms and heatwaves rose sharply worldwide in the first six months of 2015, the world's largest reinsurance company Munich Re said on Tuesday. However, the economic cost of such events dropped to $35 billion from $42 billion, Munich Re said in …
