The Worst Natural Disaster Ever?

The Disaster Center ^ | 12/29/04 | Me

[paudio]

As sad as it is, the SE Asia earthquake is not the worst natural disaster ever. In 1991, Bangladesh suffered from Typhoon that killed about 140,000 people. Before that, in 1970, the country also lost 300,000 people from natural disaster.

The SE Asia disaster, however, seems to be a significant one because there are many Westerners, including 'celebrities', died in this unfortunate event.

Please look at the website that list of the worst 100 natural disaster in the 20th century. They also include famine and epidemic, though.

[NautiNurse]

I've been shocked at some of the things "said" about this dreadful event.

Whew! On some of the threads lately, I thought I had fallen into an alternate universe inhabited by hellions.

[Conspiracy Guy]

900,000 was the conservative estimate. Regardless of size this latest event is very tragic and with the speed of today's media it is all the more horrifying because you feel closer to it. I pray for the living and the dead. I think this will touch 200K total from the event and it's aftermath.

[Gamecock]

Let's not forget The Black Death: up to 1/2 of Europe died over 5 years.

[TYVets]

Unnatural disaster, The Nanking Massacre 300,000 Chinese soldiers and civilians killed December 1937 - January 1938

[thegreatbeast]

The Plague wasn't as bad as that and wasn't as bad as the Spanish Influenza outbreak.

[ORECON]

Several of the top disasters listed (famine/drought) were man made by communism. The top loss of life is still from communist purges and policies.

[muir_redwoods]

I'll bet the death toll will exceed 300,000

[bert]

Yeaaah for CG. A little historical perspective to bring the presstitutes to their knees from the wise ones at FR is a great way to end my day..

[DrDavid]

I know it isn't a natural disaster, but why isn't Communism on the list? It would be up there near the top.

[Ready4Freddy]

Wonder how many millions will die when the Three Gorges Dam collapes from its shoddy construction?

[Jaded]

It gives the media and the Euroweenies one more reason to bash Bush.

[Jaded]

Actually, the plague wiped out 1/4 of the population of Europe.

[The KG9 Kid]

I had once read of a Chinese earthquake that killed millions about 500 years ago.

[AngryJawa]

I'll see your Spanish flu and raise you a dinosaur-killing asteroid. 8^)

[Jackson Brown]

HERE's the list of the worst 100 disasters since 1900 --

The Most Deadly 100 Natural Disasters of the 20TH Century

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	Country	Year	Day	Month	Disaster	Region	Continent	Killed
1	NA	1917			Epidemic	NA	ALL	20,000,000
2	Soviet Union	1932			Famine	Russia.Fed	Europe	5,000,000
3	China, P Rep	1931		July	Flood	E.Asia	Asia	3,700,000
4	China, P Rep	1928			Drought	E.Asia	Asia	3,000,000
5	NA	1914		July	Epidemic	Rest.Europ	Europe	3,000,000
6	Soviet Union	1917			Epidemic	Russia.Fed	Europe	2,500,000
7	China, P Rep	1959		July	Flood	E.Asia	Asia	2,000,000
8	India	1920			Epidemic	S.Asia	Asia	2,000,000
9	Bangladesh	1943			Famine	S.Asia	Asia	1,900,000
10	China, P Rep	1909			Epidemic	E.Asia	Asia	1,500,000
11	India	1942			Drought	S.Asia	Asia	1,500,000
12	India	1907			Epidemic	S.Asia	Asia	1,300,000
13	India	1900			Drought	S.Asia	Asia	1,250,000
14	NA	1957		May	Epidemic	NA	ALL	1,250,000
15	Soviet Union	1921			Drought	Russia.Fed	Europe	1,200,000
16	NA	1968			Epidemic	NA	ALL	700,000
17	Ethiopia	1972			Famine	E.Africa	Africa	600,000
18	China, P Rep	1920			Drought	E.Asia	Asia	500,000
19	China, P Rep	1938		July	Flood	E.Asia	Asia	500,000
20	China, P Rep	1939		July	Flood	E.Asia	Asia	500,000
21	India	1920			Epidemic	S.Asia	Asia	500,000
22	India	1965			Drought	S.Asia	Asia	500,000
23	India	1966			Drought	S.Asia	Asia	500,000
24	India	1967			Drought	S.Asia	Asia	500,000
25	India	1926			Epidemic	S.Asia	Asia	423,000
26	Bangladesh	1918			Epidemic	S.Asia	Asia	393,000
27	Bangladesh	1970	12	November	Cycl.Hurr.Typh	S.Asia	Asia	300,000
28	Ethiopia	1984	14	October	Drought	E.Africa	Africa	300,000
29	India	1924			Epidemic	S.Asia	Asia	300,000
30	China, P Rep	1976	27	July	Earthquake	E.Asia	Asia	242,000
31	China, P Rep	1927	22	May	Earthquake	E.Asia	Asia	200,000
32	Ethiopia	1974		April	Drought	E.Africa	Africa	200,000
33	Uganda	1901			Epidemic	E.Africa	Africa	200,000
34	China, P Rep	1920	16	December	Earthquake	E.Asia	Asia	180,000
35	Sudan	1984			Drought	N.Africa	Africa	150,000
36	Japan	1923	1	September	Earthquake	E.Asia	Asia	143,000
37	China, P Rep	1935			Flood	E.Asia	Asia	142,000
38	Bangladesh	1991	30	April	Cycl.Hurr.Typh	S.Asia	Asia	138,866
39	Soviet Union	1948	5	October	Earthquake	Russia.Fed	Europe	110,000
40	China, P Rep	1908			Flood	E.Asia	Asia	100,000
41	China, P Rep	1911			Flood	E.Asia	Asia	100,000
42	China, P Rep	1922	27	July	Cycl.Hurr.Typh	E.Asia	Asia	100,000
43	Ethiopia	1973			Drought	E.Africa	Africa	100,000
44	Mozambique	1985			Drought	E.Africa	Africa	100,000
45	Niger	1923			Epidemic	W.Africa	Africa	100,000
46	Italy	1908	28	December	Earthquake	Euro.Union	Europe	75,000
47	China, P Rep	1932	26	December	Earthquake	E.Asia	Asia	70,000
48	Peru	1970	31	May	Earthquake	S.America	Americas	66,794
49	NA	1972			Drought	W.Africa	Africa	62,500
50	NA	1973			Drought	W.Africa	Africa	62,500
51	NA	1974			Drought	W.Africa	Africa	62,500
52	Bangladesh	1942		October	Cycl.Hurr.Typh	S.Asia	Asia	61,000
53	China, P Rep	1910			Epidemic	E.Asia	Asia	60,000
54	India	1935			Cycl.Hurr.Typh	S.Asia	Asia	60,000
55	Pakistan	1935	31	May	Earthquake	S.Asia	Asia	60,000
56	China, P Rep	1949		July	Flood	E.Asia	Asia	57,000
57	India	1935	31	May	Earthquake	S.Asia	Asia	56,000
58	Canada	1918		January	Epidemic	N.America	Americas	50,000
59	China, P Rep	1912		August	Cycl.Hurr.Typh	E.Asia	Asia	50,000
60	Guatemala	1949		October	Flood	C.America	Americas	40,000
61	India	1942	14	October	Cycl.Hurr.Typh	S.Asia	Asia	40,000
62	Martinique	1902	8	May	Volcano	Caribbean	Americas	40,000
63	Bangladesh	1965	11	May	Cycl.Hurr.Typh	S.Asia	Asia	36,000
64	Iran, Islam Rep	1990	20	June	Earthquake	S.Asia	Asia	36,000
65	NA	1943			Drought	E.Africa	Africa	35,000
66	Turkey	1939	6	December	Earthquake	W.Asia	Asia	32,962
67	Cape Verde Is	1946			Drought	W.Africa	Africa	30,000
68	Chile	1939	24	January	Earthquake	S.America	Americas	30,000
69	China, P Rep	1954		August	Flood	E.Asia	Asia	30,000
70	Italy	1915	13	January	Earthquake	Euro.Union	Europe	30,000
71	Bangladesh	1974		July	Flood	S.Asia	Asia	28,700
72	Niger	1931			Famine	W.Africa	Africa	26,000
73	Soviet Union	1988	7	December	Earthquake	Russia.Fed	Europe	25,000
74	Cape Verde Is	1920			Drought	W.Africa	Africa	24,000
75	Guatemala	1976	4	February	Earthquake	C.America	Americas	23,000
76	Iran, Islam Rep	1939		January	Earthquake	S.Asia	Asia	23,000
77	Colombia	1985	13	November	Volcano	S.America	Americas	21,800
78	Niger	1910			Drought	W.Africa	Africa	21,250
79	Niger	1911			Drought	W.Africa	Africa	21,250
80	Niger	1912			Drought	W.Africa	Africa	21,250
81	Niger	1913			Drought	W.Africa	Africa	21,250
82	China, P Rep	1974		May	Earthquake	E.Asia	Asia	20,000
83	India	1905	5	April	Earthquake	S.Asia	Asia	20,000
84	Iran, Islam Rep	1978	16	September	Earthquake	S.Asia	Asia	20,000
85	Somalia	1974			Drought	E.Africa	Africa	19,000
86	China, P Rep	1933			Flood	E.Asia	Asia	18,000
87	China, P Rep	1930	10	February	Storm	E.Asia	Asia	15,000
88	Indonesia	1917	21	January	Earthquake	SE.Asia	Asia	15,000
89	India	1977	12	November	Cycl.Hurr.Typh	S.Asia	Asia	14,204
90	Bangladesh	1965		June	Cycl.Hurr.Typh	S.Asia	Asia	12,047
91	China, P Rep	1907	21	October	Earthquake	E.Asia	Asia	12,000
92	Iran, Islam Rep	1962		September	Earthquake	S.Asia	Asia	12,000
93	Morocco	1960	29	February	Earthquake	N.Africa	Africa	12,000
94	Soviet Union	1907	21	October	Earthquake	Russia.Fed	Europe	12,000
95	Soviet Union	1949			Landslide	Russia.Fed	Europe	12,000
96	Bangladesh	1963	28	May	Cycl.Hurr.Typh	S.Asia	Asia	11,500
97	Bangladesh	1961	9	May	Cycl.Hurr.Typh	S.Asia	Asia	11,000
98	Cape Verde Is	1900			Drought	W.Africa	Africa	11,000
99	Hong Kong (China)	1937	28	August	Cycl.Hurr.Typh	E.Asia	Asia	11,000
100	Nigeria	1991		January	Epidemic	W.Africa	Africa	10,391

The Disaster Center
Source: EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database - www.md.ucl.ac.be/cred
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[Jaded]

Death toll reaches 100,000

See post 94 for stats for earthquakes and tsunamis from Forces of Nature.

Earthquake- 1556, January 23 - Senshi Province, China - Over 830,000.

You are correct, sir.

[Asfarastheeastisfromthewest...]

Genesis 8:23 'And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.'

Worst natural disaster ever? That's an easy one. The Great Deluge of Noah. All breathing creatures on the face of the earth were destroyed except for a single male/female pair of every species plus Noah, his wife, their three sons and their three wives. How many died? All except for the eight on the ark.

[damnsinner]

I would consider it the worst disaster if even one of my loved ones was involved. Please, let us not be bogged down by numbers.

[Conspiracy Guy]

This is a tragic event of epic proportions but let's keep it in perspective.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Millions.