This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Carcharoth (talk | contribs) at 13:57, 11 September 2005 (Corrected date of entry 4. Actual death toll estimates vary and the position in the table may be wrong as well.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 13:57, 11 September 2005 by Carcharoth (talk | contribs) (Corrected date of entry 4. Actual death toll estimates vary and the position in the table may be wrong as well.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)This article lists the worst natural disasters as judged by loss of life.
Top Ten Worst Natural Disaster
| Rank | Type | Location | Date | Death Toll |
| 1. | Flood | Huang He River, China | Summer 1931 | 850,000-4,000,000 |
| 2. | Flood | China | 1959 | 2,000,000 |
| 3. | Flood | Huang He River, China | September-October 1887 | 900,000-2,000,000 |
| 4. | Hurricane | Ganges Delta, East Pakistan | November 13, 1970 | 500,000-1,000,000 |
| 5. | Earthquake | Senshi Province, China | January 23, 1556 | 830,000 |
| 6. | Flood | North China | 1939 | 500,000 |
| 7. | Tsunami | Indian Ocean | December 26 2004 | 250,000-310,000 |
| 8. | Hurricane | Haiphong, Vietnam | 1881 | 300,000 |
| 9. | Flood | Kaifeng Honan Proviance, China | 1642 | 300,000 |
| 10. | Earthquake | Tangshan, China | July 28, 1976 | 242,000 |
Five Worst Avalanches
| Rank | Location | Date | Death Toll |
| 1. | Yungay, Peru | May 31, 1970 | 30,000 |
| 2. | Italian-Austrian Alps | December 12, 1916 | 18,000 |
| 3. | Ranrahica, Peru | January 10, 1962 | 4,000 |
| 4. | Plurs, Switzerland | September 4, 1618 | 1,500 |
| 5. | Swiss/Austrian Alps | January 20, 1951 | 265 |
Five Worst Earthquakes
| Rank | Location | Date | Death Toll |
| 1. | Senshi Province, China | January 23, 1556 | 830,000 |
| 2. | Tangshan, China | July 28, 1976 | 242,000 |
| 3. | Kansu, China | December 16, 1920 | 180,000 |
| 4. | Kanto Plain, Japan | September 1, 1923 | 140,000 |
| 5. | Lisbon, Portugal | November 1, 1755 | 100,000 |
Five Worst Floods
| Rank | Location | Date | Death Toll |
| 1. | Huang He River, China | Summer 1931 | 850,000-4,000,000 |
| 2. | China | 1959 | 2,000,000 |
| 3. | Huang He River, China | September-October 1887 | 900,000-2,000,000 |
| 4. | North China | 1939 | 500,000 |
| 5. | Kaifeng Honan Proviance, China | 1642 | 300,000 |
Five Worst Hurricanes
| Rank | Location | Date | Death Toll |
| 1. | Ganges Delta, East Packastain | November 13, 1970 | 500,000 to 1,000,000 |
| 2. | Haiphong, Vietnam | 1881 | 300,000 |
| 3. | Ganges Delta, Bangladesh | October 1876 | 215,000 |
| 4. | Bombay, India | June 6, 1882 | 100,000 |
| 5. | Calcutta, India | October 5, 1864 | 70,000 |
- Note: October 7, 1737 Bengal, India Hurricane/Typhoon not included on this list, because of inablity to find an accurate death toll. Reports range from 3,000 (meaning it wouldn't be included on this list) to 300,000 (making it the second worst on record.)
Five Worst Landslides
| Rank | Location | Date | Death Toll |
| 1. | Kahait, Tadzhikistan | 1949 | 12,000 |
| 2. | Chiavenna Valley, Italy | September 4, 1618 | 2,240 |
| 3. | Rio de Janerio, Brazil | January 11- January 13, 1966 | 550 |
| 4. | Goldau Valley, Switzerland | September 2, 1806 | 500 |
| 5. | Huancavelica Province, Peru | April 26, 1974 | 200-300 |
Five Worst Tornadoes
| Rank | Location | Date | Death Toll |
| 1. | Midwest U.S.A. | March 18, 1925 | 689 |
| 2. | Mississippi and Georgia, U.S.A | April 5- April 6, 1936 | 436 |
| 3. | Mississippi, U.S.A. | May 7, 1840 | 317 |
| 4. | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. | May 27, 1896 | 255 |
| 5. | South-Central U.S.A. | March 21- March 22, 1952 | 343 |
Five Worst Tsunamis
| Rank | Location | Date | Death Toll |
| 1. | Indian Ocean | December 26, 2004 | 250,000-310,000 |
| 2. | Messina, Italy | December 28, 1908 | 75,000 |
| 3. | South China Sea | 1782 | 40,000 |
| 4. | Tokaido-Nankaido, Japan | 1707 | 30,000 |
| 5. | Sanriku, Japan | June 15, 1896 | 27,000 |
Five Worst Volcanos
| Rank | Location | Date | Death Toll |
| 1. | Indonesia | April 5- April 12, 1815 | 92,000 |
| 2. | Krakatau, Indonesia | August 26 - August 27 | 36,417 |
| 3. | Martinique, West Indies | May 8, 1902 | 29,025 |
| 4. | Colombia | November 13, 1985 | 25,000 |
| 5. | Mount Etna, Sicily | March 24, 1669 | 20,000 |
Analysis
-It seems that floods are the most deadly types of natural disasters, with all five of the deadliest floods appearing in the top ten deadliest disasters of all time.
-Of the 40 ranked disasters, 9 occured in China, and 22 occured in Asia. 8 occured in Europe, 5 in North America, 5 in South America, and none in Africa or Australia. All of the top ten disasters occured in Asia.
-Major disasters of various types seem to be concentrated in specific places. For example, all of the top five floods occured in China, all of the top five tornados occured in the U.S.A., and all of the worst hurricanes occured in Southeast Asia. This doesn't mean that these types of disasters don't occur elsewhere, just that the most deadly ones seem to occur in the same places over and over.
Notes
-Items which could be considered in more than on catagory (such as an earthquake which causes a landslide or a tsunami) have only been counted once. For example, the 1920 earthquake/landslide in Kansu, China, killed 180,000 people, making it the worst landslide and the 3rd worst earthquake; however it is only on the list as an earthquake. The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami killed over 250,000 people, making it the worst tsunami and second worst earthquake; however it is counted as a tsunami because the primary cause of death was from the waves triggered by the earthquake.
-These disasters occurred during recorded history. Obviously, disasters occuring at times and places with quality record keeping are more likely to be listed than disasters that occurred at times and places with poor or no records.
-In cases where disasters had a death toll within a range, the highest number was used for ranking purposes.
Sources
The Forces of Nature: Worst Disasters page was used as a basis for this list; however, the information was verified using the Guinness Book of World Records, The Misplaced Pages, The GEsourceThematic Timeline of Disasters, and assorted other internet resources.