The Calm Before the Storm
We’d love to believe that we’re prepared for the worst—but while it’s always smart to have stockpiled food and batteries, no one truly knows what Mother Nature has in store. From devastating heatwaves to terrifying cyclones, these are some of the worst natural disasters ever recorded.
Photo by Dibakar Roy on Unsplash
1. Messina Earthquake (1908)
Considered the deadliest European earthquake, the quaint cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria were nearly decimated after this quake took the lives of almost 100,000 people. Mere moments later, a tsunami swept through and claimed thousands more. Together, both disasters also completely destroyed monuments and public buildings.
Richard Ellis on Wikimedia Commons
2. China Typhoon (1912)
Though reports vary on the actual number, this typhoon still claimed the lives of at least 50,000—while some say it climbed past 200,000. It brought heavy rainfall and terrible windspeeds of 115 mp/h, laying waste to villages and resulting in mass flooding.
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC on Wikimedia Commons
3. Haiyuan Earthquake (1920)
Touted as one of the deadliest earthquakes in China, this disaster struck several areas and reached the maximum level on the Mercalli intensity scale. Reports claim nearly 300,000 people lost their lives, though many more succumbed to the winter’s cold, too afraid to build anything but temporary housing.
4. Great Kantō Earthquake (1923)
Natural disasters are devastating enough, but they also cause collateral damage—people are displaced, hungry, homeless, and sometimes even targeted. Once this earthquake took nearly 150,000 lives, rumors spread that Koreans in the area were poisoning wells and planning an uprising. Unjust targeting then ensued over several weeks and led to the Kantō Massacre, which claimed the lives of thousands more.
Unknown author on Wikimedia Commons
5. China Floods (1931)
Often cited as one of the most catastrophic disasters in history, the 1931 floods affected tens of millions of people. It’s estimated that four million people lost their lives, enough farmland was destroyed to cause a famine, and severe sickness spread among displaced refugees from affected cities. To make matters worse, weather stations near the Yangtze River recorded at least nine cyclones in the area and 600 mm of rainfall in July of that year alone.
Photo by Yushan Wang on Unsplash
6. Yangtze Flood (1935)
Just four years after the China floods, another swept through and quickly drained any resources or safety measures. With nearly 150,000 lives lost, millions of others were left to starve or without homes, making this the fourth deadliest recorded flood.
Ukendt forfatter on Wikimedia Commons
7. Tropical Storm Harriet (1962)
Harriet took the lives of over 50,000 people across Thailand and present-day Bangladesh, leaving tens of thousands homeless. It’s the deadliest cyclone recorded in Thailand as it claimed the lives of nearly 1000 people. It destroyed homes and buildings and left millions of dollars of damage behind.
Cyclonebiskit on Wikimedia Commons
8. Bhola Cyclone (1970)
Currently the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, this natural disaster claimed anywhere between 300,000 to 500,000 lives. With so much destruction to agriculture and farmland, survivors depended on outside aid for several months after the storm.
Nilfanion on Wikimedia Commons
9. Tangshan Earthquake (1976)
This devastating earthquake claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, with the highest estimated total reaching roughly 600,000. It’s one of the deadliest disasters on record and its maximum intensity reached extreme on the Mercalli intensity scale. It took only minutes for this earthquake to destroy nearly 80% of buildings in the region.
10. Bangladesh Cyclone (1991)
After causing approximately one billion dollars (USD) in damage and taking almost 150,000 lives, this cyclone is often considered one of the worst in history. It wiped away villages and displaced millions of people, subsequently leading to health problems and homelessness. The effects were so horrendous that Operation Sea Angel, one of the largest disaster relief squads, brought in supplies and medical care from several other countries.
Airman 1st Class Cheryl Sanzi (USAF) on Wikimedia Commons
11. Gujarat Earthquake (2001)
The Mercalli intensity scale classified this earthquake as extreme—a fitting rating given that it claimed at least 20,000 lives and injured hundreds of thousands of others. In about a minute and a half, it took down 400,000 buildings and destroyed crops.
12. European Heatwave (2003)
When you think of natural disasters, it’s easy to think of tornadoes or tsunamis—but heatwaves are just as dangerous. Italy, France, Spain, and Germany were hit the hardest and the total number of lives lost was estimated to be 70,000. At its peak, Portugal reported temperatures of 117 °F.
13. Indian Ocean Earthquake (2004)
Indonesia was rocked by a massive earthquake shortly after Boxing Day, earning the storm its pseudonym. It was one of the worst earthquakes recorded and claimed thousands of lives in several other countries including Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. Its carnage took nearly 300,000 lives in total.
U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Patrick M. Bonafede on Wikimedia Commons
14. Kashmir Earthquake (2005)
The Kashmir earthquake took at least 80,000 lives and displaced millions of others—but that was just the beginning. Throughout the rest of 2005, another 1,778 aftershocks were recorded with nearly 1,000 of them at a magnitude of at least 4.0. The damage cost several billion dollars in relief aid.
Timothy Smith, U.S. Navy on Wikimedia Commons
15. Cyclone Sidr (2007)
In 2007, Bangladesh was rocked by one of the worst storms in its history—a tropical cyclone that took thousands of lives and cost the country billions of dollars. It destroyed everything from homes to schools and took a large toll on the Sunderbans.
16. Cyclone Nargis (2008)
This cyclone touched down in Myanmar in early May and racked up billions of dollars in damage. Well over 100,000 people lost their lives. The high winds ruined crops entirely and the torrential rain caused significant landslides. Its destruction made it the worst natural disaster in Myanmar’s recorded history.
Mohd Nor Azmil Abdul Rahman on Wikimedia Commons
17. Haiti Earthquake (2010)
Plenty recall this historic earthquake, a natural disaster so great it affected nearly three million people and claimed the lives of roughly 300,000. As if the initial quake wasn’t bad enough, 52 sizeable aftershocks were recorded in the weeks that followed.
Marco Dormino/ The United Nations United Nations Development Programme on Wikimedia Commons
18. Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami (2011)
Not only is this earthquake the worst recorded in Japan, but it’s also the fourth worst reported across the world. It took roughly 200,000 lives with the subsequent tsunami completely washing away evacuation sites. To make matters worse, this natural disaster took home another title: the most expensive disaster on record with an estimated $300 billion in damage.
19. European Heatwaves (2022)
As if the 2003 heatwaves weren’t bad enough, European countries fell victim to another wave that claimed the lives of another 20,000 people. Portugal once again reported the highest temperatures, this time a whopping 116 °F.
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
20. Turkey-Syria Earthquakes (2023)
This widespread earthquake affected both Turkey and Syria and lasted just 80 seconds. That may not seem like much on the surface, but it was more than enough time to claim the lives of nearly 100,000 people and do an estimated billions of dollars in damage.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office on Wikimedia Commons
.jpg){kind=link}
