According to this year’s World Disasters Report, in 2013, floods accounted for 44 per cent of deaths caused by natural hazards – more than any other natural hazard, including storms, which accounted for 41 per cent.
In the section “2013 Disaster Data” the report has issued some figures on disasters of last year – its annual summary of disaster information.
It states that almost 100 million people were affected by disasters in 2013. By far the worst affected region of the world was Asia. A staggering 87 per cent of those affected by disasters in 2013 were in Asia.
Photo: Stephen Ryan / IFRC
In a year that saw Typhoon Haiyan strike in the Philippines, affecting 16 million people, and Cyclone Phailin in India affecting 13 million, it’s remarkable that floods were still the biggest cause of death.
Typhoon Haiyan struck Philippines 8th November, 2013. Destroyed houses in Daang Bantayan, Cebu Island. Photo: Jarkko Mikkonen/Finnish Red Cross
Financial Costs
According to the report, natural hazards caused losses estimated at 118.6 billion US dollars in 2013, the fourth lowest of the decade. This includes a flood in Germany with losses estimated at almost 13 billion US dollars and Typhoon Haiyan with losses of 10 billion US dollars.
Technological Disasters
A total of 6,711 were reported killed by technological disasters in 2013, compared to the decade average of 7,594. The event that resulted in the highest number of deaths was the collapse of a textile factory building in Bangladesh which killed 1,127 people.
Thiagarajan TVS
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All natural disasters are the design of God to change the world from
materialism to spiritualism. His forewarning was announced to the world
more than a decade ago. Unless we meditate as a spiritual path, every
natural disaster will continue with greater acceleration. This includes
disease as well. Because we have not educated ourselves as to
who is God, where is He, what are His powers and what role He plays
in the life of every individual.
Climate change is a misnomer understood within the context of our
limited knowledge!
Mrs. Wilma Hendriks
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With all respect Mr(s?).Thiagarajan, climate change science is solid for decades now and man-made!
These natural disasters are becoming more extreme and intensified thanks to climate change and therefore more unnatural (ref. the overwhelming consensus on climate change science and its published articles).
I do agree though that we as humanity should move away from materialism -actually causing man-made climate change through the oil industry (CO2 trapped in the atmosphere), big money, greed, etc-. and that we should become more spiritual again. If you are interested, a very good initiative is ‘ecobuddhism’, a buddhist respons to global warming (http://www.ecobuddhism.org/index.php).
Mrs. Obvious
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Climate changes, historically proven. The climate CHANGES, it is WHAT IT DOES. Naturally. We know this, and it isn’t due to cows farting methane or driving my car. If humans caused at all, it was and is our weapons of war and the testing of them. Or the geo-engineering and weather manipulation easily provable as fact and ongoing on the government’s own websites. Possibly even our breaking through the atmosphere with rockets.
But most certainly it is REALLY due to our sun and its behavior, our magnetic field weakening. We aren’t the only planets going through climate change, big changes. Maybe we had something to do with that too? It’s about as plausible as man caused climate change here.
Besides, I thought it was “global warming”? Had to scrap that bunk. “Climate change” or “Climate Disruption” The polar ice caps are melting. The rest of the earth seems closer to a mini ice age. Our pollution isn’t heating the earth, weather is getting extreme. It isn’t us. Pollution is TERRIBLE for us. We need to work on this, agreed. But please stop playing the fool. It’s a money-for-guilt generating scam.Your money won’t fix it. Don’t let them convince you it will.
Wilma Hendriks
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@ Mrs. Obvious. How could anyone dispute carefully gathered scientific (climate) data? I think you’ve just disproved all established climate science :-). Why don’t you publish your ‘scientific findings’ in a reputable, scientific Journal?
It is amazing to read how arrogance and ignorance seem to go hand-in-hand. Actually, it doesn’t even matter what one scientist concludes and certainly not what one lay person believes. If the single greatest climatologist believed in anthropogenic global warming, I would treat it with scepticism.
It’s the fact that every single accredited scientific organization on the planet (incl. NASA) and 97% of ALL climatologists on the planet have observed tons of data that all indicate that humans are causing climate change and conclude it’s happening. That and the fact that there is no other theory that explains the obvious rapid warming globally we’re currently going through that has withstood ANY scientific peer review.
It’s also amazing that 40 years after the 1970s, people like you still think a (mini) ice age is coming or that reputable scientists predicted an ice age. Read real science here: http://skepticalscience.com/graphics.php?g=43 (scientific resources that also explain that the term Global Warming hasn’t changed to Climate Change, as wrongly assumed).
Climate change deniers are a warning about the danger of getting their ‘Science education’ from the tabloids (tied in with their own (ideological) beliefs)! And that’s where one should follow the money…..often linked to the oil industry with their vested interests and all too keen to sow doubt about climate science and its devastating implications for us humans (although Shell has improved its credibility a bit by finally acknowledging the overwhelming scientific consensus on human-induced climate change. However, it is still being contradictive by wanting to keep on drilling more and more oil instead of investing heavily in renewable energy).
Instead of stalling the process of tackling the climate crisis, we humans should all, paradoxically as perpetrators and as bystanders, try and do anything in our power to help slowing down the devastating, slow-motion climate disruption we’re facing (reduce our own CO2 footprint, vote for politicians who are really vocal about tackling climate change, mobilise locally, demonstrate for e.g. People’s Climate March, etc.). Even if it seems against all odds, for the sake of our children!