Gujarat Earthquake, 2001
Central China Floods, 1931
The Central China floods that occurred in July and August 1931 are considered by many to be the greatest natural disaster in history, killing 3.7 million people in total from either drowning, disease or starvation. Heavy rainfall and numerous cyclones caused the Yangtze, Huai and Yellow Rivers to overflow. The situation was made worse when damage to the Yellow River, which was used heavily for trade, severely impacted the country's economy. Weather stations recorded 24 inches of rainfall, and in some areas the water level rose to 16 meters.
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Shaaxi Earthquake, 1556
The Shaanxi earthquake, which occurred on January 23, 1556, in the northern part of China, is the deadliest recorded earthquake. The 8.0 magnitude quake flattened mountains, destroyed buildings and damaged rivers, which led to flooding. An estimated 830,000 people were killed, reducing the population by 60 percent in the two provinces.
MORE: Kids Born During Natural Disasters
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Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami, 2004
The world was rattled by the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that claimed the lives of 225,000 to 230,210 people on December 26, 2004. The epicenter of the 9.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean near Indonesia and caused major damage to 14 different countries. At the time, there were no tsunami warning systems, and many people didn't have time to seek higher ground. Since then, tsunami-detecting systems have been put in place, but according to the United Nations, "critical gaps remain."
Hurricane Katrina, 2005
The third-strongest, but most expensive hurricane in U.S. history, Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Cost on August 29, 2005, cost $81 billion dollars in property damages alone. Including economic damages to Louisiana and Mississippi, the estimation is closer to $150 billion. The storm caused levees to fail, resulting in flooding that covered 90,000 square miles, submerged 80 percent of New Orleans in water and killed 1,836 people. FEMA was criticized for a lack of preparedness and poor management of the disaster, resulting in the eventual resignation of FEMA director Michael Brown.
Mozambique Flood, 2000
In early 2000, five weeks of heavy rainfall in South Africa led to severe flooding when two major rivers, the Limpopo and Zambezi, broke their banks. In just three days, Botswana received 75 percent of its annual rainfall, and the situation was worsened when two cyclones hit the area at the same time. The floods damaged much of Mozambique's infrastructure, making transportation and access to clean water difficult and leaving up to a million people homeless. Damage to farms and crops severely damaged the economy and contributed to starvation. The Mozambique Government appealed for $76.5 million in aid to cover the costs.
European Heat Wave, 2003
When most of us think of natural disasters we think of tornadoes, hurricanes and floods, but heat waves are responsible for more deaths than all three disasters combined. A heat wave in August 2003 in Europe claimed at least 35,000 lives, primarily affecting the elderly, sick, or very young. The temperatures are the highest ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts even higher numbers by the end of the century. The heat led to a drought as well, damaging 75 percent of the Ukraine's wheat crop.
