Earthquakes (including tsunamis) killed more people than all other types of disaster put together, claiming nearly 750,000 lives between 1994 and 2013.

World’s Worst Natural Disasters

1. Haiti Earthquake of 2010. First, we will take a look at the Haiti Earthquake of 2010.
2. Hurricane Katrina of 2005.
3. Hurricane Andrew of 1993.
4. Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.
5. Tsunami of 2011.
6. Tangshan Earthquake.
7. Cyclone Nargis.
8. 2008 China Earthquake.

• Hurricanes and tropical storms.
• Landslides & debris flow.
• Thunderstorms and lighting.
• Tornadoes.
• Tsunamis.
• Wildfire.
• Winter and ice storms.
• Sinkholes.

A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; examples include firestorms, duststorms, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, and other geologic processes.

7 Most Dangerous Natural Disasters

• 7 Landslides.
• 6 Volcanic eruptions.
• 5 Tornadoes.
• 4 Lightning.
• 3 Tsunamis.
• 2 Hurricanes.
• 1 Earthquakes.

Let’s take a look at the top 12 worst disasters in US history that have accounted for thousands of deaths and millions of heartaches.

• San Francisco Earthquake.
• Hurricane Maria.
• Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.
• Johnstown Flood.
• Peshtigo Fire.
• Hurricane Katrina.
• Hurricane Harvey.
• Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

More than 150 tsunamis have hit California’s shore since 1800. Most were barely noticeable, but a few have caused fatalities or significant damage. The most destructive tsunami to hit California occurred March 28, 1964.

Tsunamis in San Diego are rare, with only 11 happening in the last 100 years, and most of them coming from earthquakes that occur in Japan, Chile, or Alaska. But there have been four tsunamis in Southern California created by local earthquakes.

Tsunamis can be caused by a variety of events, including landslides, volcanic activity and most commonly, earthquakes. Quakes along strike-slip faults like the San Andreas, in which two plates slide past one another, weren’t thought to cause tsunamis on their own because they cause largely horizontal motion.

Large tsunamis have occurred in the United States and will undoubtedly occur again. Significant earthquakes around the Pacific rim have generated tsunamis that struck Hawaii, Alaska, and the U.S. west coast.

7.5

Earthquakes are one of the most unpredictable and damaging disasters.

Disasters may be explosions, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornados, or fires. In a disaster, you face the danger of death or physical injury. You may also lose your home, possessions, and community. Such stressors place you at risk for emotional and physical health problems.

Natural disasters are caused due to different reasons like soil erosion, seismic activity, tectonic movements, air pressure, and ocean currents etc. Natural activities taking place in the earth’s crust, as well as surface, are the main reasons for these disasters.

Earthquakes can trigger landslides and mudslides, especially in areas with water-soaked soils. Landslides may result in falling rocks and debris that collide with people, trees, animals, buildings and vehicles. They also can block roads and disrupt utility lines.

Japan

Earthquakes can be very dangerous, if you are in the wrong place. They can make buildings fall down and set off landslides, as well as having many other deadly effects. An earthquake that occurs at the bottom of the sea can push water upwards and create massive waves called tsunamis.

The primary effects of earthquakes are ground shaking, ground rupture, landslides, tsunamis, and liquefaction. Fires are probably the single most important secondary effect of earthquakes.

Past major earthquakes have been associated with increased prevalence of psychiatric morbidities such as anxiety disorders1, mood disorders2, sleep disorders3,4 and posttraumatic stress disorder1,3 as well as neurological complaints such as dizziness5.

An average of 3.5 million people are affected by earthquakes every year. Earthquakes usually cause severe damage to urban centres, resulting in the loss of life and damage to homes and other infrastructure.

Both surface deformation and faulting and shaking-related geological effects (e.g., soil liquefaction, landslides) not only leave permanent imprints in the environment, but also dramatically affect human structures. Moreover, underwater fault ruptures and seismically-triggered landslides can generate tsunami waves.

We cannot prevent natural earthquakes from occurring but we can significantly mitigate their effects by identifying hazards, building safer structures, and providing education on earthquake safety. By preparing for natural earthquakes we can also reduce the risk from human induced earthquakes.

Earthquakes are usually caused when rock underground suddenly breaks along a fault. This sudden release of energy causes the seismic waves that make the ground shake. When two blocks of rock or two plates are rubbing against each other, they stick a little. When the rocks break, the earthquake occurs.

The impact of a landslide can be extensive, including loss of life, destruction of infrastructure, damage to land and loss of natural resources. Landslide material can also block rivers and increase the risk of floods.

Landslides can cause seismic disturbances; landslides can also result from seismic disturbances, and earthquake-induced slides have caused loss of life in many countries. Slides can cause disastrous flooding, particularly when landslide dams across streams are breached, and flooding may trigger slides.

Factors that trigger landslide movement include heavy rainfall, erosion, poor construction practices, freezing and thawing, earthquake shaking, and volcanic eruptions. Landslides are typically associated with periods of heavy rainfall or rapid snowmelt and tend to worsen the effects of flooding.

Tsunamis can be generated on impact as a rapidly moving landslide mass enters the water or as water displaces behind and ahead of a rapidly moving underwater landslide.

Although relatively infrequent, violent volcanic eruptions represent also impulsive disturbances, which can displace a great volume of water and generate extremely destructive tsunami waves in the immediate source area.

No, all earthquakes do not cause tsunamis. (1) The earthquake must occur beneath the ocean or cause material to slide in the ocean. (2) The earthquake must be strong, at least magnitude 6.5.

Shifting of ocean sediments could trigger undersea landslides.

Storm surge is cause by hurricanes and happens far more often than tsunamis.

Tsunamis affecting the British Isles are extremely uncommon, and there have only been two confirmed cases in recorded history. Meteotsunamis are somewhat more common, especially on the southern coasts of England around the English and Bristol Channels.

A tsunami-proof building is a purposefully designed building which will, through its design integrity, withstand and survive the forces of a tsunami wave or extreme storm surge. It is hydrodynamically shaped to offer protection from high waves.

2. The ocean could be affected by high tsunami and/or pressure waves in the case of a large asteroid or comet impact. Most current submarines can survive at a depth of 400 m, so they might survive long pressure spikes created by the waves above them as high as 200–400 m, but not kilometer size waves.

Walls in lower stories can be designed to break away under intense pressure from waves to reduce the stress on the building. A tsunami could actually scour out so much of the ground around the building that it could be destabilized and fall over.