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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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December
2007
Volume 13 -
Number 3 |
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| Top 10 International Disaster Events from 2007 By Daniel Casey According to the Emergency Disaster Database (EM-DAT), maintained by the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), the following events were the top 10 international disasters in 2007 (by total number affected):
Flood – China P Rep – 6/15/2007 to July 2007 Starting on June 15th, 2007, heavy rains began falling on the Sichuan Province of southwest China. Before they ended in July, floods, mudslides, and landslides would sweep across the region killing 535 people, affecting over 100 million and causing over 4 billion US$ in damages to dams, buildings, roads, and crops. Flood – India – 6/01/2007 to August 2007 India’s monsoon season, which lasts from June to September, swept across the country causing over 3,000 deaths (ReliefWeb) and affecting over 18 million people in 2007. According to numerous reports, flooding was particularly serious in 2007. The Chief Secretary of Bihar state, AK Chowdhury, described it as “…very, very serious, the situation we have now is unprecedented in the past 30 years.”(http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/03/1996632.htm ) Flood – Bangladesh – 7/21/2007 to 8/03/2007 Bangladesh’s 2007 monsoon season produced some of the worst flooding in decades killing over 800 people and affecting over 11 million causing many to live on embankments and roadsides in temporary shelters (http://bangladeshjournal.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html ). In late July officials reported that half of the county was submerged as extensive flooding was closing in on the capital. The long terms economic effects of the monsoon season are still being determined though hundred of thousands lost their homes and all possessions and an entire crop harvest was ruined. Windstorm (Typhoon Sepat) – China P Rep – 8/18/2007 to 8/21/2007 Early Sunday morning on August 19th, 2007, Typhoon Sepat, which one-day earlier had ripped through Taiwan with 155km/hr winds, crashed into the Fujian province on the southern coast of China. Packing 90 mph winds, Sepat forced the evacuation of more than 900,000 people from the Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong provinces (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/18/AR2007081800913.html ). It killed 30 people, affected 8 million and caused close to 900,000,000 US$ damage. Complex Disaster (Famine) – Burundi – February 2007 In February 2007, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that a food crisis was looming in Burundi due to the loss of food stock in late 2006 and early 2007. WFP and the Food and Agricultural Organization reported that between 50 and 80 percent of the November 2006 harvest and much of the January 2007 harvest was destroyed from flooding caused by the late arrival of heavy rains, cassava disease and flooding in early 2007 (http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21461&Cr=burundi&Cr1= ). The food crisis would last until June 2007 (the time of the next harvest) and affect over 2,00,000 people and would become a regional disaster affecting over 14,000,000 East Africans in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania (http://www.worldvision.org/about_us.nsf/child/eNews_eastafrica_20060718?Open&lpos=mainnav&lid=eastafrica0706 ). Windstorm (Cyclone Yemyin) – Pakistan – 6/26/2007 to 7/06/2007 Cyclone Yemyin, packing up to 130km/h winds, made landfall in the Balochistan province of Pakistan at 1100 local time. It killed 242 people, affected 1.65 million, and caused extensive damage 14 districts of the Balochistan province, which makes up 44 percent of Pakistan’s landmass, and 4 districts in the Sindh province (http://www.worldvision.org/news.nsf/news/20070702_pakistan?Open&wvsrc=enews&lpos=main&lid=pakistan200707 ). Yemyin arrived towards the end of a monsoon season that produced record flooding and damages in many South Asian countries. Wind Storm (Hailstorm) – China – 4/01/2007 Hailstones, some the size of eggs, wreaked havoc on parts of south China on April 1st, 2007. The hailstorm, which is not uncommon in China, killed 13 people, affected over 1 million and caused 26 million US$ in damage, mostly to homes and crops (http://in.news.yahoo.com/070402/43/6e2wa.html ). Wild Fires (Forest) – Macedonia FRY – July 2007 Heat-wave related wildfires tore though the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the summer of 2007. At their height, the wildfires had consumed over 7,400 acres of forest in 32 municipalities, killing one person, due to smoke inhalation, and affecting 1 million people (half the population of Macedonia) (www.vmacedonianews.com/2007_07_01_archive.html ). International support from USAID and the EU helped to quell the fires that threatened critical infrastructure and major urban areas. By August 1st a NATO report noted that while most of the fires were under control the crisis situation was still active and serious due to dry weather conditions and continually high temperatures (www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LSGZ-75QFL6?OpenDocument&rc=4&emid=WF-2007-000116-MKD). Wildfires also affected Albania, Kosovo, and Greece during the summer of 2007 as the heat wave created ideal conditions for them to occur and made it very difficult for firefighters to get them under control. Drought – Rwanda – March 2007 to present For five consecutive years Eastern Africa and Horn of Africa have dealt with severe drought that has affected millions. In March 207, severe drought was once again extended to the eastern and southern regions of the Rwanda affecting 202,239 households (over 1 million people) (www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/MKOC-76QH22?OpenDocument ). Despite increased food availability in early 2007 due to above-average Season 2007A harvest there is a high likelihood of worsening food insecurity from severe drought. According to a Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) report, food insecurity could worsen beyond the traditional hunger season (April to May), due to “…late and potentially poor Season B production and high staple food prices.” (www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MCON-7442S8?OpenDocument) Extreme Temperature (Cold Wave) – Argentina – May 2007 to June 2007 A cold wave that brought the coldest temperatures in 40 years struck Argentina in May 2007. It resulted in the death of 67 people, affected over ¾ of a million people, and severely impacted country’s energy grid and health system (www.nowpublic.com/lethal_cold_wave_in_argentina ). Most deaths were caused by exposure, fires or gas leaks due to faulty heating systems, and in some cases pneumonia (http://news.monstersandcritics.com/americas/news/article_1312325.php/Cold_wave_claims_80_lives_in_Peru_Argentina ). The demand for natural gas, which is used for heating, water heating, and cooking, increased and in turn put a severe strain on the energy grid. Power generation faced a number of problems that ultimately resulted in intermittent power and heat outages. Industrial facilities also suffered due to power problems and limited natural gas. Natural gas exports to Chile, which is an important area of Argentine exports, were shut |