From floods to earthquakes, fires and hurricanes, mother nature has demonstrated its full strength over the past 10 years. Hundreds of thousands of people died and millions were displaced all over the world in the face of the fury of nature.
Haiti Earthquake 2010
Only in the first few days of the decade, January 12, 2010, an earthquake of 7 magnitude occurred in the small Caribbean country of Haiti.
For several weeks after the devastation of the initial earthquake, a series of tremors continued to shake the island country.
The death toll is estimated to be between 250,000 and 300,000, with the same number injured.
The Haiti earthquake is the worst natural disaster in terms of casualties over the past decade and one of the highest rates ever.
Japan earthquake and tsunami 2011
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake of magnitude 9.1 shook the eastern part of Japan - the strongest ever to occur in the country.
The intensity of the earthquake provoked a devastating tsunami with tidal waves reaching up to 10 meters in some places.
More than 20,000 people died and at least half a million people were evacuated.
The country, already facing the effects of the earthquake and tsunami, also faced the fear of a nuclear accident at the Fukushima power plant after its reactors were seriously damaged.
2011 New Zealand Earthquake
More than 180 people died in February 2011, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake rocked Christchurch, the country's second largest city.
The shock occurred during the lunch break around 13:00 on February 22, when many were in the city center. Hundreds of buildings collapsed, and thousands more were damaged - some cannot be repaired.
Queensland Floods 2010-2011
In the summer of 2010-11. as a result of the massive floods in Queensland, the lives of thousands of people were destroyed.
Heavy rain has been falling for several months in several parts of the state, with a flood destroying the banks of the river. A University of Queensland study found that “nearly 75 percent of Queensland suffered from severe flooding” in November 2010 and February 2011.
Floods claimed the lives of 35 people. Entire streets were washed away, tens of thousands of houses remained flooded. Cleaning took years, and residents struggled to recover.
Hurricane Sandy 2012
Hurricane Sandy caused nearly 150 deaths in the northeastern United States, Canada, and the Caribbean after it hit communities in the last weeks of October 2012.
First, a hurricane struck Jamaica, then Cuba, Haiti and the Bahamas, and then the United States.
Thousands of houses and buildings were destroyed, and millions of people were left without electricity and gas for several weeks.
The storm damage account, which affected more than 24 states, was estimated at more than $ 70 billion.
According to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, it is considered the second most expensive storm after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Outside the United States, in 2012, several other countries were hit by huge natural disasters, including the deadly earthquakes in Italy and the Middle East, as well as the monsoon floods throughout Asia.
The most deadly natural disaster of 2012 is Typhoon Beaufe in the Philippines, which killed more than 1,000 people and nearly two million people were resettled when it hit the south of the country in December.
Typhoon Haiyan 2013
The Philippine typhoon is also responsible for most of the deaths from any natural disaster in 2013.
It is believed that about 6,000 people died and more than three million people were resettled as a result of typhoon Haiyan, and the wind speed reached 315 kilometers per hour.
It is considered the strongest tropical cyclone ever to land.
2013 was another year of widespread natural disasters, including a 6.6-point deadly earthquake in Lushan in April in China, an earthquake in February in the Solomon Islands, and a tornado in Oklahoma in May, which killed dozens of people.
According to The Guardian, in 2014, natural disasters displaced people more than wars.
China Earthquake 2014
More than 600 people died in an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 in the southwestern province of China's Yunnan in August 2014.
Thousands of buildings were destroyed by an earthquake, which also caused landslides, exacerbated by torrential rains, which further devastated the region.
An earthquake of 8.2 magnitude also occurred in Chile in April 2014, while floods destroyed communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, Pakistan and the Solomon Islands.
Earthquake in Nepal 2015
Nepal was devastated by an earthquake of 7.8 points, which killed more than 8,000 people in April 2015. Hundreds of thousands of houses and other buildings, including schools, were destroyed, and people were left without houses.
Powerful shocks were felt throughout the country for several weeks after the initial earthquake.
The earthquake also caused a series of avalanches in the Himalayas, more than 20 people died and dozens of others were trapped on Mount Everest.
Earthquake in Ecuador 2016
On Saturday evening in April 2016, Ecuador was shocked by an earthquake of 7.8 points, which instantly turned the buildings into ruins.
At least 670 people were killed in the disaster, more than 6,000 were injured.
Rescue operations were reportedly difficult due to lack of water, damaged roads and poor communication lines.
Some of the most affected areas were popular tourist regions in the South American country.
Hurricane Maria 2017
At its peak, Hurricane Maria was recorded as a category 5 storm when it hit Dominica and Puerto Rico.
More than 3,000 people died as a result of a storm, which sometimes reached speeds of up to 282 km / h.
Reconstruction efforts became a major political affair when local authorities asked the US Congress and President Donald Trump to help the affected regions, with more than three million Americans.
Fires in Greece 2018
In July 2018, a series of fires swept through Greece, destroying the city of Mati east of Athens. It was one of the worst natural disasters for the European nation.
At least 83 people were killed in fires. Greek authorities launched an investigation into whether the arson was the cause of fires that destroyed about 500 homes.
2018 Lombok Island Earthquake
In August 2018, an earthquake of 6.9 points occurred on the Indonesian island of Lombok. The disaster killed at least 550 people and more than 300,000 people were resettled.
At least 13,000 homes and buildings were destroyed, and rescue and restoration work was hindered by the loss of power and communications.
Australian Drought 2018
Australia experienced many droughts in its history, but in 2018 New South Wales hit the headlines for international news when the entire state was declared drought-affected.
About 60 percent of Queensland also suffered from drought, which, according to Australian farmers, was the most severe drought in the last hundred years.
The heartbreaking stories of dying cattle, that farmers struggled to feed their families, appeared in droves. While there were some occasional rains, meteorologists said much more than light rain was needed to overcome the ongoing drought.
Amazon Forest Fires 2019
In 2019, more than 80,000 fires broke out in Brazil, with nearly half of them occurring in the Amazon rainforest.
The fires were so big that smoke plumes could be seen from space.
Amazon fires have attracted widespread attention when thousands of people shared their images of the devastating flame on the Internet, claiming that disaster was not given enough attention.
Fires in Australia 2019
In New South Wales, forest fires raged for months. People died and nearly 900 homes were destroyed as the state faced the worst fire hazard season ever recorded, less than a month after the start of summer.
Violent fires also devastated Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and millions of hectares of land burned down throughout the country.
At least eight people were killed, including firefighters and residents who defended their homes. More than 100 homes in South Australia were lost, and hundreds were destroyed.
Thousands of heads of local wildlife were also exterminated, and hospitals, overcrowded to the limit, took care of sick or injured animals affected by fires.
Smoke from the fire over many weeks covered many parts of the country, causing nausea in some people and even forcing to cancel the Big Bash cricket match.
When thick smoke covered Sydney for several weeks, residents rushed to buy face masks and air purifiers. Smoke also entered populated areas of Canberra and Victoria.
Fires in Siberia 2019
Temperatures in June and July were the hottest ever recorded in the world. In some parts of Siberia where fires were concentrated, the temperature was 6 degrees above the average for 30 years from 1981 to 2010.
7 million hectares of Siberia turned into a desert in just two months. Since the beginning of the year, fires have absorbed more than 13 million hectares - an area larger than Greece.
