2024 Disasters in Numbers
<p>In 2024, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 393 natural hazard-related disasters. These events caused 16,753 fatalities and affected 167.2 million people. Economic losses totaled US$241.95
Natural Disasters
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Squall disrupts flight schedule
With the sudden change in weather on Wednesday morning, chaos reigned at the IGI airport as at least six flights had to be diverted and several delayed due to strong winds. According to sources, strong winds lashed the city during the morning hours and the airport was affected between 9.55 am and 10.27 am. During this period, at least six flights had to be diverted to nearby cities and those flights that were waiting in queue for take-off were delayed by 15-35 minutes.
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Relief effort picks up pace
Two days after an earthquake ravaged south-west China, rescuers continued the search for survivors, with efforts focussing on Wenchuan County, the epicentre. Wenchuan was cut-off until some 24 hours after the quake struck, the roads leading into the area blocked by rubble and weather conditions making aerial landings impossible. The death toll continued to soar as hitherto unreachable areas were breached by rescue workers.
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Squall toll: Five killed, 20 injured
A squall with a wind speed up to 104 kmph caught the city unawares on Wednesday morning and left behind a trail of destruction
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Monsoon onset likely on May 29: IMD
The India Meteorological Department on Wednesday forecast that the onset of the South-west Monsoon over Kerala is likely on May 29, with a model error of plus or minus four days. In other words, the monsoon could enter the Indian landmass between May 25 and June 2. The normal date of onset over Kerala is June 1. Meanwhile, with the strengthening and deepening of the monsoon winds and widespread rainfall activity, the monsoon has already entered the waters surrounding the country.
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Matchsticks in storm
Strong winds, coupled with rain, played havoc with the green cover of the city. Several trees fell, all across the Capital, leaving people to struggle with snapped power lines and blocked traffic Wednesday's storm ripped through Delhi, playing havoc with the green cover in various parts of the city. Heavy winds followed by rain uprooted trees and left people struggling through heavy branches blocking the roads. In certain areas, trees had collapsed on electric lines and transformers, disrupting power supply.
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100kmph storm kills 5 people, wreaks havoc across city
Officegoers were caught completely unawares on Wednesday morning when the sky darkened within minutes and a squall lashed the city and its neighbouring areas at a speed of over 100 kmph. The storm uprooted scores of trees and electricity poles and brought down roofs and walls of houses taking a toll of at least five lives in the city. In Greater Noida, poor visibility and rain caused a company bus to skid on the road
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Toiling through the night in a quake-devastated city (editorial)
Desperate efforts have been mounted in Mianzhu as rescuers still have some hope of reaching survivors. The roads were black and eerily quiet for a city of such size. But on a street near the centre, floodlights and the grind of cutting equipment announced that rescue workers were toiling through the night. It had been a commercial bank, said one bystander; a Bank of China, said someone else. You couldn't tell any more. All that was left was a great mound where the building had slid forward into the road as if it were melting butter.
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Monsoon to hit Kerala coast on May 29: MET
THE much-awaited monsoon is likely to hit the Kerala coast on May 29 this year. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), using an indigenously developed forecast model, maintained on Wednesday that the forecast implied a model error of +/- four days from that date. The mean monsoon onset date over Kerala is June 1, two days later.
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Myanmar tightens access to cyclone disaster zone
Myanmar's ruling junta has tightened access to the cyclone disaster zone in the country's south, frustrating aid groups trying to bring help to survivors, reporters and aid agencies said yesterday. Relief groups are furious over the regime's refusal to allow foreign experts into the country to mount a full-scale disaster response, and say they face even more constraints in bringing help to some two million survivors.
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Delhi hit by storm: 4 killed
High-speed winds brought un-seasonal rain and thunder to the Capital on Wednesday morning, uprooting trees and wreaking widespread havoc that claimed four lives and left several injured.