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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Cyclone Nargis intensifies further
Tropical cyclone Nargis, staying west-central and adjoining southwest and southeast Bay of Bengal, has taken the shape of a very severe cyclonic storm, intensifying further Tuesday evening, said the Storm Warning Centre. After intensifying into a very severe cyclonic storm, Nargis at 10:30pm lay centred over near latitude 14.0 degrees north and longitude 85.0 degrees east about 1,155 kilometres southwest of Chittagong port, 1,090 kilometres southwest of Cox's Bazar port and 1,030 kilometres south-southwest of Mongla port.
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30 hurt as tornado hits Lalmonirhat villages
At least 30 people were injured and 200 houses damaged as a tornado lashed 12 villages in two upazilas in Lalmonirhat Monday night. Several hundred trees were also blown over at Adimari and in the district headquarters. Villagers said the tornado started sweeping the villages at about 9:30pm. Many of the injured were admitted to Aditmari Health Complex and Lalmonirhat General Hospital.
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Tremors jolt northern California, Russia's Kamchatka peninsula
A 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck in the mountains of northern California on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey reported. Meanwhile, another earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale Wednesday shook the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's far east, RIA-Novosti news agency reported. In California, the quake's epicentre was 57 kilometers (35 miles) east of Eureka, 307 kilometers (191 miles) from the California state capital Sacramento, the USGS said. The earthquake was recorded at 7:03pm local time (0203 GMT) and had a depth of 17 kilometers (10 miles), it said.
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Need to act on climate change stressed
Singer Rabbi today joined the Greenpeace activists for highlighting the urgency of creating a National Climate Action plan (NCAP) that focuses on preventing climate change. Rabbi said, "Everything we do can either hurt or save climate and our future depends on the choices we make. One cannot afford to watch climate change. We cannot live in our cocoon-gated colonies, we need to take a stand on climate change.' The Greenpeace activists have occupied prime real estate and set up a migrant colony 35-ft above Delhi-Noida toll bridge.
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Famine an indirect phenomenon of bamboo flowering, says Laloo
Famine caused by bamboo flowering is an indirect phenomenon that happens in 30 to 40 years depending on the species of the bamboo. Senior Congress legislator and NEHU Head of Department of Botany Dr RC Laloo told The Sentinel that bamboo flowering does not directly lead to famine but it occurs after rats have shortage of food. He said when rats feed on the high-protein seeds of bamboo, flowers start to reproduce while their population doubles leading to shortage of seeds. Therefore, the rats are left with no option but to attack the paddy fields, Dr Laloo said.
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Nargis makes Chennai sweat
THE movement of Nargis, the cyclone, is all set to raise the heat in Chennai in the next few days. Nargis, situated 550 km eastnortheast of Chennai, is predicted to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm and move towards the northerly direction and then turn northeast towards Bangladesh. This effectively means hopes of rain that people harboured, looking at cloudy skies, have been dashed. Chennai is unlikely to get even the isolated showers or thundershowers predicted earlier.
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Training on disaster management held
A two-day long training programme of teachers on disaster management and school safety was organised in Assam Administrative Staff College, Khanapara on April 23 and 24. All total 32 participants from different government and private high schools of Guwahati took part in this two-day training programme conducted under Urban Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Project, Kamrup Metropolitan in collaboration with the Assam Administrative Staff College, Khanapara, said an official press release.
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South Asia
Polio resurfaces in Pakistan: Efforts to eradicate polio appear to have taken a blow following confirmation of a third case in Pakistan's Sindh Province this year. The disease was confirmed in a
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River erosion to make 29,000 homeless by next one year: Study
Around 29,000 people living along the banks of Brahmaputra, Jamuna and Padma rivers will be rendered homeless by next one year due to riverbank erosion, a research organisation working with river and water resources forecast yesterday. A study report of the Center for Environment and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) also said 2,840 hectares of land, 450 hectares of settlement, 150 metre of embankment, 1,860 metres of district road, 490 metres of upazila road and 3,750 metres of rural road are vulnerable to erosion along the three rivers.
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Untimely swelling of Jamuna causes havoc in Sirajganj
With untimely swelling of Jamuna River during the last several days, massive erosion along its western bank in Sirajganj district has devoured 200 homesteads and over 100 acres of croplands in 22 villages of five upazilas in the district. The affected upazilas are Kazipur, Sirajganj Sadar, Belkuchi, Chowhali and Shahzadpur. Meghai, Maizbari, Natuarpara, Shuvogachha, Simantabazaar and Dhekuria in Kazipur upazila, Kaizury, Gudhibari, Porzona, Monakosha and Datpara in Shahzadpur upazila and Khaskawlia, Umorpur, Jalalpur and Enayetpur in Chowhali upazila are worst affected areas.