Cyclones 1864 Oct. 5, Calcutta, India:70,000 killed. 1942 Oct. 16, Bengal, India:about 40,000 lives lost. 1960 Oct. 10, East Pakistan:cyclone and tidal wave killed about 6,000. 1963 May 28–29, East Pakistan:cyclone killed about 22,000 along coast. 1965 May 11–12 and June 1–2, East Pakistan:cyclones killed about 47,000. Dec. 15, Karachi, Pakistan:about 10,000 killed. 1970 Nov. 12–13, East Pakistan:cyclone and tidal waves killed 200,000 and another 100,000 were reported missing. 1971 Sept. 29, Orissa state, India:cyclone and tidal wave killed as many as 10,000 off the Bay of Bengal. 1974 Dec. 25, Darwin, Australia:cyclone destroyed nearly the entire city; 50 reported dead. 1977 Nov. 19, Andhra Pradesh, India:cyclone and tidal wave claimed lives of 20,000. 1991 April 30, southeast Bangladesh:cyclone killed over 131,000 and left up to 9 million homeless. Thousands of survivors died from hunger and water-borne disease. 1999 Oct. 29, Orissa state, India:supercyclone swept in from Bay of Bengal, killing at least 9,573 and leaving over 10 million homeless. 2004 March 8, Antalaha, Madagascar:Cyclone Gafilo, with winds of 160 mph and heavy rains, leaves hundreds of thousands homeless and killed 295 people. More than 100 were on a ferry that sank off the island of Comoros. 2007 November 15, southern Bangladesh:Cyclone Sidr, with winds over 100 miles per hour, kills nearly 3,500 people in southern Bangladesh. The United Nations reports that a million people are left homeless. 2008 May 3, Myanmar:Cyclone Nargis hits the Irrawaddy Delta and the city of Yangon, killing at least 22,500 people— 41,000 more are still missing. Most of the deaths and destruction were caused by a 12-foot high tidal wave that formed during the storm.

Floods, Avalanches, and Tidal Waves 1228 Holland:100,000 people reputedly drowned by sea flood in Friesland. 1642 China:rebels destroyed Kaifengseawall; 300,000 drowned. 1889 May 31, Johnstown, Pa.:more than 2,200 died in flood after South Fork Dam collapsed. 1910 March 1, Wellington, Wash.:avalanche in Cascade Range swept 2 trains into canyon, killing 96. Worst U.S. avalanche. 1903 June 14, Willow Creek, Ore.:Flash floods swept away town of Heppner, killing more than 240. 1913 March–April, Ohio:Statewide flooding of rivers killed at least 428. 1928 March 12, Santa Paula, Calif.:collapse of St. Francis Dam left 450 dead. 1931 July–Aug., China:flood along Yangtze River left 3.7 million people dead from disease, starvation, or drowning. 1953 Jan. 31–Feb. 5, northwest Europe:storm followed by floods devastated North Seacoastal areas. Netherlands hit hardest; 1,794 dead. 1954 Aug., Teheran, Iran:flood rains resulted in some 10,000 deaths. 1959 Dec. 2, Fréjus, France:flood caused by collapse of Malpasset Dam left 412 dead. 1962 Jan. 10, Peru:avalanche down extinct Huascaranvolcano killed more than 3,000. 1963 Oct. 9, Italy:landslide into the Vaiont Dam;flood killed about 2,000. 1966 Oct. 21, Aberfan, Wales:avalanche of coal, waste, mud, and rocks killed 144 people, including 116 children in school. 1969 Jan. 18–26, southern Calif.:floods and mudslides from heavy rains caused widespread property damage; at least 100 dead. Another downpour (Feb. 23–26) caused further floods and mudslides; at least 18 dead. 1970 Nov. 13, East Pakistan:200,000 killed by cyclone-driven tidal wave from Bay of Bengal.Over 100,000 missing. 1971 Aug., Hanoi, North Vietnam:heavy rains flooded the Red River Delta, killing 100,000. 1972 Feb. 26, Man, W. Va.:a slag-pile dam collapsed under pressure of torrential rains, flooding 17-mi valley, killing more than 118. June 9–10, Rapid City, S.D.:flash flood caused 237 deaths and $160 million in damage. 1975 Aug. 5, Yangtze River, China:63 dams failed, killing an estimated 80,000 to 200,000 people from floods and subsequent famine. The Chinese government never acknowledged the event. 1976 Aug. 1, Loveland, Colo.:flash flood along Route 34 in Big Thompson Canyon left 139 dead. 1988 Aug.–Sept., Bangladesh:heaviest monsoon in 70 years killed more than 1,300. Floods inundated three-fourths of country, leaving 30 million homeless and damages estimated over $1 billion. 1993 June–Aug., Ill., Iowa, Kan., Ky., Minn., Mo., Neb., N.D., S.D., Wis.:flooding of the Mississippi River and tributaries caused 50 deaths and about $12 billion in damage. Almost 70,000 left homeless. 1997 Dec. 1996–Jan. 1997, U.S. West Coast:torrential rains and snowmelt produced severe floods in parts of Calif., Ore., Wash., Idaho, Nev., and Mont., causing 36 deaths and about $2–3 billion in damage. March, Ohio and Mississippi Valleys:flooding and tornadoes plagued Ark., Mo., Miss., Tenn., Ill., Ind., Ky., Ohio, and W.Va. 67 were killed and damage totaled approximately $1 billion. April, N.D., S.D., and Minn.:Grand Forks, N.D., and surrounding area devastated as the Red River swelled 13 ft above flood level. Eleven deaths were recorded. Summer, central and northeast China:heavy flooding of Yangtze Riverkilled more than 3,000 and left 14 million homeless. Estimated damages exceeded $20 billion. 1999 Summer, Asia:torrential downpours and flooding left more than 950 dead and millions homeless in S. Korea, China, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand. Oct., southwest Mexico:heavy rains killed at least 360 people in mudslides and flood waters. Nov. and Dec., Vietnam:devastating floods caused $285 million in damage and killed more than 700 people. Dec. 15–16, northern Venezuela:heavy rains caused catastrophic flooding and mudslides, killing an estimated 5,000 to 20,000 people. Country's worst modern-day natural disaster. 2000 Feb., southeast Africa:weeks of rain resulted in deadly floods in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, killing more than 700 people and leaving 280,000 homeless. mid-September, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam:rising flood waters from the Mekong Riverand its tributaries destroyed crops and livestock and left at least 235 people dead and 4.5 million homeless. Damages were estimated at $50 million in Cambodia and $24 million in Thailand. 2002 Sept. 20, Karmadon Gorge, North Ossetia, Russia:an avalanche caused by a 500-ft chunk of glacier left 150 people dead. June–Aug., Asia:annual monsoons caused record floods and more than 2,000 deaths in China, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.t5 Aug., Europe:record flooding across central and eastern Europe killed 108 people and caused billions of dollars of extensive infrastructure damage and deforestation.

Major U.S. Epidemics 1793 Philadelphia:more than 4,000 residents died from yellow fever. 1832 July–Aug., New York City:over 3,000 people killed in a choleraepidemic. Oct., New Orleans:cholera took the lives of 4,340 people. 1848 New York City:more than 5,000 deaths caused by cholera. 1853 New Orleans:yellow fever killed 7,790. 1867 New Orleans:3,093 perished from yellow fever. 1878 Southern states:over 13,000 people died from yellow fever in lower Mississippi Valley. 1916 Nationwide:over 7,000 deaths occurred and 27,363 cases were reported of polio(infantile paralysis) in America's worst polio epidemic. 1918 March–Nov., nationwide:outbreak of Spanish influenza killed over 500,000 people in the worst single U.S. epidemic. 1949 Nationwide:2,720 deaths occurred from polio, and 42,173 cases were reported. 1952 Nationwide:polio killed 3,300; 57,628 cases reported. 1981–Dec. 2005: Total estimated U.S. AIDS cases: 988,376; total estimated AIDS deaths: 550,394 (Centers for Disease Control). 2009 In April, H1N1, also known as Swine Flu, breaks out and quickly spreads to more than 70 countries. The Centers for Disease Control reports that between April and October, 22 million Americans had contracted the virus, 98,000 required hospitalization, and about 3,900 people died from H1N1-related causes.

Worst Industrial Accidents in History The following table includes information about the worst industrial disasters in history. YearDayIncidentLocationFatalities 201304/24Rana Plaza, a building containing several factories, collapsesSavar, Bangladeshmore than 1,100 198412/0242 tons of lethal methyl isocyanate leak from the Union Carbide pesticide plantBhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India2,259 (immediately) An estimated 25,000 are believed to have died since from the exposure 194204/26A coal dust and gas explosion in a mineBenxihu Colliery, Benxi Liaoning, China1,549 198604/26Explosion during an unauthorized test at the Chernobyl nuclear power plantPrypiat, Ukraine50 due to radiation 3,940 due to radiation induced cancer and leukemia 194704/16Fire near 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate on S.S. Grandcamp causes explosionPort of Texas City, Texas, USA581 198411/19Explosions at a Liquid Petroleum Gas tank farmSan Juanico, Mexico500 190603/10Coal dust explosionCourrieres, France1,099 197607/10ICMESA, a chemical manufacturing plant, releases dioxins (TCDD)Seveso, Italy3,300 farm animals 80,000 animals are later slaughtered 198903/24Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker, spills 260,000 to 750,000 barrels of crude oil into the seaPrince William Sounds, Alaska, USA100,000 to 250,000 seabirds 200005/13Explosion at a fireworks storage depotEnschede, Netherlands23

Fatal Mining Accidents in the U.S. The following table includes information about the most fatal mining accidents in the United States. Only accidents with ten or more fatalities are listed. YearDayMineLocationTypeFatalities 201004/05Upper Big Branch Mine-South, Performance Coal CompanyRaleigh County, Montcoal, West VirginiaExplosion of Gas or Dust29 200601/02Sago Mine, Anker West Virginia Mining Company Inc.Upshur County, Buckhannon, West VirginiaExplosion12 200109/23No. 5 Mine, Jim Walter Resources, Inc.Tuscaloosa County, Brookwood, AlabamaExplosion13 198909/13William Station No. 9 Mine, Pyro Mining Co.Union Co., Wheatcroft, KentuckyExplosion10 198412/19Wilberg Mine, Emery Mining Corp.Emery Co., Orangeville, UtahFire27 198112/08No. 21 Mine, Grundy Mining Co.Marion Co., Whitwell, TennesseeExplosion13 198103/15Dutch Creek No. 1, Mid-Continent Resources, Inc.Pitkin Co., Redstone, ColoradoExplosion15 197603/9-11Scotia Mine, Blue Diamond Coal Co.Letcher Co., Oven Fork, KentuckyExplosion26 197012/30Nos. 15 and 16 Mines, Finley Coal Co.Leslie Co., Hyden, KentuckyExplosion38 196811/20Consol No. 9Farmington, West VirginiaExplosion78 195112/21Orient No. 2West Frankfort, IllinoisExplosion119 194703/25Centralia No. 5Centralia, IllinoisExplosion111 194003/16Willow Grove No. 10St. Clairsville, OhioExplosion72 194001/10Pond Creek No. 1Bartley, West VirginiaExplosion91 191310/22Stag Canon No. 2Dawson, New MexicoExplosion263 190911/13Cherry MineCherry, IllinoisFire259 190712/06Monongah Nos. 6 and 8Monongah, West VirginiaExplosion362 Source:Mine Safety and Health Administration,Historical Data on Mine Disasters in the United StatesWeb: www.msha.gov/.