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10 natural disasters that shook the world in 2014

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Snapshot from Kashmir flood 2014
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The year 2014 saw several natural disasters around the world, which renewed worries about global warming and related incidents threatening life on our planet.

An Oxfam report in November also showed how Asia is highly vulnerable to increasingly severe and frequent weather extremes and woefully underprepared to manage growing crises.

Here's a look back at 10 natural disasters around the world this year. 

1. Polar Vortex hits North America


Tourists saw a spectacular sight at the Niagara Falls when the Polar Vortex encapsulated the US in a cold blanket.

Date: December 2013 to April 2014

Extreme winter weather conditions and a massive cold wave swept through the United States and Canada in the beginning of the year, with heavy snowfall, rainfall and strong winds causing record low temperatures that lasted almost till April.

The harsh weather affected close to 240 million people in the United States and southern Canada, forcing schools and local governments to shut down, as well as mass flight cancellations.

Also Read:  Niagara Falls freezes as Polar Vortex envelops United States

2. Mount Everest avalanche


AFP

Date: April 18, 2014

An avalanche on Mount Everest killed 16 Nepalese guides near the Everest Base Camp on April 18, 2014. Thirteen bodies were recovered, but the search for the remaining was called off due to the difficulty and risk involved in trying to retrieve them. Since the incident, the Nepal government declared that foreign mountaineers would have to spend more for the insurance cover of their Sherpa guides to climb any Himalayan peak in the country.

Also Read: Experts blame mindless commercialisation for Mount Everest tragedy

3. Afghan mudslides


Reuters

Date: May 2, 2014

A landslide caused by heavy rains buried almost 300 homes in a village called Badakshan in northeastern Afghanistan and displaced thousands on May 2 this year. In the early days, the United Nation confirmed that 350 people were killed. However, after a major operation was carried out to rescue those still trapped, more than 2,100 people were declared dead as the government failed to find them. Badakshan is in one of the most remote areas in the country, nestled in the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges.

Read: Afghan landslide rescue to focus on the displaced

4. Pune landslide

Date: July 30, 2014

A landslide on July 30, caused by heavy rainfall destroyed the village of Malin, Pune, tragically causing the deaths of 151 people and damaging around 40 homes. It was one of the the largest rescue operations in that part of the country, as more than 2,500 personnel from government agencies and 353 officers were involved.

Also Read: Pune landslide: 8 people rescued, 151 bodies recovered as NDRF halts rescue operations

5. Ludian earthquake


A Chinese paramilitary policeman carries an elderly man after an earthquake struck Ludian county of Zhaotong, in China's Yunnan province. Reuters

Date: August 3

An earthquake with magnitude 6.1 struck Ludian County, China on August 3 this year. The catastrophic incident claimed the lives of almost 600 people. Meanwhile, 4200 people were evacuated after artificial lakes formed by the landslides posed a risk of flooding. The tremors left 2,400 injured and close to 230,000 people suffered from water and food shortages. 12,000 houses were also destroyed and 30,000 damaged. Ludian is home to some 265,900 people.

6. Jammu and Kashmir floods

Date: September 5, 2014

One of the biggest tragedies to hit the country this year was the Jammu and Kashmir floods in September that killed 282 people and damaged around 2.53 lakh houses.

Roads were transformed into stagnant canals strewn with wreckage, trash and dead animals. The Indian Army deployed about 30,000 troops for rescue and relief operations and the Army's 92 Base hospital in the Kashmir Valley, provided medical care for victims of the floods saving 300 people, including 35 newborns. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team introduced advanced medical services in order to get medical care to the victims rapidly.

Read: Jammu and Kashmir floods: An eye witness account of tragedy and valour

7. Wildfires in California


Image for representational purposes only.

Date: September

A raging wildfire in September destroyed close to 150 homes in Northern California (United States) and caused massive power outages. Authorities evacuated 1,000 households in and around the Northern California town of Weed, which has a population of about 3,000.

California's fire season, which runs from May to October, was one of the most destructive on record, according to state fire managers. The wildfires came as parts of California baked under triple-digit temperatures and the most populous US state grappled with a devastating three years of drought, which has dried out brush and trees, helping fuel the flames.

8. Cyclone Hudhud hits Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Nepal

Date: October 15

A very severe cyclonic storm Hudhud hit the states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on October 12. Around 500,000 people in Andhra Pradesh were evacuated into relief camps, while 68,000 people were evacuated in Odisha. Cyclone Hudhud caused at least 61 deaths and a loss of Rs 21,908 crore, including damage to the tune of Rs 6,136 crore to private industries in the port city in Andhra Pradesh.

Read: Cyclone Hudhud: Radio helps reach remote areas of Odisha district

Neighbouring Nepal was was also hit by unseasonal snow blizzards and an avalanche caused by Cyclone Hudhud on October 15. In the early hours, 20 people including eight foreign hikers and a group of yak herders, were confirmed dead. However as the blizzard worsened, so did the toll of victims. Rescue workers turned to villagers familiar with the rugged land in the hunt for trekkers stranded in isolated areas. 

Read: Post blizzard that claimed 40 lives, Nepal to impose strict rules on trekkers, guides

9.Hawaii volcano threatens village


A lobe of lava burns along Cemetery Road/Apaa Street slowly creeping toward the community of Pahoa.

Date: November

Slow moving lava from a volanic erruption incinerated its irst home in November, in the village of Pahoa on Hawaii's Big Island. The Kilauea volcano had been continuously errupting since 1983, however its threat became serious only in June 2014 as the lava was making its way toward the village. The lava flow from the Kilauea volcano had been slowly moving toward the village of Pahoa which gave authorities time to evacuate 50 homes and make great efforts to update residents of the threat.

Also Read: World's largest active volcano shows signs of life in Hawaii

10. Phillipines hit by Typhoon Hagupit


Date: December

In December, central Philippines was hit by powerful Typhoon Hagupit. More than 1.2 million fled to shelters away from coastal areas and landslide-prone villages.Due to the massive evacuation plan undertaken, there were few fatalities. However, at least 27 people lost their lives in the typhoon. When it was finally safe, thousands of residents returned to find hundreds of homes flattened.

Also Read: Homes flattened as Typhoon Hagupit roars through Philippines

Environment and humanitarian groups hoped that the typhoon would spur action at the UN climate talks in Lima, where almost 200 nations were meeting to work out an accord to slow global warming, due at a summit in Paris in a year's time.

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