In 2015, the world was shaken by 150 natural disasters. Here are 7 that left us crippled, emotionally and otherwise.
Towards the end of a year there are several memories that stay with us forever. Some as those that we would want to relive, while others that leave scars that can never be erased. Natural disasters are among the latter. In 2015, the world was affected by 150 natural disasters, while floods were the most frequently occurring disasters, other disasters affected and claimed a lot of lives too.
Let’s look at disasters which had caused most havoc this year:
Nepal Earthquake
The biggest tragedy of 2015, which led to the death of close to 8,900 people, struck Nepal and it’s neighbouring regions on April 25. The 7.8 magnitude quake was not the only one to have shattered the country, another quake, a part of the chain reaction that was experienced 17 days later of intensity 7.3 caused enough damage too.
The nation with a population of 28 million people experienced it’s worst disaster this year, which led to destruction of 9 lakh buildings, avalanches in the Himalayas and aftershocks of that were experienced in northern Indian as well.
Chennai Floods
Leading to over 370 deaths, the state of Tamil Nadu experienced the worst cloud burst in the last 100 years in the month of November and December. The city of Chennai and it’s neighbouring districts Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Cuddalore were most affected due to the floods.
Around 5000 people were evacuated from the flood hit areas by the armed forces and the central government announced a relief package of Rs 1,000 crores for the state, whose losses to the Indian economy have been pegged at US $3 billion.
Afghanistan Earthquake
The earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 on Richter scale centred 82 kms southeast of Feyzabad in the Hindu Kush mountain range, not only jolted Afghanistan, Pakistan but also Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, the National Capital Region (NCR), Punjab, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.
The catastrophe, on October 26, led to approximately 400 casualties and 2500 injuries.
Assam floods
Flood prone Assam which has seen 12 major floods since 1950, experienced another one by the end of August, which affected 1.5 million lives. Around 50 lost their lives in the floods and over 36, 000 hectares of agricultural land was submerged in 11 districts of Brahmaputra River. As per government records two lakh people had seeked refuge in relief camps.
Japan earthquake
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked Japan on May 30, was the sixth largest experienced by the island country since 1885, though there were no casualties or major injuries reported.
Indonesia forest fire
The worst man-made natural disaster that hit Indonesia in January, affected them all around the year and cost them 1.9% of the amount of their GDP. A report by the Wall Street Journal, pegged the losses at US $14 billion.
However, the human cost was the cause of worry in this disaster, 19 people died and around five lakh cases of respiratory infection have been reported since the start of fire, while the schools remain shut due to possible health risks posed by the thick haze.
Heat wave in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
While some cities experienced a high temperature of 48C during the summer months, Andhra Pradesh was worst affected, and what made matters worse was the delayed monsoons.
The heat wave killed around 2,330 people, according to official reports.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Floods Natural Disasters")
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}