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The Human Cost of Ten Devastating Earthquakes: Priceless
Earthquakes are caused by the shifting of tectonic plates on the earth's surface. When these plates shift, the ground can move violently. Earthquakes have changed the terrain of our planet since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, there has been a high human cost to this major force of nature. Earthquakes are caused by the shifting of tectonic plates on the earth's surface. When these plates shift, the ground can move vi... more
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World's poorest people hit hardest by disasters
More poor people are falling victim to global disasters than ever before, says a new report that tracks carnage.
This higher level of vulnerability is occurring even though emergency preparedness is generally better and there were fewer floods, droughts and earthquakes in 2007 than in previous years, says the 2008 World Disasters Report released Thursday by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
More than 201 million people were affected by disasters, a 40 per cent increase over 2006. But of those killed, a disproportionate number came from vulnerable people in developing countries.
Almost two-thirds of the world's disasters dating back to 2004 have occurred in Asia and the Pacific and in Africa, the report said. "It is a sad reality that the people most affected and hardest hit by disasters are amongst the poorest in the world," Charlie Musoka, manager of emergency response for the Canadian Red Cross, said in a statement.
In all, 405 natural disasters were reported in 2007 and they inflicted a cost of almost $63.5 billion. Another 141 "technical disasters" occurred, industrial, transport or miscellaneous accidents, such as a ferry sinking or a mine collapse.
Together, they claimed the lives of 23,167 people across the globe in 2007. While that is far lower than the yearly average of 113,000 deaths of the last decade, those figures take into account the year that most skewed the average - 2004, when the Asian tsunami that followed the earthquake off the coast of Indonesia killed more than 230,000.
But this year is shaping up to be just as bad.
The toll of dead or missing from the May 2 cyclone that struck Myanmar rose this week to 138,000, while the number of dead in the China earthquake 10 days later has risen to almost 69,000 and is expected to keep climbing, amid fears that rivers now blocked by landslides could burst. In all, more than two billion people have been affected by disasters in the last decade, the report said. Floods, at 28 per cent, tropical cyclones at 12 per cent, earthquakes at 11 per cent and epidemics at nine per cent accounted for the majority of disasters categorized between 2004 and 2008, the study said.
- Mike Blanchfield, Canwest News Service More poor people are falling victim to global disasters than ever before, says a new report that tracks carnage. ... more -
First movie of 'tsunami' on Sun
Astronomers have captured the first footage of a solar "tsunami" hurtling through the Sun's atmosphere at over a million kilometres per hour. Naturally, this type of tsunami does not involve water; instead, it is a wave of pressure that travels across the Sun very fast. Astronomers have captured the first footage of a solar "tsunami" hurtling through the Sun's atmosphere at over a millio... more
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'Tsunami' on the Sun
Astronomers have captured the first footage of a solar "tsunami" hurtling through the Sun's atmosphere at over a million kilometres per hour.
Get me out of here, i'm scared. Astronomers have captured the first footage of a solar "tsunami" hurtling through the Sun's atmosphere at over a millio... more -
3 Year Anniversary of Tsunami in Asia
Can't believe it's been three years already....The waves on Dec. 26, 2004, spawned by the mightiest earthquake in 40 years, killed around 230,000 people in 12 Indian Ocean nations, just under half of them in the Indonesian province of Aceh on Sumatra island. Can't believe it's been three years already....The waves on Dec. 26, 2004, spawned by the mightiest earthquake in 40 years, ... more
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Boxing Day Tsunami
A look back to the devastation caused by the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. More than 225,000 people were killed in eleven countries when waves up to 30 meters tall devastated everything and everyone on the coast. A look back to the devastation caused by the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. More than 225,000 people were killed in eleven countries when... more
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After The Wave
After the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman tsunami, hundred of thousands of survivors struggled to put their lives back together. "After The Wave" looks into the lives of villagers in Phang Nga province in Thailand, almost three years after the tsunami. The documentary also focuses on the efforts of a grassroots non-profit organization, which has helped them move forward in practical ways to rebuild their local communities. After the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman tsunami, hundred of thousands of survivors struggled to put their lives back together. "After The ... more
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Solomon Tsunami
Devastation on the Solomon Islands after a 5 meter high wave swept away over 900 homes and displaced up to 5000 people.
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Powerful quake shakes Indonesia
A powerful earthquake has struck off the western Indonesian island of Sumatra, sparking fears of a tsunami.
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Watching for Killer Waves
Johnny Bell visits the national Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii, where experts study the science of predicting a devastating wave.
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