Biggest Natural Disasters of 2016: Year of the Earthquake

By Kacey Deamer, Employees Author | December 23, 2016 08:22am ET

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  Credit score: ESA

  The 12 months's Greatest Pure Disasters

  This 12 months was one for the report books, from political election outcomes that took the world by storm to precise storms that shook spots throughout the globe. The 12 months started with winter storm Jonas, also referred to as "The Storm of the Century," which introduced a report quantity of snowfall to the Northeast. However 2016 might be often called the 12 months of the earthquake, as areas all over the world trembled from seismic exercise. Listed below are a few of the headline-grabbing pure disasters that occurred this 12 months.

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  Credit score: NASA Earth Observatory

  Winter Storm Jonas

  The huge winter storm left the northeast U.S. coated in such in depth snowfall that the white precipitation was clearly seen from house. Over the course of 1 weekend (Jan. 23-24), Jonas broke information for snowfall in locations alongside the East Coast. Airports close to Baltimore recorded about 29 inches (74 centimeters) of snow; roughly 28 inches (71 cm) of snow fell in Newark, New Jersey, and Philadelphia recorded 22 inches (55 cm) of snow, in response to the Climate Channel. The city of Glengary, West Virginia, obtained the best snow whole: a whopping 42 inches (107 cm). No less than 49 folks died on account of the mammoth snowstorm, attributable to automotive accidents, hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning or overexertion from shoveling snow. [Read the full story on winter storm Jonas' epic snowfall"]
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  Credit score: Lam Yik Fei/Getty Photos

  Taiwan Earthquake

  On Feb. 6, a 6.Four-magnitude earthquake hit 17 miles (28 kilometers) northeast of Pingtung Metropolis in southern Taiwan. It is comparatively shallow depth (14 miles, or 23 km, under the floor) brought about widespread injury, toppling buildings within the metropolis of Tainan. The quake brought about an estimated 117 deaths and left a whole lot extra injured, in response to the Tainan Metropolis authorities. A lot of the fatalities and accidents got here from the collapse of the Wei-Guan Golden Dragon high-rise tower (proven right here), a residential constructing in Tainan, in response to authorities.

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  Credit score: David McNew/Getty Photos

  California Wildfires

  A collection of wildfires blazed throughout California this 12 months, burning greater than half 1,000,000 acres. Based on the California Division of Forestry and Hearth Safety, 6,938 fires had burned 565,070 acres (229,000 hectares) as of Dec. 11. The Blue Lower wildfire (proven right here), for example, burned by way of greater than 37,000 acres (greater than 12,000 hectares) in Southern California this summer time and thru the autumn, in response to the Los Angeles Occasions. The state's lingering drought has killed greater than 100 million bushes, in response to the U.S. Forest Service's newest aerial survey, leaving a "gas buildup" that led to this season's longer, hotter hearth season. The fires this 12 months killed seven folks, together with one firefighter, and damages are nonetheless being tallied.
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  Credit score: Joe Raedle/Getty Photos

  Louisiana Flooding

  Super downpours inundated Louisiana in August, when some areas obtained greater than 20 inches (50.Eight cm) of rain over a 72-hour span (from Aug. 12‑14). No less than six rivers hit report ranges in the course of the rainfall, essentially the most excessive of which was alongside the Amite River, which exceeded its earlier peak report by greater than 6 toes (1.Eight meters). The Nationwide Climate Service described the heavy rain occasion as an "inland sheared tropical despair," the place a lethal mixture of tropical moisture and low strain fueled immense rainfall. 13 folks misplaced their lives, and an estimated 30,000 folks have been compelled from their properties. [Read more about Louisiana's historic flooding]
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  Credit score: Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Photos

  Italy Earthquakes

  Central Italy was rattled this 12 months by three robust earthquakes in simply three months. A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Aug. 24 about 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) southeast of Norcia, Italy. The preliminary quake was adopted by a number of aftershocks, together with a 5.5-magnitude earthquake that struck 2.5 miles (Four km) northeast of Norcia the identical day. The temblors rocked Central Italy, killing a whole lot of individuals as medieval-era stone buildings collapsed. [Read more about the Norcia quake in August] The "tectonically and geologically advanced" area sits atop the Tyrrhenian basin, which is beneath the Mediterranean Sea the place the earth is spreading aside. It was struck once more in October when two robust earthquakes simply 2 hours aside rattled the middle of the nation. A 5.5-magnitude quake struck about 6 miles (9 km) southeast of Norcia, adopted two hours later by a bigger, magnitude-6.1 quake about 11 miles (18 km) from the city and simply 1.6 miles (2 km) from the smaller city of Visso. [Read the full story about the two earthquakes that struck central Italy in October]
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  Credit score: ESA

  Hurricane Matthew

  Hurricane Matthew was a powerhouse of a storm that circulated by way of the Atlantic Ocean in October. The strongest storm seen within the Atlantic since Hurricane Felix in 2007, Matthew briefly reached Class 5 hurricane standing — with winds exceeding 157 mph (252 km/h). The storm dropped to Class Four power, although winds have been nonetheless extremely robust at 140 mph (225 km/h). The high-speed winds, storm surges and "life-threatening rain" made Matthew a damaging and lethal catastrophe. Over 1,600 estimated deaths have been attributed to the hurricane, and damages are estimated in extra of $10.5 billion. [Read the full story on Hurricane Matthew]
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  Credit score: Mark Mitchell - Pool/Getty Photos

  New Zealand Earthquake and Tsunami

  A strong 7.Eight-magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand on Nov. 14. Although the quake's epicenter was northeast of Christchurch, the huge temblor was felt as far-off as New Zealand's capital of Wellington, situated 120 miles (200 km) away, on the North Island. About 2 hours after the preliminary quake, tsunami waves over 7 toes (2 meters) tall hit the coast. The island nation additionally continued to shake from a whole lot of aftershocks effectively after the principle temblor, together with a 6.Three-magnitude quake. Two deaths have been reported, and far of the agricultural panorama was devastated from the highly effective quake. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key estimated that reconstruction would take months and price billions of . The magnitude-7.Eight quake additionally remodeled the underlying faults within the area, rupturing six main faults, in response to new maps by the geoscience consultancy group GNS Science in New Zealand. [Read the full story on New Zealand's devastating quake]
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  Credit score: USGS

  Fukushima Earthquake

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  Credit score: Nationwide Park Service

  Tennessee Wildfires

  Areas round Gatlinburg, Tennessee, have been consumed by wildfires on Nov. 28, closing the Nice Smoky Mountain Nationwide Park and forcing hundreds to flee their properties. The inferno unfold quickly by way of the world's drought-stricken forest, pushed by gusty winds. Based on meteorologists, the gusty winds blowing dry leaves unfold the blaze, additionally knocking over energy traces and sparking new fires. The lethal mixture allowed the fires to maneuver shortly, wreaking havoc on the world. The historic Gatlinburg fires left 14 useless, 134 injured and scorched greater than 1,600 constructions. [a href="http://www.livescience.com/57015-how-tennessee-wildfire-spread-so-fast.html>Read more about Gatlinburg's wildfires]

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  Credit score: USGS

  Indonesia Earthquakes

  Throughout the first week of March, a 7.Eight-magnitude temblor struck about 500 miles (800 km) southwest of Sumatra, an island in western Indonesia. Although the quake was robust, it occurred far sufficient away from the islands to trigger important injury. [Read more about the Sumatra earthquake] On Dec. 7, one other earthquake shook the island nation. The shallow 6.5-magnitude quake's epicenter was 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Indonesia's Aceh province, in response to the USA Geological Survey (USGS). It broken a whole lot of constructions within the district of Pidie Jaya in Aceh, CNN reported. No less than 100 folks have been killed and 136 critically injured, in response to Indonesia's Catastrophe Administration and Mitigation Company. Indonesia was once more hit by an earthquake on Dec. 21, when a 6.7-magnitude temblor struck the Banda Sea off Indonesia and East Timor, the USGS reported. The quake was felt as far-off as Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory of Australia. Based on information experiences, residents mentioned the quake lasted a number of minutes. The USGS alert listed the quake as having reasonable shaking and a low chance of casualties and injury. Unique article on Reside Science.

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Creator Bio

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Kacey Deamer, Employees Author

Kacey Deamer is a journalist for Reside Science, masking planet earth and innovation. She has beforehand reported for Mom Jones, the Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press, Neon Tommy and extra. After finishing her undergraduate diploma in journalism and environmental research at Ithaca School, Kacey pursued her grasp's in Specialised Journalism: Local weather Change at USC Annenberg. Observe Kacey on Twitter.

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