Bhubaneswar: Disasters of varied natures struck the World this year. From hurricane, to forest fires to cyclones, earthquakes- wrath of Mother Nature was portentous.
Continuing our ‘Best of 2018’ series, we will be discussing 5 natural disasters that shook everyone to core.
Teen Football team Stuck in Thailand Cave
12 boys- aged 11-16 visited Tham Luang cave complex, in Chiang Rai province in Thailand, to celebrate a birthday on June 23. It was a wet season but soon there was an unusually heavy downpour. The team ended being stuck in the cave for a total 18 days. When the boys didn’t return, their coach volunteered to go search for them but ended getting stuck with them for 10 more days.
They were finally rescued by British cave divers John Volanthen, 47, and Rick Stanton, 56, on July 10. In the process of rescue, another diver Saman Kunan lost his life. The team later said that they had survived by licking water droplets off the cave’s walls.
California Wildfires
This disaster was the most destructive widespread wildfire season of California. A total of 8,527 fires were burning in an area of 1,893,913 acres. In mid-July, to August 2018 a series of large wildfires erupted across the state. More than $3.5 billion(about Rs. 2.4 trillion) worth loss occurred, with 98 civilians and 9 firefighters losing their life. At least 90 people were injured.
Hollywood celebrities such as Caitlyn Jenner, Khloé Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Gerald Butler among others lost their homes to the fires.
Kerala Floods
Severe floods hit Kerala due to unusually high rainfall from August 9. This was the worst cyclone the beautiful state had seen in nearly a century. Over 483 people died, and 14 were reportedly missing. Thousands were displaced. According to the Kerala government, one-sixth of the total population of Kerala had been directly affected by the floods and related incidents. The Indian government had declared it a Level 3 Calamity, or “calamity of a severe nature”.
Hurricane Florence
This powerful disaster stuck the Carolinas; primarily, on September 10. Florence was declared a Category 4 hurricane. At its peak, the wind speed was at 220km/hr. Damage was estimated to be above $17.9 billion (Rs. 84.2 billion). Effected areas were West Africa, Cape Verde, Bermuda, East Coast of the United States.
Indonesia Volcano And Tsunami
The tsunami struck coastal areas of Sunda Strait on the night of December 23. The tsunami was caused by “an undersea landslide resulting from volcanic activity on Anak Krakatao and was amplified by abnormally high tide because of the full moon. Over 280 people have been found dead and 1000 injured after a massive tsunami hit Sumatra and Java in Indonesia. Also, around 11,687 have been displaced. Estimates for total loss were being calculated when this article was being written.
These five were just some of the natural disasters. Please tell us if some other natural disaster was worth mentioning.
Also Read: Best Of 2018: Disasters That Shook India
Ms Kalinga