2010's natural and other disasters extra deadly, often weird, and we have ourselves to blame
[extensive summary of the magnitude of this year's disasters from death tolls, to how extreme, weird, and costly]
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/wire/sns-bc-ye-sci-fea--disastrousyear,0,2037909,full.story
JULIE REED BELL, SETH BORENSTEIN Associated Press December 20, 2010, 1:28 a.m.
This was the year the Earth struck back.
Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, blizzards, landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter million people in 2010 ? the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined.
"It just seemed like it was back-to-back and it came in waves," said Craig Fugate, who heads the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. It handled a record number of disasters in 2010.
"The term '100-year event' really lost its meaning this year."
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Online:
World Health Organization's Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters: http://www.cred.be/
World Meteorological Organization: www.wmo.int
Swiss Re report on 2010 natural catastrophes:
http://media.swissre.com/documents/media_information_cata_30_11_2010.pdf
U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency disasters: http://www.fema.gov/news/disaster_totals_annual.fema
[extensive summary of the magnitude of this year's disasters from death tolls, to how extreme, weird, and costly]
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/wire/sns-bc-ye-sci-fea--disastrousyear,0,2037909,full.story
JULIE REED BELL, SETH BORENSTEIN Associated Press December 20, 2010, 1:28 a.m.
This was the year the Earth struck back.
Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, blizzards, landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter million people in 2010 ? the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined.
"It just seemed like it was back-to-back and it came in waves," said Craig Fugate, who heads the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. It handled a record number of disasters in 2010.
"The term '100-year event' really lost its meaning this year."
___
Online:
World Health Organization's Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters: http://www.cred.be/
World Meteorological Organization: www.wmo.int
Swiss Re report on 2010 natural catastrophes:
http://media.swissre.com/documents/media_information_cata_30_11_2010.pdf
U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency disasters: http://www.fema.gov/news/disaster_totals_annual.fema
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