6 Major Disasters of 2019

Brutal changes in the atmosphere associated with ultimate weather phenomena caused some of the death-dealing disasters in this year. From the earth tremors that knock down the cities to typhoons that cause flooding and destruction to the wildfire season, natural disasters around the world are leaving their shadow in 2019.

Cause of these disasters are the ignored environmental conditions still, people are cutting trees around, wasting water day and night.

Earth, water, fire, air are the four elements of nature that can either be very helpful or at times very disastrous. When you play with these elements more than you should then they cause devastation which sometimes could not be compensated. This can be witnessed by the recent disasters that have cursed the world.

1. Hurricane Dorian




Image source – abcnews.go.in





Image source – Washington post


The places affected were Canada, US East Coast, Florida. Hurricane Dorian was a result of the low-pressure system that became a level 5 storm.

US East Coast suffered from flooding. Buildings were knockdown and roofs were torn off. In Canada, trees fell, streets were blocked.

It was one of the strongest hurricanes which hit the Northern Bahamas on record.

Till date 56 is dead and nearly 600 are missing as per the worldwide report.


2.White Island, Eruption




Image source – dw.com


White Island which is also known as Whakaari. Erupted on 9th December 2019. At that time 47 people were visiting the volcano which is 48kms from the coast of New Zealand. It was caused due to volcanic unrest conditions. When it erupted huge plum ash was released in the air. 30 people were hospitalised, 17 dead out which 8 dead bodies are missing and it is just assumed that they are dead.


3. Flooding in Oklahoma




Image source – FoxNews


Flooding in Oklahoma affected 1000 people and areas including Ohio and Indiana. A weak heavy rainfall drowned away everything. Water reached an unexpected level. Rainfall was accompanied by the tornado itself due to which the property and homes along the Arkansas river were damaged. Highways were submerged and many homes were lost with not even a single trace left.


4. Amazon Forest Fire



Image source – businessinsider.com


The Amazon Rainforest is also known as the lungs of the earth. It consists of almost three-quarters of Australia. According to Brazil’s National Institute of Space Research between January and April, there were around 16,000 active fire spots within the Amazon biome. After a month it was just tripled. Agriculture fires are one of the main reasons for this wildfire. In August finally, the patience of nature ended and it resulted in the wildfire. Farmers and villagers burning land and crops for the growing of other crops resulted in an imbalance of the ecosystem. Deforestation is another reason for it.

Though nature has resulted in the fire, it is just because of human activities.


5.Tropical Cyclone Idai


Areas of Mozambique, Malawi and South Africa were extremely affected. Thousands of people were injured and many were dead. It was one of the worst cyclones ever hit the southern hemisphere. A tropical depression exerted near Mozambique on March 4, 2019. The wind speed was around 205km/hr. 1300 people were dead others were homeless had no food to eat. Cyclone was accompanied by the heavy rainfall which devastated property and blocked the roads. This cyclone further created landfalls in Malawi. Around 100,000 homes or buildings were damaged.


6.Heat Waves in India



Image source – cnn.com



This year in mid-May and June Heat Waves were the hottest and as well as the longest. Weak monsoons and droughts were seen in Bihar. Some people were able to survive and some were not. Hundreds of deaths were reported due to the scorching of the sun. India suffered from abnormally high temperatures this year. Farmers, labourers, and street vendors were the people who were extremely affected. These people had no option but to step out and earn.



These were some of the worst disasters of 2019. Humans play with the elements of nature knowing that it may result in damage. We must take some actions when we see someone exploiting our motherland. Many schools provide disaster management classes and teach how to react at the time of disaster and help the people around. It is best that we test our ability to cope with natural disasters first rather than testing nature’s patience. Panicking at that time is no solution but taking steps with an open mind is better. Nature does not see colour, geography or economy when it decides to set a tornado loose or a tsunami. Better disaster preparedness and adopting sustainable practises is the need of the hour.


- Written by Amrita Mansharamani

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