You Have to Survive One Disaster — Which One Do You Pick?
If we only ranked disasters by average annual death toll, floods would take the top spot. Because they’re also the most widespread. I mean, type “[city name] flood” into Google and you’ll always find something. And when you look at the deadliest natural disasters of all time, floods dominate: 🥇 1931 China Floods — 4,000,000 deaths So… you’re asking me why isn’t it number one on this ranking? Because things are changing. Floods are becoming more frequent, yes. But we’re also getting better at dealing with them (through forecasts, levees, early warnings). So death tolls are declining, and events involving several million deaths are highly unlikely. But!! Just because you can swim doesn’t mean you’ll survive floodwaters rushing through your street. Because of this underestimation, floods still earn a spot on the podium.
#2 — Earthquakes:
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This might be the first one that came to your mind.
And for good reason, because the numbers can also be staggering:
🥇 1556 Shaanxi Earthquake — 830,000 deaths
🥈 1976 Tangshan Earthquake — 665,000 deaths
🥉 1920 Haiyuan Earthquake — 273,400 deaths
Earthquakes are much more frequent than floods, but those with enough magnitude to cause a “natural disaster” are far less.
Still, their unpredictability makes reacting almost impossible.
And… an earthquake has never killed anyone. But the collapse of our buildings does.
And when you look around, everything suggests earthquakes will only get deadlier.
Because the world’s population is growing, and not every country is as prepared as Japan or Chile.
It still ranks above floods, because as of today, earthquakes have a far greater ability to wipe out an entire city’s population.
But it stays at number two, because number one… has no equal.
#1 — Volcanoes:
Extinction-Level Events
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🥇 1815 Mount Tambora — 82,000 deaths
🥈 1883 Krakatoa — 36,000 deaths
🥉 1902 Mount Pelée — 30,000 deaths
Yes, those are the smallest numbers on today’s list.
Yes, they all happened more than a century ago.
Still, if there’s one natural hazard you should never face, it’s this one. No question.
It’s simple:
There’s no way to protect yourself from an erupting volcano.
You either evacuated in time, or you’re dead. Or at least… a part of you is.
I highly recommend watching the documentary on the 2019 Whakaari eruption, where survivors describe what they went through.
And that eruption was only VEI 2 out of 8…
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“But that’s super rare!”
You’re totally right, and thank goodness.
Because back when volcanic eruptions were as frequent as today’s floods, life didn’t even exist on Earth.
So yes, I stand by my answer to the question at the beginning:
If I’m forced to experience one disaster:
I absolutely DO NOT want it to be a volcanic eruption.
Final Words (For Quick Glancers)
- #3 — Floods: The deadliest disaster by numbers every year, but also the most underestimated one today.
- #2 —Earthquakes: They strike without warning, and when they hit a dense city…
- #1 —Volcanoes: There’s no protection, only evacuation. If you’re too late, you won’t survive.
Thank you for your time!
Hydrau
Next Week’s Historic Date📜
20 years ago…
On August 23, 2005, Hurricane Katrina unleashed its first gusts.
