Category: International EM
Keywords: Floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, natural disasters (PubMed Search)
Posted: 9/6/2017 by Jon Mark Hirshon, MD, MPH, PhD
(Updated: 4/19/2024)
Click here to contact Jon Mark Hirshon, MD, MPH, PhD
With the recent destruction by Hurricane Harvey and the impending impact of Hurricane Irma, it is important to recognize the historical death toll from natural disasters. While the list can vary, here is a top ten list from the library of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
| Rank | Event | Location | Date | Death Toll (Estimate) |
| 1 | 1931 Yellow River flood | Yellow River, China | Summer 1931 | 850,000-4,000,000 |
| 2 | 1887 Yellow River flood | Yellow River, China | September-October 1887 | 900,000-2,000,000 |
| 3 | 1970 Bhola cyclone | Ganges Delta, East Pakistan | November 13, 1970 | 500,000- 1,000,000 |
| 4 | 1201 Earthquake | Eastern Mediterranean | 1201 | 1,000,000 |
| 5 | 1938 Yellow River flood | Yellow River, China | June 9th, 1938 | 500,000 - 900,000 |
| 6 | Shaanxi Earthquake | Shaanxi Province, China | January 23, 1556 | 830,000 |
| 7 | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami | Indian Ocean | December 26, 2004 | 225,000-275,000 |
| 8 | 1881 Haiphong Cyclone | Haiphong, Vietnam | 1881 | 300,000 |
| 9 | 1642 Kaifeng Flood | Kaifeng, Henan Province, China | 1642 | 300,000 |
| 10 | Tangshan Earthquake | Tangshan, China | July 28, 1976 | 242,000* |
* Official Government figure. Estimated death toll as high as 655,000.
https://docs.lib.noaa.gov/noaa_documents/NOAA_related_docs/death_toll_natural_disasters.pdf
