Tuesday, July 06, 2010
CRED: Fewer natural disasters in 2009, but no clear trend seen - research group
LONDON (AlertNet) - Floods, storms and other natural disasters killed 10,655 people last year and disrupted the lives of 119 million but overall, there were fewer natural disasters in 2009 than in the previous year, a Brussels-based research group said.
New figures published by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) showed a total of 335 natural disasters in 2009, compared with 350 in 2008 and an annual average of 392 between 2000 and 2008.
However, CRED cautioned against drawing any conclusions from the data, noting the absence in 2009 of a single so-called ‘mega disaster’ which typically leads to many more deaths, a bigger affected population and a deeper cost to the economy.
“Although 2009 was a year with relatively less human and economic impacts compared to previous years, it is difficult to identify clear trends over time,” CRED said in its report.
Last year all continents, apart from Africa, experienced a drop in the number of natural disasters compared to the annual average for the 2000-2008 period.
But Asia once again suffered the most, accounting for just over 40 percent of the world’s natural disasters, with the Philippines struck by 25 disasters alone.
CRED said the Sept. 30 earthquake that rattled Sumatra, Indonesia, caused the highest death toll of any natural disaster in 2009, with 1,117 people killed as well as 2.5 million affected.
Flooding in southern and central China in July impacted the biggest number of people - 39.4 million - while a storm that swept through France, Spain and Italy in January 2009, chalked up $5.1 billion of damage, the most caused by a single natural disaster in 2009.
CRED called on countries to be better prepared for the destructive impact of disasters.
“Although the natural disaster impact on human society in 2009 was relatively small compared to previous years, the consequences were critical to many families who lost their loved ones and livelihoods,” it said.
“Underlying factors and preconditions that make human populations vulnerable to disasters need to be addressed in order to mitigate impacts and create resilient and sustainable societies.”
Other findings from CRED’s Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2009 include:
* Last year’s disasters caused more than $41.3 billion of damage.
* Hydrological disasters including flooding accounted for 53 percent of the total number of natural disasters.
* The number of people affected by meteorological disasters such as typhoons rose by 220 percent compared to 2008.
* The number of reported climatological disasters, such as extreme temperatures, droughts and wildfires, was higher in 2009 than the previous year but lower than the annual average for the 2000-2008 period.
* In 2009 there were only 25 geophysical disasters reported compared to the 2000-2008 annual average of 37. Of these, 18 were earthquakes, four tsunamis, two volcanic eruptions and one a landslide.
See Report CRED 2009