CatastropheThe 2010s

Catastrophe in the 2010s

Every event in the Terralore archive tagged catastrophe — plague, famine, earthquake and other disasters, narrowed to the 2010s — 11 of them, drawn from 10 nations, running from 2010 to 2019. Each entry keeps the sources it was verified against and links back to the chronicle it came from.

Events
11
Nations
10
Earliest
2010
Latest
2019
Africa
4
Asia
3
North America
3
Oceania
1

Every entry below is the same record, with the same sources, as the one on its nation’s chronicle.

  1. North America

    Haiti

    Catastrophic earthquake

    A magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastates Port-au-Prince; death-toll estimates vary widely and remain disputed, with around three million people affected.

    Era: Democracy, Disaster, and Collapse

    Sources: 2010 Haiti earthquake · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  2. Asia

    Japan

    Tohoku earthquake and Fukushima disaster

    A magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami devastate northeastern Japan and trigger meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

    Era: Postwar Japan: Reconstruction and the Modern Nation

    Sources: Japan · Encyclopaedia Britannica

  3. Africa

    Liberia

    The Ebola epidemic

    Liberia was among the countries worst hit by the West African Ebola epidemic, the largest in history, which killed thousands and overwhelmed a health system already weakened by war before transmission was halted.

    Era: Peace, Sirleaf, and the Ebola epidemic

    Sources: Ebola virus epidemic in Liberia · Wikipedia, Ebola Epidemic — Liberia, March–October 2014 · U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (MMWR)

  4. Africa

    Sierra Leone

    The Ebola epidemic

    An Ebola outbreak reached Sierra Leone in May 2014, killing nearly 4,000 people and overwhelming health services before the WHO declared the outbreak over in November 2015, with recovery following.

    Era: One-party rule, civil war, and recovery

    Sources: Statement on the end of the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone · World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Ebola virus epidemic in Sierra Leone · Wikipedia

  5. Asia

    Nepal

    Gorkha earthquake

    A magnitude-7.8 quake near Gorkha kills about 9,000 people and devastates Kathmandu Valley heritage, including Durbar squares and the Dharahara tower.

    Era: Insurgency, Republic and Reconstruction

    Sources: One Year After the M7.8 Nepal (Gorkha) Earthquake · U.S. Geological Survey, Nepal earthquake of 2015 · Encyclopædia Britannica, Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site · UNESCO World Heritage Centre

  6. Oceania

    Vanuatu

    Cyclone Pam devastates the islands

    Tropical Cyclone Pam, the most destructive storm in Vanuatu's history, damaged the great majority of buildings and a vast share of national output.

    Era: Kastom, Cyclones and Climate Diplomacy

    Sources: COVID-19 and Tropical Cyclone Harold create the perfect storm in the Pacific · ReliefWeb (UN OCHA), Preparing for the perfect storm — Climate Disaster Risk Insurance in Vanuatu · UN Capital Development Fund

  7. North America

    Puerto Rico

    Hurricane Maria

    A devastating hurricane wrecks Puerto Rico's power grid and infrastructure, with an official death toll later estimated near 2,975.

    Era: Vieques, Maria, and the Unresolved Future

    Sources: Hurricane Maria · Encyclopædia Britannica

  8. Africa

    South Sudan

    Famine declared in Unity state

    The UN declares famine in parts of Unity state, with millions needing emergency aid; experts warn that famine used as a weapon of war may be an international crime.

    Era: A Young Nation at War

    Sources: Famine declared in region of South Sudan · United Nations, 2017 South Sudan famine · Wikipedia

  9. Africa

    South Sudan

    An estimated 383,000 dead

    A London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine study estimates about 383,000 conflict-related deaths by April 2018, roughly half from direct violence.

    Era: A Young Nation at War

    Sources: Estimates of crisis-attributable mortality in South Sudan · London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Civil war in South Sudan: a primer · UK House of Commons Library

  10. North America

    Bahamas

    Hurricane Dorian devastates Abaco and Grand Bahama

    Category 5 Hurricane Dorian stalled over the northern Bahamas, killing scores, leaving hundreds missing and causing about US$3.4 billion in damage — roughly a quarter of GDP.

    Era: Tourism, finance and the age of hurricanes

    Sources: Damages and other impacts on Bahamas by Hurricane Dorian estimated at $3.4 billion · Inter-American Development Bank, Bahamas' tourism could be devastated for a long time after Hurricane Dorian · CNN Business

  11. Asia

    Lebanon

    Economic collapse and the Beirut port explosion

    From 2019 Lebanon suffers one of the world's worst economic crises; on 4 August 2020 an ammonium-nitrate explosion at the port of Beirut kills more than 200 people and devastates the capital.

    Era: Civil War, Foreign Intervention and Collapse

    Sources: Lebanon: How Israel, Hezbollah, and Regional Powers Are Shaping Its Future · Council on Foreign Relations, Lebanon: Lebanon's Second Republic since 1990 · Encyclopaedia Britannica