Top Natural Disasters of 2012 and Most Beautiful Places Around the World

2012 is the hottest year on record since such record has been kept. As a result, we see quite a few powerful storms and flash floods on the list. Here’s a look at the major natural disasters that rocked humanity in 2012. Hurricane sandy might have had a direct impact on US presidential election in 2012 by reminding voters that politicians can no longer hide from the consequence of climate change.

List of Top Natural Disasters in 2012 (no particular order)

Hurricane Sandy

Life in New York was thrown out of gear after superstorm sandy hit the US in October this year. New Yorkers struggled to restore vital services and clear debris after a wall of storm-driven seawater swamped road and rail tunnels and triggered massive fires that left at least 120 people dead. Over 8 million homes and businesses from the Carolinas to Maine faced power outages and food shortage.

Cyclone Nilam
Cyclone Nilam hit Tamil Nadu coast in November leading to heavy rain and power outages in Chennai. State authorities turned 282 schools into relief centers in Chennai and the city’s port halted cargo operations. About 150,000 people were moved to shelters in Nellore. The cyclone with maximum winds of 75 kph (45 mph) caused Pratibha Cauvery an oil tanker to run aground and five sailors aboard the tanker lost their lives.

Philippines typhoon Typhoon Bopha killed 902 people mostly on the southern island of Mindanao, where floods and landslides caused major damage in nearly 2,000 villages in December. The typhoon, the deadliest natural disaster to hit the Philippines this year, destroyed 149,000 houses, government agency said. About 80,000 people remain in government shelters, where they face months in difficult, crowded conditions as relief officials look for safe areas to build more permanent shelters.

Indonesia earthquake A 7.1-magnitude earthquake has been reported off the coast of Indonesia in December.The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck offshore in December morning, with the epicenter 147 miles (236 kilometers) northwest of the city of Saumlaki. The quake was reported at a depth of 96 miles (155 kilometers). Myanmar earthquake A powerful earthquake that struck Myanmar at the weekend has left 38 people dead or missing in Naypyidaw.Hundreds of buildings were destroyed or damaged in November tremor, which sent terrified people running from their homes in the country's second-biggest city of Mandalay and surrounding villages.At least 26 people were killed while 12 others are missing and about 230 were injured, Myanmar Red Cross Society deputy general secretary Aung Kyaw Htut said. Uttarakashi flash flood Torrential rains in August led to flash floods, cloudbursts and landslides in Uttarakashi, killing as many as 31 people and leaving thousands stranded on the Char Dham Yatra route that takes pilgrims to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath. An estimated 20,000 people were affected. Pilgrims were trapped after the floods wiped out roads, cutting off 80 Uttarkashi villages from the rest of Uttarakhand. Iran earthquake Twin earthquakes struck Iran leaving 227 people dead and 1,380 injured in the disaster. Hundreds of villages were flattened.The first of the earthquakes registered a strong 6.4 on the moment magnitude scale, according to the US Geological Survey.The second, almost as strong at 6.3 on the scale, rumbled through just 11 minutes later. While the biggest city in the region, Tabriz, and nearby towns escaped with only relatively minor damage, scores of outlying villages made of more flimsy mud and concrete bricks were decimated. Assam floods Assam and parts of North-East India was struck by floods in July leaving atleast 33 people dead and over 17.60 lakh affected. The flood occured due to breaches inthe upperareas of river Brahmaputra that caused death of 595 wild animals. Around 512 were hog deer who failed to navigate high speed of water. However, lesser casualty of bigger animals such as elephants and rhinos were reported.

Beijing flash flood A flash flood hit the city of Beijing in China on July. Within a day of the flooding, 56,933 people had been evacuated, while the floodwaters killed 79 people, causing at least 10 billion Yuan (US $1.6 billion) in damages and destroying at least 8,200 homes. In the city, more than 1.6 million people were affected by the flood overall. Fangshan district was the most heavily-affected area of Beijing, located in the southwest, which received a record-setting 460 mm (18 in) of rain, while on average the city received 170 mm (6.7 in) during the same period, the highest recorded since 1951.

Pakistan flood Monsoon floods in Pakistan killed 480 people and affected more than five million, according to the government's disaster relief agency. Pakistan was hit by heavy rain in mid-August, which caused floods in Southern Punjab, Northern Sindh and North-Eastern Balochistan, forcing many people to evacuate. Pakistan Government's statement on November 7 said, some 474 people were reported dead and approximately 5.4 million (including approximately 160,000 evacuees) were affected so far. Most Beautiful Places Around the World After we survived the predicted end of world on Dec. 21, 2012 and the natural disasters, let's enjoy pictures of some of the most beautiful places from around the world. Please do your part to protect the environment and conserve natural resources so that these places will remind beautiful for our children and grandchildren. Thanks to photographers of these beautiful pictures, and we pledge to do our part to keep the planet beautiful. The inca city of Machu Picchu, country : Peru, place : near Cuzco The Iguazu waterfalls, country : Argentina – Brazil, place : borders between the two countries The great canyon of Colorado, country : United States of America place : south-west of the country, Arizona state The great coral reef, country : Australia place : offshore, north-east of the country The Niagara waterfalls, country : Canada – United States of America place : Niagara, near Toronto The salar of Uyuni, country : Bolivia place : south-west of the country The Halong bay, country : Vietnam place : in the Tonkin Gulf, east of Hanoi The Bora-Bora island, country : French Polynesia place : in the middle of the Pacific Sand dunes of the Sahara, country : Marocco – Mauritania – Mali – Algeria – Niger – Lybia – Chad – Sudan – Egypt place : north of Africa Fjords and the Preikestolen cliff, country : Norway place : west of the country White immensity of Antarctica, country : without place : north pole Karstic peaks at Guilin, along the Li river, country : China place : south of the country, between Guilin and Yangshuo The Galapagos archipelago, country : Ecuador place : off the west coast of the country The Perito Moreno glacier, country : Argentina place : Patagonia The rice terrace fields of Banaue, country : the Philippines place : on the Lucon island, north of Manilla The Yellowstone national park, country : United States of America place : north-west of the country, Wyoming state The limestone basins at Huanglong, country : China place : in the middle of the country, north of the Sichuan province The Giants’ Causeway, country : Northern Ireland place : north of the country The colorful waters of the Jiuzhaigou river, country : China place : in the middle of the country, north of the Sichuan province