In January 2022, a submarine volcanic eruption triggered a tsunami in the Pacific island state of Tonga. Despite successful disaster preparedness and response measuers, the events demonstrated the compound and cascading risk features of these hazards.

India and Pakistan are experiencing a record-shattering heatwave with temperatures exceeding 45℃ in many areas, leading to critical electricity and water shortages. In addition, the heatwave demonstrates the need for heat action plans.

South Africa experienced catastrophic floods and landslides in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape after exceptionally heavy rainfall. With lives lost, houses and roads destroyed, the cause of the disaster can be linked to climatic change.

Flooding in New South Wales and southeast Queensland has led to lost lives, homes, belongings, pets and livelihoods. This region, particularly Western Sydney, is no stranger to climate-related disasters.

From Haiti to China, a look back at some of the forgotten disasters that struck in 2021.

In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) devastated the Philippines, killing thousands and yielding unprecedented wreckage.

The Gorkha Earthquake in Nepal occurred on 25 April 2015 and had a magnitude of 7.6. Its epicentre was about 76km northwest of the capital Kathmandu. It was followed by more than 300 aftershocks. Around 9,000 people were killed, of whom approximately 55 per cent were female, and over 100,000 people were injured. Overall eight million people have been impacted, which is almost one-third of the population of Nepal.

A massive landslide devastated the commu­nity of Barangay Guinsaugon, Municipality of St. Bernard, Southern Leyte Province, Philip­pines, at about 10:30 local time on 17 February 2006.

The Izmit Earthquake, also called Kocaeli Earthquake or Golcuk Earthquake, occurred on 17 August 1999. The magnitude 7.4 earthquake, which lasted less than a minute, struck the Anatolian fault system with the epicentre at about 7 miles southeast of Izmit. It caused the deaths of 17,000 people and left more than 250,000 people homeless. It was followed by the magnitude 7.2 Duzce Earthquake on 12 November 1999, which also occurred on the North Anatolian Fault and caused at least 845 deaths in Duzce and surrounding areas.

The Nevado del Ruiz Volcanic Eruption, also known as the Armero Tragedy, is considered as Colombia’s worst natural hazard-induced disaster which produced the deadliest lahar ever recorded. After 69 years of dormancy, the stratovolcano in Tolima, Colombia erupted in 13 November 1985 melting the mountain’s glaciers and sending lahars down its slopes at 60 kilometers per hour.