Collections: Learning from past disasters

Tropical Cyclone (TC) Gita formed in early February 2018 and developed into a category 4 cyclone, affecting multiple countries in the Pacific region. Tonga was hardest-hit, incurring severe damage.

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 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.

In July 2010, heavy monsoon rains affected millions of people by submerging approximately one-fifth of Pakistan's land area.

The Japan earthquake and tsunami prompted extensive damage, including the nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The morning of December 26, 2004 saw the worst disaster in Indonesia’s history. A magnitude (M) 9.1 submarine earthquake occurred along the Indian Ocean subduction zone triggering a massive tsunami.

In May 2016, a wildfire swept through Fort McMurray, Alberta, ruining thousands of homes and buildings, and causing tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

In August 2017, a massive mudslide in Freetown, Sierra Leone, resulted in many deaths while demolishing homes and communities.