This statistic shows the number of deaths due to flooding disasters in certain countries between 1900 and 2016*. The floods in China in July 1931 led to 3.7 million deaths.FloodsThe 1931 Central China floods caused the most deaths due to a flood in the past century. 28 years later in 1959, the Yellow River flooded into East China killing an estimated 2 million people. The death toll due to this flood has been also associated with the Great sparrow campaign that arose due to the Great Chinese Famine that began in 1958. Citizens were told to kill sparrows and other wild birds that ate crop seeds which lead to an explosive increase in the population of crop-eating insects. This massive ecological shift, starvation, as well as floods and drought lead to the deaths of many Chinese people. More recently, a 1996 flood and 1998 flood in Yangtze, China caused some 30.7 billion U.S. dollars and 24 billion U.S. dollars in damage. In 2014, 38 lives were lost in the United States due to floods or flash floods. Since 1980, the two of the most significant natural disasters have been the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010, which caused 22,570 deaths and the 2004 earthquake and resulting tsunami which caused 220,000 deaths in countries like Thailand and Sri Lanka. Death tolls in Haiti were aggravated by poverty and poor housing conditions that many Haitians experience.

In 2023, there were a total of 79 fatalities reported due to floods in the United States, down from 105 fatalities in the previous year. Since 2010, the highest number of ives lost due to floods in a single year was recorded in 2015, with a total of 189.

In Italy, floods and landslides are rather common and widespread events, which can have serious impacts on the resident population. Trentino-South Tyrol had the highest mortality rate associated with floods and landslides, at **** per 100,000 people. This means that for every 100,000 inhabitants of the region, almost *** of them went missing or died in a given period of time due to floods and landslides. Molise and Lazio are the regions with the lowest death rate, with approximately **** individuals for every 100,000 being victims of flooding and landslides.

In 2023, the Democratic Republic of Congo recorded the highest number of deaths due to floods worldwide, with roughly ***** fatalities. India followed second, with roughly half the number of fatalities, at ***** deaths recorded. Africa accounted for more than half of deaths due to floods worldwide in 2023.

With a risk index score of 9.9, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Vietnam are the top countries worldwide regarding river flood risk, based on their physical exposure to this type of event. Thailand followed a close second, with a risk index score of 9.8. Where are flooding events most common? In 2024, nine out of the top 10 countries in terms of exposure to river flood risk were located in Asia, in particular in the south and eastern regions of the continent. Southeast Asia is prone to frequent and intense flooding events due to several factors, which include low average elevations, high incidence of tropical storms and heavy rains, prolonged monsoons, and underdeveloped flood protection infrastructure. In addition, climate change is also contributing to the increase in frequency and severity of these events. It is estimated that the global population exposed to flooding incidents will increase by 30 percent in a two-degrees-Celsius warming scenario. Record-breaking floods in Pakistan and Bangladesh Amongst the countries most exposed to floods in Southeast Asia, Bangladesh and Pakistan were particularly affected by floods in 2022. Torrential rain and unceasing downpours struck the countries from early June that year, leading to one of the worst flooding events in their history. In Pakistan, the floods have caused more than 1,700 deaths. In Bangladesh, an estimated 7.2 million people were affected by widespread damage to homes, infrastructure, croplands, and sanitation facilities. Overall, Pakistan and Bangladesh had some of the largest populations exposed to flood risk worldwide.

This report outlines these findings, including damage and loss estimates and social and economic impacts, and proposes strategies for resilient recovery and reconstruction planning. Heavy rain combined with multiple tropical storms throughout the extended rainy season played a large part in the extensive flooding. Flash floods were reported in several areas in the north in May, and tropical depression Haima arrived in June followed by Nock-Ten in July, the combination of which caused widespread flooding. Overall, the floods affected more than 13 million people and resulted in more than 680 deaths. The floods impacted heavily on the private sector, particularly manufacturing. Manufacturing makes up about 38.5 percent of Thailand's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is one of the main drivers of Thailand's exports. The majority of manufacturers are located in five flood-affected provinces, namely Bangkok, Ayuthaya, Nakhon Sawan, Pathum Thani, and Samut Sakhon. Tourism, housing and the financial sector were also heavily affected. Though there was some damage to tourism infrastructure, the greatest impact came from losses in revenue from accommodation, transportation, shopping, food and beverages, entertainment and sightseeing. Recovery and reconstruction needs are estimated to be THB 1.5 trillion (USD 50 billion) over a five-year period.

Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change. A large share of the population lives below the poverty line and its livelihood depends on activities extremely sensitive to climate changes and weather conditions. Between 1970 and 2019, the population of Eswatini was the most exposed to climate-related hazards, especially to droughts. In Eswatini, *** thousand people every million were affected by natural disasters. Drought is the natural disaster that causes the largest number of deaths in Africa, much more than floods and landslides. Niger, Malawi, and Lesotho also recorded some of the most affected populations in relation to their populations.

The 2021 floods in Germany and Belgium ranked among the ten deadliest flood events in Europe in the past 100 years, with a total of 209 fatalities. Nevertheless, the storm surge in the Netherlands and Belgium in 1953 remains Europe's deadliest flood in the period, with over two thousand fatalities. Coming at a second position is the flood that occurred in Romania, on the Danube river in 1926, which resulted in a death toll of 1,000 people.

"Catastrophic Event, Large Animal Disposal, Incinerate", is a method of disposing dead animals by placing the carcasses in a shallow excavated pit 91 cm (about 36 inches) deep or less. The carcasses are spread, compacted, and burned using established industry incineration techniques. Once carcasses have been sufficiently incinerated, a final cover of soil material at least 2 feet thick is placed over the burial pit.Soils are rated based on their limitation for burial of large animals following a catastrophic event. Catastrophic events include, but are not limited to, hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, and tornados. Limitations for burial of large animals during a catastrophic event are based primarily on contamination of groundwater, trafficability of excavation equipment, site selection, and site reclamation. While some general observations may be made, onsite evaluation is required before the final site is selected. Improper site selection, design, or installation may cause contamination of ground water, seepage, and contamination of stream systems from surface drainage or floodwater. Potential contamination may be reduced or eliminated by installing systems designed to overcome or reduce the effects of the limiting soil property. The rating is for soils in their present condition and does not consider present land use.Ratings are based on properties and qualities to the depth normally observed during soil mapping (approximately 6 or 7 feet). However, geologic investigations are needed to determine the potential for pollution of ground water as well as to determine the design needed. These investigations, which are generally arranged by the pit developer, include the examination of stratification, rock formations, and geologic conditions that might lead to the conducting of leachates to aquifers, wells, watercourses, and other water sources. The presence of hard, nonrippable bedrock, bedrock crevices, or highly permeable strata in or immediately underlying the proposed pit bottom is undesirable because of the difficulty in excavation and the potential contamination of underground water.Properties that influence the risk of contamination of groundwater, ease of excavation, trafficability, and revegetation are major considerations. Soils that flood or have a water table within the depth of excavation present a potential contamination hazard and are difficult to excavate. Slope is an important consideration because it affects the work involved in road construction, the performance of the roads, and the control of surface water around the pit. It may also cause difficulty in constructing pits for which the pit bottom must be kept level and oriented to follow the contour.The ease with which the pit is dug and with which a soil can be used as daily and final covers is based largely on texture and consistence of the soil. The texture and consistence of a soil determine the degree of workability of the soil both when dry and when wet. Soils that are plastic and sticky when wet are difficult to excavate, grade, or compact and difficult to place as a uniformly thick cover over a layer of carcasses. The uppermost part of the final cover should be soil material that is favorable for the growth of plants. It should not contain excess sodium or salt and should not be too acid. In comparison with other horizons, the A horizon in most soils has the best workability and the highest content of organic matter. Thus, for a Large Animal Disposal, Burial operation it may be desirable to stockpile the surface layer for use in the final blanketing of the filled pit area.Numerical ratings indicate the severity of the individual limitations. The ratings are shown in decimal fractions ranging from 0.01 to 1.00. They indicate gradations between the point at which a soil feature has the greatest negative impact on the use (1.00) and the point at which the soil feature is not a limitation (0.00).Definitions of the ratings:Not limited (rating index = 0) - The limitation for large animal incineration during a catastrophic event is insignificant. This soil is able to support standard excavation equipment, the soil has minimal contamination of groundwater, and soil reclamation using conventional processes is possible. Not limited soils have features that are very favorable for the specified use. Very good performance and very low maintenance can be expected of a properly designed and installed system.Slightly limited (rating index greater than 0 and less than 0.30) - The limitation for large animal incineration during a catastrophic event is slightly limited. There are one or more soil properties that pose a slight limitation for contamination of groundwater, site reclamation, or excavation equipment. Slightly limited indicates the soil has features that are favorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by special planning, design, or installation. Good performance and low maintenance can be expected.Somewhat limited (greater than 0.30 and less than 0.80) - The limitation for large animal incineration during a catastrophic event is somewhat limited. There are more than one soil properties that pose a limitation for contamination of groundwater, site reclamation, or excavation equipment. Any corrective measures taken to overcome these limitations are considered economical however, special care must be taken to overcome limitations. Somewhat limited indicates that the soil has features that are moderately favorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by special planning, design, or installation. Fair performance and moderate maintenance can be expected.Severely limited (greater than 0.80 and less than 0.99) - The limitation for large animal incineration during a catastrophic event is severely limited. There are many soil properties that pose a limitation for contamination of groundwater, site reclamation, or excavation equipment. Additionally, corrective measures will be needed to overcome these limitations. Corrective measures taken may be costly to overcome limitations that pose a severely limited rating. Severely limited indicates that the soil has features that are unfavorable for the specified use. The limitations can be overcome or minimized by special planning, design, or installation however, it is costly to do so. Poor performance and high maintenance can be expected.Very severely limited (rating index equals 1.0) - The limitation for large animal incineration during a catastrophic event is severely limited. There are one or more soil properties that pose a very severe limitation for contamination of groundwater, site reclamation, or excavation equipment. The limitations generally cannot be overcome without major soil reclamation, special design, or expensive installation procedures. Very poor performance and very high maintenance can be expected.The ratings are both verbal and numerical. Rating class terms indicate the extent to which the soils are limited by all of the soil features that affect these uses. The map unit components listed for each map unit in the accompanying Summary by Map Unit table in Web Soil Survey or the Aggregation Report in Soil Data Viewer are determined by the aggregation method chosen. An aggregated rating class is shown for each map unit. The components listed for each map unit are only those that have the same rating class as listed for the map unit. The percent composition of each component in a particular map unit is presented to help the user better understand the percentage of each map unit that has the rating presented. Other components with different ratings may be present in each map unit. The ratings for all components, regardless of the map unit aggregated rating, can be viewed by generating the equivalent report from the Soil Reports tab in Web Soil Survey or from the Soil Data Mart site. Onsite investigation may be needed to validate these interpretations and to confirm the identity of the soil on a given site.

In 2023, there were *** flood disaster events recorded worldwide. This marks a slight decrease from the *** disasters in 2022 but remains significantly higher than the average ** floods per year reported in the 1990s. The peak in the past three decades occurred in 2006, with *** flood disasters.

Devastating human and economic toll Floods continue to take a heavy toll on human lives and economies worldwide. In 2023, approximately ** million people were impacted by flooding, including injuries and displacement. Although the number of people affected by floods has decreased since the beginning of the century, due in large part to an improvement in flood protection, better warning systems, and forecasting, the economic burden they cause has increased. Economic loss caused by floods amounted to *** billion U.S. dollars in the past decade, the highest since the *****. Five of the ten costliest floods since 1900 have occurred after 2010, underscoring the increasing financial burden of these events.

Regional disparities in flood impact The impact of floods varies significantly across regions. In 2023, Africa bore the brunt of flood-related fatalities, accounting for over ** percent of global flood deaths. Asia also suffered severely, with over ***** casualties in 2023. Southeast Asian countries, including Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Thailand, are among the most exposed to river flood risk worldwide due to factors such as low elevations, frequent tropical cyclones, and prolonged monsoons.

Floods across India caused a total of *** deaths in 2022, down from some *** deaths recorded in the previous year. Over the last decade, the highest number of deaths due to floods across the country was in 2010, with a death toll of *** people.

Over the past three decades, Paraguay saw the largest death toll from climate change-related disasters in 1998, after a total of 55 people lost their lives. Meanwhile, in 2023 no people died due to climate change-related disasters in the South American country. Climate change-related disasters include storms, floods, wet mass movements, extreme temperatures, droughts and fires.

Over the past three decades, Jamaica saw the largest death toll from climate change-related disasters in 2004, after a total of 16 people lost their lives. Climate change-related disasters include storms, floods, wet mass movements, extreme temperatures, droughts and fires.

Over the past three decades, Chile saw the largest death toll from climate change-related disasters in 2015, after a total of *** people lost their lives. Climate change-related disasters include storms, floods, wet mass movements, extreme temperatures, droughts and fires.

The hurricanes in the U.S. and Mexico in September and October incurred an economic loss of about 110 billion U.S. dollars, the most of any natural disaster event in 2024. Three of the ten most expensive catastrophes in that year were hurricanes. Weather, climate, water related disaster The disasters that caused mortality in large numbers include droughts, storms, floods, and extreme temperatures. Hurricanes alone generated 35 percent of the total economic losses among the leading disasters over these 50 years. The global cost of natural disaster losses was primarily financial losses. Low-income countries are more affected by natural disasters when compared to the richer countries in the world. American Hurricanes Floods were the most common weather-related disasters recorded, yet storms had the highest human and economic losses. As the most common cause of damage, storms are the only disaster for which the attribution component grows. As of 2023, Hurricane Katrina was by far the most destructive hurricane in the United States. Officials confirmed more than 1,800 deaths, estimated damages of about 200 billion U.S. dollars, the destruction of approximately 350,000 homes, and displaced almost a million individuals.

Lightning and thunderstorms were the leading cause for extreme weather event-related deaths in India in 2022, with 1,285 recorded fatalities. Other extreme weather events that resulted in several lives lost were floods and heavy rains. Thunder and lightning in India

India is amongst the leading countries in terms of annual lightning strikes. Lightning is the result of an electric discharge between clouds or between clouds and the earth. The warmer temperatures experienced during India’s monsoon season facilitate the quick formation of clouds that create suitable conditions for these lightning strikes. Sadly, there are many deaths attributed to lightning strikes every year across the country.

Effects of extreme weather in India

The average annual economic damage due to climate-related events in India approached 90 billion U.S. dollars in recent years. In addition to financial losses and physical damage, the loss of life caused by extreme weather affects all parts of the country. Strikingly, a survey conducted across the South Asian country found that most Indians believed that they would be affected by a major natural disaster.

In 2023, 100 people died due to major natural events disasters in the Philippines. The peak number of deaths due to natural calamities was reported in 2013 when Typhoon Haiyan hit various regions in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Due to its geography and various climates, China is exposed to an array of natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods, forest fires, and typhoons. In 2024, around *** people lost their lives due to natural disasters in China. In recent decades, China has experienced some of the most devastating natural calamities worldwide. The Sichuan earthquake in 2008 led to about ** thousand deaths and a direct economic loss of more than *** billion yuan. Geological disasters in China Geological disasters refer to hazards caused by movements and deformation of the earth's crust, such as such as earthquakes, tsunami, and landslides. The occurrence and frequency of geological disasters in China varies by location and time. The southwest mountainous land area and plateau region experienced a higher number of geological disasters compared to other regions. In 2013, the economic impact of geological disasters in China reached an unprecedented ***** billion yuan in direct damage due to severe droughts and earthquakes Government emergency management About one-third of Chinese believed that a major disaster could happen in their hometown. Therefore, the Chinese government shifted towards a proactive disaster risk management system. The Chinese government is leveraging new technologies, such as drones, to strengthen the early-warning systems and emergency response scheme.

In 2024, the United States experienced 29 natural disasters, which made it the most natural catastrophe-prone country in the world that year. Indonesia and China came second on that list, with 20 and 18 natural disasters occurring in the same year, respectively. Storms were the most common type of natural disaster in 2024. Types of natural disasters There are many different types of natural disasters that occur worldwide, including earthquakes, droughts, storms, floods, volcanic activity, extreme temperatures, landslides, and wildfires. Overall, there were 398 natural disasters registered all over the world in 2023. Costs of natural disasters Due to their destructive nature, natural disasters take a severe toll on populations and countries. Tropical cyclones have the biggest economic impact in the countries that they occur. In 2024, tropical cyclones caused damage estimated at more than 145 billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, the number of deaths due to natural disasters neared 18,100 that year. The Heat Wave in Saudi Arabia had the highest death toll, with 1,301 fatalities. Scientists predict that some natural disasters such as storms, floods, landslides, and wildfires will be more frequent and more intense in the future, creating both human and financial losses.

In 2023, the estimated number of people reported missing or killed by natural disasters amounted to around **. The highest number was recorded in 2011, following the Great East Japan Earthquake, which was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan. Both the earthquake and the following tsunami destroyed many Japanese cities and caused a nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima Prefecture.  Natural disasters in Japan Since Japan is situated along the Ring of Fire, an area where several tectonic plates meet, it is exposed to a variety of natural disasters. Major earthquakes occur regularly, making the island nation vulnerable to tsunamis due to its oceanic setting. Furthermore, typhoons are likely to approach the archipelago, usually between July and October during the peak of the typhoon season. Tropical cyclones often cause heavy rainfall and flooding.  Damage caused by natural disasters In recent years, typhoons represented the most common cause of damaged facilities. Since the overall number of typhoons increased over the past decade, the amount of damage caused by flooding increased as well. The Japanese government spends a large amount of its disaster risk management budget on disaster reconstruction as well as disaster prevention.