Chapter 3

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2005

Chapter 3: Regional Characteristics of Natural Disasters
3.1 Proportion of Natural Disasters by Region

As in the previous year, Asia accounted for most of the devastating disasters that occurred in2005 (37%, almost the same as 2004), followed by Europe (21%), the Americas (19%), Africa (19%), andOceania (3%). Although the 2005 disaster trends look similar to those for 2004, their impacts in terms ofhuman and economic losses were different. Figure 30A summarizes the 2005 data visually. Figure 30Bsummarizes the world data by type of disaster. The majority of the disasters in 2005 were floods and windstorms followed by epidemics, extreme temperatures, earthquakes, and droughts.

Figure 30A

Proportion of Worldwide Disasters by Region, 2005

Number of Disasters (World/Regions) 2005
Europe21.23%

Oceania
3.18%

Africa18.90%

Asia
37.15%
Americas19.53%TOTAL = 471

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Figure 30B

Proportion of Worldwide Disasters by Type, 2005

Number of Disasters (World/Disaster Type) 2005

Wind storm
26.11%

Drought
4.46%

Earthquake
5.10%
Epidemic
9.34%

Wild fire
2.55%

Extreme temp
7.64%

Volcano
1.49%
Slide
2.55%

Flood
40.76%TOTAL = 471

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

As can be seen in Figure 31A, the majority of people killed by natural disasters in the year 2005
lived in Asia, which accounted for 91% of the total number of people killed by disasters worldwide (down
5% from the previous year). This is due to the catastrophic South Asian Earthquake that struck India andPakistan. Asia. Another significant region is the Americas, which accounted for 4% of the people killed in2005 (up from the previous year). The number of people killed in Africa increased from 2% in 2004 to 3%
in 2005. Europe also saw an increase in people killed, from 0.1% in 2004 to 2% in 2005. This was due tothe extreme weather condition that prevailed in Europe in 2005. Oceania registered almost the same
number of people killed by natural disasters as in the previous year. The heavy death toll in Asia caused by
the South Asian earthquake makes other regions’ figures look smaller in 2005. Earthquakes were
responsible for the majority of the death toll worldwide (82%), followed by floods and wind storms, as
shown in Figure 31B.

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Figure 31A

Proportion of People Killed Worldwide by Region, 2005

Number of Killed (World/Regions) 2005

Americas4.10%Europe1.66%

Oceania
0.03%
Africa3.24%

Asia
90.97%TOTAL = 92,731 People

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

Figure 31B

Proportion of People Killed Worldwide by Disaster Type, 2005

Number of Killed (World/Disaster Type) 2005

Flood
6.31%

Slide
0.70%

Wild fire
0.05%

Extreme temp
2.18%

Wind storm
4.99%
Drought
0.16%

Epidemic
3.39%

Earthquake
82.22%TOTAL = 92,731 People

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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The number of total affected people increased from 145 million in 2004 to 158 million in 2005
due to the South Asian earthquake and a drought in Africa. As shown in Figure 32A, the Asian region
accounted for the highest percentage of total affected people, with 83% (down 7% from the previous year).
In addition to the South Asian Earthquake, which affected many people in Asia, other disasters in otherparts of the world, especially Africa and the Americas, also had a significant impact. The number of total
affected people in Africa and the Americas increased significantly over previous years. Nevertheless, thetrend clearly reflects Asia's continued vulnerability to natural hazards. Figure 32B shows the percentages of
total affected people by disaster type. Hydro-meteorological disasters, such as floods, wind storms, anddroughts had a significant impact on people worldwide.

Figure 32A

Proportion of Total Affected People Worldwide by Region, 2005

Number of Total Affected People(World/Regions) 2005
Americas
5.07%

Europe0.34%

Oceania0.02%

Asia
83.04%

Africa11.53%TOTAL = 158 Million People

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Figure 32B

Proportion of Total Affected People Worldwide by Disaster Type, 2005

Number of Total Affected People(World/Disaster Type) 2005

Wind storm
35.44%

Drought
16.42%

Earthquake
2.48%

Epidemic
0.07%

Volcano0.21%
Flood45.37%TOTAL = 158 Million People

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

In contrast to the previous year's figures, the Americas accounted for more than two-thirds of theeconomic damage caused by natural disasters in 2005 (Figure 33A). This is mainly due to the impact ofHurricanes Katrina, Wilma, and others that struck the US in 2005, as well as the resulting floods. Asia
accounted for less economic damage than in the previous year (12%), a tremendous decrease from 2004,
the year of the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami. The majority of damage in Asia was due to the South
Asian earthquake. Europe (3%) accounted for the next highest level of economic losses, following the same
patterns in 2004 in terms of damage. Figure 33B shows the amount of damage worldwide for 2005 bydisaster type. Wind storms and floods were the leading causes of damage worldwide, followed byearthquakes. The socio-economic structure of these regions and the disaster occurrences andcountermeasures could be attributed to these trends. All other regions accounted for much less of theeconomic damage sustained in 2005. Overall damage increased more than 1.5-fold over the previous year,
from US$98 billion to US$159 billion, posing a huge blow to development efforts.

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Figure 33A Proportion of Worldwide Damage by Region, 2005

Amount of Damage(World/Regions) 2005
Oceania
0.13%

Europe2.45%

Africa0.01%

Americas85.58%

Asia
11.84%TOTAL = 158.9 Billion US$

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

Figure 33B Proportion of Worldwide Damage by Disaster Type, 2005

Amount of Damage(World/Disaster Type) (2005)
Drought
0.18%

Earthquake
3.20%

Extreme temp
0.10%
Flood
9.08%

Wind storm
87.41%TOTAL = 158.9 Billion US$

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

These figures indisputably demonstrate that the disaster vulnerability of the Asian region cannot
be neglected in relation to global sustainable development and the need of stronger disastercountermeasures.

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3.2 Natural Disasters Around the World

3.2.1 Characteristics of Disasters in Africa

About 95% of the natural disasters that occurred in Africa in 2005 consisted of epidemics, floods,
wind storms, and droughts (Figure 34). Furthermore, the majority of the human losses (99%) in Africa were
due to epidemics, floods, droughts, and wind storms (Figure 35). Meanwhile, the majority of people
affected by disasters in Africa were affected by droughts, which account for nearly 94% of the total affected
people in Africa 2005 (Figure 36). The same pattern was seen in the previous year, when droughts
accounted for almost 75% of the people affected. Droughts, volcanic eruptions, wind storms, and floods
accounted for nearly 99% of the total affected population in Africa in 2005. Niger, Kenya, Malawi,
Mozambique, Zambia, and Burundi were severely hit by drought. It is interesting to note, however, that allof the economic damage sustained in Africa was caused by flooding in 2005 (Figure 37). These figures
show Africa to be a disaster-prone region with socio-economic vulnerabilities, where the majority of humansuffering comes from droughts, floods, and epidemics.

Figure 34

Proportion of Disasters in Africa by Type, 2005

Number of Disasters Occurred in Africa(Disaster Type) (2005)
Volcano2.2%

Wind storm
6.7%

Drought
15.7%
Earthquake
3.4%

Flood
34.8%
Epidemic
37.1%
Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Chapter 3

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Figure 35

Proportion of People Killed in Africa by Disaster Type, 2005

Number of People Killed in Africa(Disaster Type) (2005)
Wind storm
4.3%

Drought
5.0%

Flood
12.8%

Earthquake
0.3%

Epidemic
77.7%

TOTAL = 3,008 People

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

Figure 36

Proportion of Total Affected People in Africa by Disaster Type, 2005

Number of Total Affected People in Africa(Disaster Type) (2005)

Epidemic
0.5%

Flood
3.9%

Volcano1.6%

Drought
93.9%

Wind storm
0.1%

TOTAL = 18,223,950 People

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Chapter 3

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Figure 37

Proportion of Damage in Africa by Disaster Type, 2005

Amount of Damage in Africa(Disaster Type) (2005)

Flood
100%

TOTAL = 8.5 Million US $Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Chapter 3

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3.2.2 Characteristics of Disasters in the Americas

In the Americas, which includes the countries of North and South America, floods and windstorms
accounted for the vast majority (almost 84%) of natural disasters that occurred in 2005. In terms of humanloss and suffering, 98% of people killed were killed by floods and wind storms. Nearly 99% of the people
affected were affected by wind storms and floods. The majority of the economic damage sustained wascaused by wind storms (hurricanes) in 2005. Severe damage was inflicted by Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma,
and others that hit the US and the Caribbean. Figures 38 to 41 show that the Americas were visited bysignificant hydro-meteorological disasters in 2005, as they had been in 2003 and 2004 as well.

Figure 38

Proportion of Disasters in the Americas by Type, 2005

Number of Disasters Occurred in Americas(Disaster Type) (2005)
Drought
2.2%

Earthquake
3.3%

Extreme temp
1.1%

Wind storm
47.8%

Flood
35.9%

Wild fire
5.4%

Volcano
2.2%

Slide
2.2%

TOTAL = 92

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Chapter 3

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Figure 39

Proportion of People Killed in the Americas by Disaster Type, 2005

Number of People Killed in Americas(Disaster Type) (2005)
Earthquake
0.4%

Flood
13.5%

Extreme temp
0.9%

Slide
0.8%

Volcano0.1%

Wild fire
0.1%

Wind storm
84.2%

TOTAL = 3,799 People

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

Figure 40

Proportion of Total Affected People in the Americas by Disaster Type, 2005

Number of Total Affected People in Americas(Disaster Type) (2005)
Drought
0.7%

Earthquake
0.4%

Wind storm
88.6%

Flood
10.3%

Wild fire
0.1%

TOTAL = 8,019,900 People

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Chapter 3

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Figure 41

Proportion of Damage in the Americas by Disaster Type, 2005

Amount of Damage in Americas(Disaster Type) (2005)
Flood
1.0%

Wind storm
99.0%

TOTAL = 136 Billion US$

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Chapter 3

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3.2.3 Characteristics of Disasters in Asia

An earlier chapter demonstrated the high vulnerability of the Asian region to natural disasters.
The same trend will be observed here. Floods, wind storms, earthquakes, landslides, and epidemics
occurred at a greater rate than other disasters in 2005 (Figure 42). About 72% of the disasters in Asia
consisted of wind storms and floods, followed by earthquakes (8%), epidemics (6%) and landslides (5%). It
is worth noting that the South Asian Earthquake caused the largest number of human losses (more than90%) in Asia, followed by floods and wind storms (Figure 43). Floods in China, India and Bangladesh also
contributed to the high death toll in Asia. Figure 44 shows that floods, wind storms, droughts, andearthquakes caused severe human suffering in Asia, as these accounted for almost all the people affected bynatural disasters in the region in 2005. Although the South Asian earthquake caused heavy human losses,
earthquakes did not account for a large percentage of the total affected people in Asia. Furthermore, about
78% of the economic damage sustained was due to floods and earthquakes. The remainder was due to windstorms and droughts (Figure 45). Clearly, the Asian region is severely disaster-prone and vulnerable to bothhydro-meteorological and geophysical disasters. The following figures highlight these trends.

Figure 42

Proportion of Disasters in Asia by Type, 2005

Number of Disasters Occurred in Asia
(Disaster Type) (2005)
Wind storm
24.6%

Drought
2.9%

Earthquake
8.0%

Epidemic
6.3%
Extremetemp
3.4%

Wild fire
2.3%
Volcano
0.6%
Slide
4.6%

Flood
47.4%

TOTAL = 175

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Figure 43

Proportion of People Killed in Asia by Disaster Type, 2005

Number of People Killed in Asia
(Disaster Type) (2005)
Epidemic
1.0%

Flood
5.7%

Slide
0.7%

Wind storm
1.5%

Extreme temp
0.8%

Earthquake
90.3%

TOTAL = 84,354 People

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

Figure 44

Proportion of Total Affected People in Asia by Disaster Type, 2005

Number of Total Affected People in Asia
(Disaster Type) (2005)
Wind storm
36.9%

Earthquake
3.0%

Drought
6.7%

Flood
53.4%

TOTAL = 131.2 Million People

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Chapter 3

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Figure 45

Proportion of Damage in Asia by Disaster Type, 2005

Amount of Damage in Asia
(Disaster Type) (2005)
Wind storm
20.1%

Drought
1.6%

Earthquake
27.0%

Flood
51.4%

TOTAL = 19 Billion US$

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Chapter 3

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3.2.4 Characteristics of Disasters in Europe

The year 2004 was not a difficult year for Europe in comparison with the extreme temperaturesand heat wave of 2003, and the devastating floods of 2002. Figures 46 to 49 show that extreme
temperatures (heat wave), floods, wind storms, and wild fires caused severe human losses in the region.
The majority of disasters in 2005 were floods and extreme temperatures, accounting for 71% of all disasters(Figure 46). The majority of human losses were due to extreme temperatures (heat wave, 83%), followed
by wind storms and floods (Figure 47). All of these disasters caused about 97% of the total human losses in
the region in 2005. Furthermore, 76% of the total affected people were affected by windstorms (Figure 48),
much like 2004. In 2002, as many as 84% were affected by floods, whereas in 2003, many people wereaffected by heat waves. Floods in Romania, Bulgaria, and Switzerland contributed significantly to thehuman losses and economic damage in this region in 2005. In contrast to 2004, when droughts createdheavy economic losses in the region, floods caused severe economic damage in the region in 2005 (muchas they had in 2003). Floods primarily in Romania and Bulgaria contributed to this trend. The year 2005
was a rather tumultuous one for Europe, which once again sustained significant damage caused byhydro-meteorological disasters.

Figure 46

Proportion of Disasters in Europe by Type, 2005

Number of Disasters Occurred in Europe(Disaster Type) (2005)
Earthquake
3.0%

Wind storm
22.0%
Wild fire
2.0%

Extreme temp
29.0%

Slide
2.0%
Flood
42.0%

TOTAL = 100

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Figure 47

Proportion of People Killed in Europe by Disaster Type, 2005

Number of Killed in Europe(Disaster Type) (2005)
Slide
1.6%

Wild fire
1.7%

Wind storm
2.2%

Flood
11.8%

Earthquake
0.1%

TOTAL = 1,539 People

Extreme temp
82.7%

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

Figure 48

Proportion of Total Affected People in Europe by Disaster Type, 2005

Number of Total Affected People in Europe(Disaster Type) (2005)
Earthquake
0.6%

Extreme temp
1.8%Wind storm
75.8%

Flood
21.8%

TOTAL = 536,042 People

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Figure 49

Proportion of Damage in Europe by Disaster Type, 2005

Amount of Damage in Europe(Disaster Type) (2005)
Extreme temp
4.0%Wind storm
12.8%

Flood
83.2%

TOTAL = 3.9 Billion US$

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Chapter 3

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3.2.5 Characteristics of Disasters in Oceania

Disaster trends in Oceania were a bit different from those of other regions in 2005, as the natural
disasters strayed from the average regional pattern. Not all types of natural disasters occurred here, but the
majority that did occur were wind storms and floods, accounting for 73% of the total. The remainderconsisted of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and wild fires (Figure 50). The majority of human losses were
due to wild fires (52%), followed by wind storms, earthquakes, and floods (Figure 51). This was due to thewild fires in Australia and storms in the pacific island countries (Fiji, Niue, Vanuatu, Micronesia Federal
States and American Samoa). The total affected people in Oceania in 2005 were largely affected by a
volcanic eruption and earthquake in Papua New Guinea (71%), while the remainder were subject to floods
and windstorms (Figure 52). The Papua New Guinea volcanic eruption and earthquake accounted for the
majority of those affected in Oceania in 2005. This unusual picture is due to severe wind storms that hit thesmall pacific island countries in Oceania, the volcanic eruption and earthquake in Papua New Guinea, andwild fires in Australia. The majority of the economic damage was caused by floods (50%), wind storms(30%) and wild fires (20%), as shown in Figure 53.
In 2005, Oceania experienced both hydro-meteorological disasters and geo physical disasters in almost
equal amounts due to its geographical location.

Figure 50

Proportion of Disasters in Oceania by Type, 2005

Number of Disasters Occurred in Oceania(Disaster Type) (2005)
Earthquake
6.7%

Flood
20.0%

Volcano
13.3%

Wind storm
53.3%

Wild fire
6.7%

TOTAL = 15

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Chapter 3

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Figure 51

Proportion of People Killed in Oceania by Disaster Type, 2005

Number of Killed in Oceania(Disaster Type) (2005)

Earthquake
3.2%

Flood
3.2%

Wind storm
41.9%

Wild fire
51.6%

TOTAL = 31 People

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

Figure 52

Proportion of Total Affected People in Oceania by Disaster Type, 2005

Number of Total Affected People in Oceania(Disaster Type) (2005)

Wild fire
0.8%

Wind storm
17.5%

Earthquake
0.7%

Volcano
70.8%

Flood
10.2%

TOTAL = 28,247 People

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

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Chapter 3

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Figure 53

Proportion of Damage in Oceania by Disaster Type, 2005

Amount of Damage in Oceania(Disaster Type) (2005)
Wind storm
29.6%

Flood
50.3%

TOTAL = 199 Million US$

Wild fire
20.1%

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

This section summarizes worldwide natural disaster patterns by region. Tables 2B and 3B in
Chapter 1 also provide these figures in a tabulated form. Regions all over the world, including Oceania,
experienced both hydro-meteorological and geo-physical disasters in 2005. The most significant human andeconomic losses resulted from the South Asian earthquake that struck Pakistan and India, and thehurricanes that hit the US, respectively. The data shown here clearly demonstrates that Asia is adisaster-prone region of the world that sustains considerable levels of human losses and suffering. The most
severe disasters that occurred in 2005, such as the South Asian Earthquake and the floods in India, China,
and Bangladesh, occurred in the Asian region. Natural disasters deprive the affected populations of thebenefits of socio-economic development, and hinder progress toward sustainable economic development in disaster-prone regions and all over the globe.

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