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Top Natural Disasters of 2009

Though most of the natural disasters in 2009 claimed 50 lives or fewer, there were a few devastating natural disasters that claimed more than 100 lives. According to Info Please, part of Pearson Education, there were 10 such natural disasters in 2009. The five worst natural disasters based on loss of life occurred in Indonesia, Italy, El Salvador, Samoa and Philippines.

  1. Indonesia

    • On Sept. 30, an earthquake claimed 1,000 lives and trapped thousands more on the island of Sumatra. The earthquake was a magnitude 7.6.

    Italy

    • More than 200 people were killed and 1,000 injured in Italy on April 6 after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the town of L'Aquilla and 26 surrounding towns.

    El Salvador

    • Fifteen hundred homes were destroyed and 140 people were killed in El Salvador on Nov. 9. A small storm originating in the western part of the country produced a large amount of rainfall that resulted in flooding and mudslides.

    Samoa and American Samoa

    • A tsunami killed more than 115 people in Samoa and American Samoa on Sept. 29. The tsunami was caused by an earthquake that registered 8.0 on the Richter scale.

    Philippines

    • At least 246 people were killed in Philippines on Sept. 26 from flooding caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana, according to Time. CNN reported that the tropical storm claimed more than 420 lives in the Philippines and surrounding countries. The flooding occurred in and around Manila and was the worst flooding the city had experienced in nearly 50 years.

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