9 Major Types of Natural Disasters Ranked From Least to Most Dangerous.
If you’re familiar with my content, you know i’m a little obsessed with the so called natural ‘‘disasters’’. I tackle this very subject matter with my own views and opinions more than a year ago ; https://medium.com/@yinalardanakta/10-most-dangerous-natural-phenomena-1903595bf47b. But today, i’m going to look them in a different light, a more fun way, if you will. Full disclosure: This ranking is not according my personal opinions, if you’re interested to learn my opinions, click the link above. Anyway here is how it works: I examine each type of disaster in 6 criteria and rate them from 1 to 10, the one gets the highest overall point will be crowned as the most dangerous natural disaster;
FREQUENCY;
- How often do these disasters knocking our door, are they weekly occurrences, restricted to a season or they just took place every year or two?
DISTRIBUTION;
- In how many parts of the planet do these disasters threaten lives and livelihoods alike, were they’re happen only in tropics, a certain line of something or can be found in any corner around the world?
AREA OF IMPACT;
- Should any of these disasters occur in anywhere, how much of an area would they effect, are these effects regional, continental or global?
UNPREDICTABILITY;
- Can we forecast any of these disasters, if we can, how much time do we have to prepare; days, hours or minutes?
POWER;
- How much power do these forces unleash, can they level entire cities or just block some roads?
DURATION;
- How long do these events last, do they come and go in mere seconds or do we have to endure them for days or even months?
And finally this is not a scientific list, you should never underestimate any of these phenomena, as all can kill you instantaneously if you’re unfortunate enough to confronted with any of them. Anyway, on to the countdown;
9-Avalanches;
Frequency—4
Although avalanches CAN happen any time of the year, they rarely do outside the winter season.
Distribution—3
Only highly elevated and cold climate regions are at risk.
Area of Impact — 2
Small villages at their worst and usually just precariously located resorts or some roads.
Unpredictablity — 5
Aside from the danger zones being painfully obvious, weather patterns can also tell a lot about if such an event is likely. However if the triggering event located below, rather than above (e.g earthquakes and volcanic eruptions) then they can took you by suprise, though that latter type is rare.
Power — 6
While the death is almost certain, the amount of destruction they can cause are no match for some other disasters.
Duration — 2
Probably nothing more than a few minutes but you can rest assured the recovery would take MUCH longer than that…
Total Score: 22
8-Landslides;
Frequency — 8
Landlides are quite common, probably more so than you’d think as there are a number of factors that can trigger them.
Distribution — 6
Landslides aren’t as picky as avalanches when it comes to where they occur: High elevation is still a requirement but at this point, climate won’t matter that much.
Area of Impact — 1
Now the odds are even, landslides won’t effect much larger areas than avalanches. In fact, they can effect even smaller areas.
Unpredictability — 3
As with avalanches, weather patterns can tell a lot about incoming landslides, since the overwhelming majority of them triggered by heavy rain. You can also look at erosion patterns, ground water levels etc. some luxuries avalanches did not offer.
Power — 5
Same as avalanches but one point down because they lack the extreme cold ingredient.
Duration— 1
Mere seconds, maybe the very big ones can last a few minutes.
Total Score: 24
7-Tornadoes;
Frequency — 6
When we only focused on to very destructive tornadoes, this is as high as their rankings go.
Distribution — 6
Although tornadoes CAN happen anywhere in the world, again when focused on to very destructive ones (excluding water/landspouts and EF0's.) they’re suprisingly concentrated, still with the help of global warming, we began to see these furious whirlwinds in unexpected places more and more often.
Area of Impact — 2
Their bite doesn’t quite match with their bark in this criteria, despite their monstrous sizes. They can obliterate anything in their path but that’s it, anything outside in their path would probably be remain unscathed.
Unpredictability — 6
Yes we can see them coming but we can’t see how fast their winds would be, which direction would they go and how long would they last.
Power — 10
Just take a look at an aftermath of an EF5, then you’ll see why they get a full rating in this criteria.
Duration— 4
Usually not that long, in extreme cases they can last for more than a hour, they’ll effect a certain area no more than a few minutes.
Total Score: 34
6-Tsunamis;
Frequency — 2
Out of all the disasters in the list, tsunamis are without a doubt the rarest ones and thankfully so. On average, a significant one took place every year or two, though that time span can be even more enhanced.
Distribution — 4
Rather sporadic, understand they can happen in any form of water but again when we stick to the most destructive ones, their territories are not that impressive. When they do happen however;
Area of Impact — 10
Now we’re talking, as the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami clearly demonstrates, these juggernauts can take a toll on a multi-continental scale.
Unpredictability — 6
This is kind of a tricky one, it really depends on your proximity to the epicenter, you can have days or just minutes, there is, however, one striking and significant indicator that one is imminent: Receding waters, if you feel or even don’t feel an earthquake, if you see water disappearing in the shore, stay far away from it and reach to the highest point you can, that is, this is only appicable if the triggering event was a quake, outcomes to far less known volcano and underwater landslide linked tsunamis can be a bit more sneaky.
Power — 10
Never underestimate the power of water, enough said…
Duration — 5
They come, they go then they come again… for a while.
Total Score: 37
5-Volcanic Eruptions;
Frequency — 5
Several notable enough eruptions took place every year.
Distribution — 6
You might think otherwise but there are many more active and dormant volcanoes outside the so called ring of fire and unfortunately the inhabitants of most of these hosted countries are oblivious to the fact, which only adds insult to injury.
Area of Impact — 10
Large enough eruptions can alter the global climate for a considerable amount of time and can severely disrupt international airway transportation.
Unpredictability — 8
It’s almost impossible to pinpoint an exact date and magnitude for an eruption, we can only speculate, sometimes we get it right but other times we might not be so fortunate.
Power — 6
In terms of total destruction, they’re suprisingly low on the scale, it will get messy but their destruction would not be on par with some of the others, though the death is certain.
Duration — 5
Eruption itself don’t last very long, though the resulting ash clouds are likely to overstay their welcome a bit.
Total Score: 40
4-Wildfires;
Frequency — 9
Since some part of the world always experinces summer, it’s not that suprising that we see a lot of news about wildfires. And when multiplying that with the sheer number of human activities may trigger them, as i disgussed in my previous article, you have a concoction of a perfect storm.
Distribution — 10
One of the only 2 disasters to get a full score in distribution criteria, wildfires can happen in any place where there is vegatation, regardless of the climate.
Area of Impact — 8
Larger ones can threaten entire cities.
Unpredictability — 3
If heeded, evacuations can save countless lives, though their direction and lifespan can be a little tricky to track.
Power — 2
This may sound a little weird but even though the fire component is combustible it’s not a particulary destructive one and can actually be fight with, other disasters aren’t as merciful.
Duration — 10
They can last for months…
Total Score: 42
3-Cyclones;
Frequency — 8
Despite restricted to a certain season, with incresingly heating ocean temperatures they will get more common than ever.
Distribution — 5
Only tropical climates offer favourable conditions, though these areas will also expand with the warmer oceans.
Area of Impact — 9
In their life spans, cyclones could ravage plenty of countries.
Unpredictability — 2
Thankfully advanced warning systems saves many lives.
Power — 10
Combination of two of the most powerful components in the world: Wind and water with an exceedingly long life span and a humangous size, cylcones pack a triple punch.
Duration — 9
They can live for more than a week, even in a certain area they can be present with a full day or perhaps even more, depending on their pace.
Total Score: 43
2-Earthquakes;
Frequency — 7
On average, at least 10 major (7+) earthquakes hit somewhere in the world annually.
Distribution — 8
Very few places are spared from quakes.
Area of Impact — 8
They can ravage several cities at once and can even felt from neighboring countries.
Unpredictability — 10
Only disasters to get a 10 on this criteria, earthquakes are impossible to predict.
Power — 10
Only an atomic bomb can unleash this much destruction in this little time.
Duration — 2
Seconds, a few minutes at most.
Total Score: 45
1-Floods;
Frequency — 10
Floods takes the cake as the most dangerous type of natural disaster according to these criteria, it is very likely that you can come across with the news about a flooding event took place in somewhere in the world almost daily.
Distribution — 10
They can be found in any corner of the world.
Area of Impact — 8
They can effect an entire city or even multiple cities.
Unpredictability — 2
Tracking the weather forecast shouldn’t be that difficult.
Power — 8
Must i repeat myself about the water being kind of a poweful thing?
Duration — 10
While the aptly named flash floods come and go in a short period, stagnant floods can stay with you for months…