Chinese earthquake and Burma cyclone death tolls over 120,000


		Chinese earthquake and Burma cyclone death tolls over 120,000 (Top Posts - Social/Legal - 052708, updated 043009) - - - Cyclone survivors suffer due to mistrust of Burmese regime The survivors of the cyclone which devas- tated Burma's Irrawaddy Delta one year ago are struggling to rebuild their lives due to a shortage of international aid http://tinyurl.com/cyclonenargisdeathtoll043009 - - - Excerpt: ... Cyclone Nargis killed 140, 000 people and hit 2.4 million more, sweeping away homes, live- stock and fishing boats and contaminating rice fields and water sources with salt water. ... - - - end excerpt - - - The revised Burma cyclone death toll of 140,000 places that disaster as the 3rd-worst natural disaster in the last 25 years, moving Cyclone Nargis from 7th to 3rd on the "17 Worst Natural Disasters (in the last 25 years)" list. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - May 27, 2008 Aftershocks rock areas in China UPI.com: http://tinyurl.com/6kd9eq - - - Excerpt: ... Chinese officials Tuesday said the death toll was 67,183, while 361,822 people were injured and 20,790 were missing, Xinhua said. More than 45.61 million people were affected in the quake, and about 15 million have been evacuated. ... - - - end excerpt - - - - - - May 7, 2008 Burma: 60,000 feared dead in Cyclone Nargis Telegraph.co.uk: http://tinyurl.com/6dlmo2 - - - Excerpt: More than 60,000 people were dead and missing from the cyclone that hit Burma at the weekend, authorities have said, but the secretive regime's paranoia hampered the flow of aid into the country. - - - end excerpt - - - Initial reports of the Chinese disaster, originally posted on May 12, 2008: - - - May 12, 2008 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24573168/ - - - Link to worst natural disasters in last 25 years, originally posted on May 12, 2008, along with excerpt summarizing those disasters and adding the current death toll from the recent Chinese earthquake and from the recent Burma cyclone Nargis: - - - World's Worst Natural Disasters (in last 25 years, & excluding the impact of diseases such as AIDs, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, malaria, etc.) http://www.newsweek.com/id/135814 - - - [updated on 043009 based on report of 140,000 dead due to Cyclone Nargis] 1. 1983-1985 Drought in Eastern Africa, estimated death toll = 450,000 2. 1994 Asian post-Christmas tsunami, estimated death toll = 198,954 3. 2008 Cyclone Nargis in Burma, estimated death toll = 140,000 4. 1991 Cyclone in Bangladesh (2 of 2), estimated death toll = 138,866 5. 1981-1985 Drought in Mozambique, estimated death toll = 100,000 6. 2005 Earthquake in Pakistan, estimated death toll = 74,648 7. 2008 Chinese earthquake, estimated death toll = 67,183 8. 2003 Earthquake in Iran (2 of 2), estimated death toll = 40,000 9. 2003 Heatwave in Europe, estimated death toll = 35,000 10. 1999 Venezuela floods, estimated death toll = 30,000 11. 1990 Earthquake in Iran (1 of 2), estimated death toll = 26,796 12. 1988 Earthquake in Armenia, estimated death toll = 25,000 13. 1985 Volcano in Columbia, estimated death toll = 21,800 14. 2001 Earthquake in India, estimated death toll = 20,005 15. 1998 Hurricane in Central America, estimated death toll = 18,416 16. 1999 Earthquake in Turkey, estimated death toll = 17,127 17. 1985 Cyclone in Bangladesh (1 of 2), estimated death toll = 15,000 - - - The present-day risks of large death tolls due to naturalistic events is statistically speaking at an all-time high, due to over 6.7 billion people being on the planet. However, of note, the largest death toll since the Sumatra super-eruption (which killed off all-but 2,000 or so homo sapi- ens over 70,000 years ago) was caused by act of homo sapiens (the death toll of World War II, over 50 million). For comparison, as devastating as the Black Plague was, its death toll was half that of WWII. The presence of a record number of peo- ple on the planet has occurred quite re- cently, and since the Sumatra super-erup- tion has been steady despite naturalistic disasters and human acts of war & geno- cide. World Population http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population Historical Milestones: After Sumatra Super-Eruption, 2,000 -- over 70,000 years ago One million -- 12,000 years ago 5 million -- 10,000 years ago 10 million -- 8,000 years ago 20 million -- 6,000 years ago 50 million -- 3,000 years ago 100 million -- 2,500 years ago 200 million -- 2,000 years ago 1 billion -- early 19th century 2 billion -- early 20th century 3 billion -- early 1960s 4 billion -- early 1970s 5 billion -- late 1980s 6 billion -- late 1990s The world population is expected to peak at 9.2 billion in 2075. - - - Perspective: }} Comments/Excerpts from "Devastation! The World's }} Worst Natural Disasters", by Lesley Newson }} http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0789435187 }} }} From chart on page 78 - 29 major species extinction }} events in the last 550 million years. }} }} From page 96 ... "The millions of species that inhabit }} the Earth today are only a tiny proportion of life that }} ever existed. Competition between species and environ- }} mental changes are continually causing some species to }} disappear and others to evolve. ... }} }} The dinosaurs disappeared 65 million years ago in the }} most recent mass extinction. Earlier extinctions were }} equally dramatic. More than 70 percent of animals died }} out toward the end of the Devonian period and, at the }} end of the Permian period, more than 90 percent of }} species became extinct." }} }} Last 100 Years - "One million people have died as a }} direct result of earthquakes. Another million have been }} killed by hurricanes, typhoons, and tropical cyclones. }} Over nine million have drowned in floods. Tens of mil- }} lions more have been claimed by drought and disease ..." }} }} From page 106 ... "Infectious diseases currently kill }} about 17 million people every year - number one }} factor on each continent: Europe - Tuberculosis, }} North America - AIDS, Central America - Malaria, }} South America - Malaria, Africa - Malaria, Middle }} East - Malaria, Southeast Asia - Malaria, North Asia }} and Japan - Tuberculosis, South Pacific - Malaria." }} }} The fundamental fact of life is that all living things }} must compete for the Earth's resources. We see }} ourselves as being at the top of the food chain, }} but in reality we are providing sustenance for a }} host of other living things. ... }} }} Our rivals may lack our ability to think up new }} ways of competing with us, but they are far more }} numerous and can reproduce far more quickly. }} This allows them to evolve new, more efficient }} weapons and defenses with astonishing speed, }} so that when they get the upper hand, even for }} a short while, the whole of humanity is at severe }} risk." - - -