Excerpted from Maxwell Royster’s assignment

#1 Flood, Jakarta, Indonesia. February 2, 2007
Strong rains continued ceaselessly through the weekend, causing rivers to overflow in all regions of the low-lying city. Rain continued intermittently for two weeks afterwards. Over 340,000 people had to be evacuated, many remaining permanently homeless. Twenty-nine people died. There is no estimate for the monetary losses, but the floods affected not only the slums but the wealthy areas, thus increasing the economic damages.

#2 Tropical Cyclone Indlala, Madagascar. March 15, 2007
Indlala made landfall near Antalaha with sustained wind speeds reaching 120 mph. The storm caused numerous landslides and flooding. Whole villages were buried under mudslides and many roads washed out stranding those affected. Sixty-nine people were killed and 13,000 homes destroyed. 40,000 hectares of crops were also destroyed. Madagascar has been hit by six cyclones since December 2006, the most on record. An estimated 200,000 people have been affected and an estimated three-quarters of crops have been destroyed, including 80 percent of the vanilla harvest, Madagascar’s main export. Much of the rice crop was also destroyed leaving much of the country in danger of starvation.

#3 Flood, Central Africa. February of 2007
Many villages near the Zambezi River were completely submerged for several months. There were few initial deaths, but subsequent disease outbreaks killed thousands. 100,000 people were displaced without adequate water supplies. In Angola alone more than 71,000 cases of cholera were reported with more than 2,800 dead.

#4 Storm Kyrill, Northern Europe. January 17–19, 2007
The storm originated over Newfoundland and made landfall over Great Britain, continuing over Germany and Poland and finally into northern Russia. Wind speeds reached up to 140 mph. Forty-seven people died, most in Britain and Germany. Many homes destroyed or left without power. Damage estimated at almost $5 billion dollars.

#5 Flood, Afghanistan. April 1, 2007
Heavy rains coupled with rapidly melting snow created widespread flooding affecting nearly a third of the nation. Avalanches also caused deaths and destroyed homes. Many bridges and roads were washed out making rescue efforts difficult over the rugged terrain. More than 80 people were killed and up to 10,000 homes were destroyed. 300 km of roads were washed out, including an important bridge linking Kabul to the southern provinces. Tens of thousands of hectares of agricultural land were lost as well as livestock.

#6 Flood, Central Argentina. March 31, 2007
Widespread flooding, particularly bad on the Parana River. The country received nearly half its average annual rainfall in a few days. The province of Santa Fe received 15.7 inches of rainfall in 72 hours. In Santa Fe, 12 of 19 counties suffered flooding.
11 people died and 55,000 were evacuated. Three million hectares of harvest-ready crops were
completely destroyed.

#7 Tornadoes, Central Florida. February 2, 2007
A tornado touched down in Sumter County, leaving a 15-mile path of destruction into Lake County. About 30 minutes later, a second tornado developed in Lake County and continued on through Volusia County, leaving a trail 22 miles long. Twenty-one people died. Many homes and businesses were destroyed. Property damage estimated at more than $80 million in Volusia County alone. More than 15,000 were left without power.

#8 Tornado, Enterprise, Ala. March 1, 2007
A tornado with wind speeds reaching 170 mph cut a 7-mile swath, destroying more than 370 homes. A wall collapsed at Enterprise High School killing eight people and injuring 120.

#9 Earthquake, Japan March 25, 2007
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurred off the Noto Peninsula, about 200 miles from Tokyo. More
than 175 aftershocks occurred, including a 5.3 magnitude shock eight hours later. The earthquake resulted in one death and 160 injuries, most from falling debris. About 1,300 people were evacuated from their homes and 44 homes were destroyed, with around 200 others severely damaged. Water was cut off to 9,000 homes.

#10 Tropical Cyclone George, Western Australia. March 2–10, 2007 
Cyclone George formed over the northern coast of Australia’s Northern Territory on March 2 and continued on a southwesterly path following the coastline. It moved out over the Indian Ocean where it increased in intensity, with sustained wind speeds of 125 mph and gusts up to 170 mph. It made landfall again March 8 near Port Headland. It continued inland, where it dissipated March 10. George resulted in three deaths and 28 injuries, many from the destruction of the Fortescue mining camp, where nearly all the buildings were destroyed.