Natural Disasters Displaced 42M in 2010

Government promises help to 200K affected

(NEWSER) - The good news for Australia: It got to celebrate New Years first! The bad news: A huge portion of the country is underwater. Prime Minister Julia Gillard today promised government assistance to the roughly 200,000 people that have been affected by a huge flood in the northeastern state of Queensland, the LA Times reports. Rivers in the region started overflowing last week, flooding or isolating 22 towns and covering an area bigger than Texas. More»

More rain expected tomorrow; 1100 still missing

(AP) - Rescuers dug through mud and wreckage today searching for more than 1,100 people missing after flash floods and landslides struck northwestern China and killed 337, one of a series of floods across Asia that have killed hundreds and spread misery to millions more. Vehicles carrying aid supplies choked the road over bare, eroded mountains into the remote county seat of Zhouqu. Bodies wrapped in blankets were collected and laid on truck beds. "There were some, but very few, survivors. Most of them are dead, crushed into the earth," said a survivor. More»

(AP) - The bloated Red River briefly breached a dike early today, pouring water into a school campus in Fargo, ND. The mayor called it a "wakeup call" for a city that needs to be vigilant for weaknesses in levees that could give way at any time. "The campus is basically devastated. They fought the good fight," Mayor Dennis Walaker said. "Those things will continue to happen. I guarantee it." More»

National Guard prepares to pitch in for aftermath

(NEWSER) - Coastal Texas residents are preparing for Tropical Storm Edouard to make landfall in just hours as the state deploys its National Guard to help clean up and distribute food and water, the Galveston Daily News reports. The storm is expected to bring 10 inches of rain to some areas and high tides of 5.5 feet, with winds as high as 70 mph. More»

Disasters spur economic growth, but at what cost?

(NEWSER) - Casualties aside, natural disasters may not be so devastating after all. Catastrophes like the recent earthquake in China destroy old buildings and roads, making way for new and improved infrastructure that may not have been created otherwise and pumping cash into the economy. In the long term, updated technology and efficiencies have the potential to create a more productive economy, reports the Boston Globe. More»