Nicole Halseth
News Editor

013 is officially over. Now, while

the apocalypse did not happen,
2013 was nonetheless very active in
terms of natural disasters. Though
this is by no means an exhaustive
list, some of the most significant
natural disasters of 2013 included:

Typhoon Haiyan - Philippines

Typhoon Haiyan, considered to be
one of the most powerful tropical
storms to make landfall, hit the
central area of the Philippines on 8
November 2013. With a storm surge
of 13-feet and winds up to 235
mph, Haiyan caused widespread
destruction and wiped out much
of the infrastructure in the area.
Almost 6,000 people were killed,
and up to 3.6 million have been
displaced. Disaster response, slow
to reach the affected areas, is still
ongoing.

Typhoon (Cyclone) Phailin - India

Phailin was the strongest cyclone
to have hit India in over 14 years,
affecting nearly 13 million people
in the northeast part of the country

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Disasters 2013: An Overview

in October 2013. The storm caused
widespread destruction, with heavy
rains and winds up to 150 mph,

and around 50 people were killed.
Almost one million vulnerable
populations from coastal areas were
evacuated prior to the storm by the
government and aid agencies.

Hurricanes Manuel and Ingrid-
Mexico

Two tropical storms hit western
Mexico in September of 2013,
causing mass flooding and
landslides. 200, 000 people were
affected in Guerrero state, and
Acapulco was hit by mudslides of
up to five feet. Disaster relief is
ongoing.

Earthquake - Central Visayas,
Philippines

Just three weeks before Typhoon
Haiyan hit the Philippines, they
were subjected to a magnitude

7.2 earthquake in the same area.

It killed 222 people and displaced
350, 000, and destroyed or damaged
around 73, 000 buildings.

Tornadoes - United States

With up to 200 mph winds, a large
tornado cut a 12-mile path through
the area around Oklahoma City
on 20 May, 2013. The tornado
destroyed and damaged homes,
including two elementary schools,
and killed 24 people. Only a week
prior to this larger tornado,

up to 10 smaller tornadoes hit
North Texas and killed six people.
Long term disaster response and
rebuilding is ongoing.

Other large-scale natural disasters
of 2013 include: earthquakes and
tsunamis (February) in the Solomon
Islands; earthquakes (April) in
Sichuan, China; drought (May to
present) in Southern Africa; floods
(June) in Uttarakhand, India; floods
(September) in Colorado, US; floods
(October) in Southern Asia; drought
(ongoing) in West Africa.

While the New Year has begun,

it is important to remember the
tragedies of the old one. Many
people, communities, and countries
around the world are still facing
the repercussions of these events
every day, and will be recovering
for some time. Relief efforts

T
Cyclone Phailin
i ABC News

continue, in many cases, and you
can still become involved. If not,
remembering these incidents is a
small way you can continue to show
them respect.

According to the National Post,
Canada can expect some extreme
weather of its own early in 2014,

in the form of a series of intense
temperature shifts from freezing

to mild. While not on the level of
the disasters mentioned above,

this predicted weather is believed
to be so severe that Environment
Canada is already devising a plan
to replace the current system of
issuing wind chill warnings with

a new system of Extreme Cold
Warnings, to compensate for
significant drops in temperature
that are not accompanied by wind
chill. This new program may even
be introduced sometime in 2014.
Given the severe cold front that has
recently hit parts of North America,
many of us are (unfortunately)
acutely familiar with this subject.
So bundle up, keep a keen eye out
for the weather warnings, and fight
the chill any way you can. Stay
warm Canada!