On January 12, 2010, Haiti experienced one of the most devastating earthquakes ever recorded, causing over 200,000 deaths and 300,000 injuries, leaving over 1,000,000 people homeless. Finally, on April 20, 2010, a BP oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, taking the lives of 11 workers and ultimately creating the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. This is a very select sample of crises in the past 3 years. Clearly, we continue to experience devastating crises of all types and, as a result, the current need for effective crisis communication understanding and skills continues to grow. The best known hydrometeorological event is the El Niño phenomenon, the impacts of which can be severe.
Comparing the past two decades, the number of people killed in natural and non-natural disasters was higher in the 1980s (86 328 annually) than in the 1990s (75 252 annually). However, more people were affected by disasters in the 1990s — up from an average of 147 million a year in the 1980s to 211 million people a year in the 1990s. While floods accounted for more than two-thirds of people affected by natural disasters, they are less deadly than many other types of disaster, accounting for only 15 per cent of deaths.
The most expensive disasters in purely financial and economic terms are floods, earthquakes and windstorms but events such as drought and famine can be more devastating in human terms. Disasters resulting from natural and human-caused hazards occur throughout Europe, often leading to significant environmental damage, economic loss, human injuries and premature mortality.