Facts and Figures- Canadian Red Cross

Facts and Figures

World Disaster Report 2009

Early Warning Early Action

Report Facts & Figures

There were 585 disasters in 2008 -- 326 natural disasters and 259 technological disasters. (Annex 1, p. 162)
235,736 people were killed by natural disasters in 2008, close to the peak of 2004 (241,635, mostly attributable to the Indian Ocean tsunami). (Annex 1, p. 155)
By contrast, the number of people killed in technological disasters (6,926) is the lowest of the decade. (Annex 1, p. 155)
213 million people were affected by disasters worldwide in 2008. (Annex 1, p. 155)
Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the Sichuan earthquake in China accounted for 93 per cent of all people considered dead or missing due to natural disasters. (Annex 1, p. 155)
Cyclone Nargis left 138,366 people dead or missing in Myanmar and the Sichuan earthquake killed 87,476 people. (Annex 1, p. 155)
Natural disaster costs were US$181 billion and were the second highest of the decade. (Annex 1, p. 155)
Four pillars must be in place for early warning early action to work: 1) good information; 2) a way of disseminating it; 3) awareness of local context; and 4) the capacity to turn warning into action. (Chapter 1, p. 20)