ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DISASTERS

816 Pages·2008·8.76 MB·English

ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF DISASTERS
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ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF DISASTERS
Environmental Catastrophes
and Human Tragedies
VOLUME 1
ANGUS M. GUNN
GREENWOOD PRESS
Westport, Connecticut • London
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gunn, Angus M. (Angus Macleod), 1920–
Encyclopedia of disasters : environmental catastrophes and human
tragedies / Angus M. Gunn.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978–0–313–34002–4 ((set) : alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978–0–313–34003–1 ((vol 1) : alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978–0–313–34004–8 ((vol 2) : alk. paper)
1. Natural disasters—Encyclopedias. I. Title.
GB5014.G86 2008
904—dc22 2007031001
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright  2008 by Angus M. Gunn
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2007031001
ISBN-13:978–0–313–34002–4 (set)
978–0–313–34003–1 (vol 1)
978–0–313–34004–8 (vol 2)
First published in 2008
Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.greenwood.com
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Contents
Credits for Illustrations xi
Guide to Thematic Entries xvii
Preface xxiii
Acknowledgments xxvii
Introduction xxix
Volume 1
1. Supervolcano Toba, Indonesia, 74000 BC 1
2. Rome, Italy, fire, 64 5
3. Pompeii, Italy, volcanic eruption, 79 11
4. Alexandria, Egypt, tsunami, 365 17
5. Antioch, Syria (now Antakya, Turkey), earthquake, 526 21
6. Constantinople, Byzantine Empire, Black Death plague, 542 26
7. Corinth, Greece, earthquake, 856 32
8. Damghan, Persia, earthquake, 856 34
9. Aleppo, Syria, earthquake, 1138 38
10. Shaanxi, China, earthquake, 1556 41
11. Arequipa, Peru, volcanic eruption, 1600 46
12. London, England, Black Death plague, 1665 52
13. London, England, fire, 1666 58
14. Port Royal, Jamaica, earthquake, 1692 63
15. Cascadia earthquake, 1700 68
16. Lisbon, Portugal, earthquake and tsunami, 1755 75
17. Massachusetts offshore earthquake, 1755 81
18. Bengal, India, famine, 1770 83
19. Connecticut earthquake, 1791 88
20. New Madrid, Missouri, earthquakes, 1811 and 1812 90
21. West Ventura, California, earthquake, 1812 95
22. Tambora, Indonesia, volcanic eruption, 1815 98
23. Natchez, Mississippi, tornado, 1840 103
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vi CONTENTS
24. Fort Tejon, California, earthquake, 1857 106
25. Calcutta, India, cyclone, 1864 111
26. Kau, Hawaii, earthquake, 1868 114
27. Chicago, Illinois, fire, 1871 119
28. Owens Valley, California, earthquake, 1872 122
29. Bangladesh cyclone, 1876 124
30. Marshfield, Missouri, tornado, 1880 126
31. Georgia/South Carolina hurricane, 1881 128
32. Haiphong, Vietnam, typhoon, 1881 130
33. Krakatau, Indonesia, volcanic eruption, 1883 132
34. Charleston, South Carolina, earthquake, 1886 137
35. Yellow River, China, flood, 1887 141
36. Johnstown, Pennsylvania, flood, 1889 145
37. Louisville, Kentucky, tornado, 1890 151
38. Japan earthquake, 1891 153
39. Imperial Valley, California, earthquake, 1892 155
40. Georgia/South Carolina hurricane, 1893 156
41. Louisiana hurricane, 1893 158
42. St. Louis, Missouri, tornado, 1896 160
43. Sanriku, Japan, earthquake and tsunami, 1896 163
44. Assam, India, earthquake, 1897 165
45. Eureka, California, earthquake, 1899 168
46. New Richmond, Wisconsin, tornado, 1899 169
47. Yakutat, Alaska, earthquake, 1899 171
48. Galveston, Texas, hurricane, 1900 176
49. Cook Inlet, Alaska, earthquake, 1901 181
50. Mount Pelee volcanic eruption, 1902 186
51. Goliad, Texas, tornado, 1902 192
52. Santa Maria, Guatemala, volcanic eruption, 1902 195
53. Turtle Mountain, Alberta, Canada, landslide, 1903 197
54. Chicago, Illinois, fire, 1903 202
55. St. Petersburg, Russia, revolution, 1905 209
56. Mongolia earthquake, 1905 215
57. San Francisco, California, earthquake, 1906 217
58. Socorro 1, New Mexico, earthquake, 1906 224
59. Socorro 2, New Mexico, earthquake, 1906 226
60. Ecuador offshore earthquake, 1906 228
61. Monongah, Pennsylvania, explosion 1907 231
62. Amite, Louisiana, tornado, 1908 236
63. Louisiana hurricane, 1909 238
64. Oregon earthquake, 1910 241
65. Titanic iceburg tragedy, 1912 243
66. Katmai, Alaska, volcanic eruption, 1912 250
67. Omaha, Nebraska, tornado, 1913 256
68. Texas hurricane, 1915 258
69. Pleasant Valley, Nevada, earthquake, 1915 260
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CONTENTS vii
70. Mattoon, Illinois, tornado, 1917 263
71. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, explosion, 1917 265
72. World-wide flu pandemic, 1918–1919 270
73. Mona Passage, Puerto Rico, earthquake, 1918 276
74. Vancouver Island, Canada, earthquake, 1918 279
75. Kelud, Indonesia, volcanic eruption, 1919 281
76. Florida/Gulf of Mexico hurricane, 1919 283
77. Humboldt, California, earthquake, 1923 286
78. Kamchatka, Russia, earthquake, 1923 288
79. Tokyo, Japan, earthquake, 1923 291
80. Charlevoix, Quebec, earthquake, 1925 296
81. Illinois/Indiana/Missouri tornado, 1925 299
82. Clarkston Valley, Montana, earthquake, 1925 302
83. Santa Barbara, California, earthquake, 1925 305
84. Florida hurricane, 1926 307
85. Lompoc, California, earthquake, 1927 310
86. St. Francis Dam failure, 1928 312
87. Lake Okeechobee hurricane, 1928 316
88. Stock Market Collapse, 1929 319
89. Grand Banks, Nova Scotia, earthquake, 1929 324
90. Ukraine catastrophe, 1932 326
91. Nevada earthquake, 1932 331
92. Sanriku, Japan, earthquake, 1933 333
93. Baffin Bay, Canada, earthquake, 1933 335
94. Bihar, India, earthquake, 1934 337
95. Quetta earthquake, 1935 340
96. Labor Day hurricane 1935 343
97. Gainesville tornado, 1936 345
98. Hindenburg crash, 1937 347
99. Nanking massacre, 1937 353
Volume 2
100. New England hurricane, 1938 359
101. Imperial Valley, California, earthquake, 1940 364
102. Paricutin, Mexico, volcanic eruption, 1943 366
103. San Juan, Argentina, earthquake, 1944 371
104. Shinnston, West Virginia, tornado, 1944 373
105. Northeast United States hurricane, 1944 375
106. Cleveland, Ohio, gas explosion, 1944 377
107. Hiroshima, Japan, nuclear bomb, 1945 383
108. Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, nuclear tests, 1946 389
109. Unimak, Alaska, tsunami, 1946 396
110. Vancouver Island, Canada, earthquake, 1946 399
111. Nankaido, Japan, earthquake, 1946 402
112. Woodward, Oklahoma, tornado, 1947 404
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viii CONTENTS
113. Texas City, Texas, explosion, 1947 406
114. Puget Sound, Washington, earthquake, 1949 412
115. Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada, earthquake, 1949 414
116. Assam, India, earthquake, 1950 417
117. Kern County, California, earthquake, 1952 419
118. Kamchatka, Russia, earthquake, 1952 422
119. London, England, suffocating smog, 1952 425
120. Netherlands (Holland) flood, 1953 431
121. Waco, Texas, tornado, 1953 436
122. Flint, Michigan, tornado, 1953 438
123. Fallon-Stillwater, Nevada, earthquake, 1954 441
124. Thalidomide drug tragedy, 1957 444
125. Lituya Bay, Alaska, earthquake, 1958 449
126. West Yellowstone, Montana, earthquake, 1959 451
127. Japan typhoon, 1959 456
128. Chile earthquake, 1960 459
129. New York City, New York, mid-air collision, 1960 464
130. Tristan da Cunha volcanic eruption, 1961 470
131. Vaiont Dam, Italy, collapse, 1963 475
132. Prince William Sound, Alaska, earthquake, 1964 479
133. Hurricane Betsy, 1965 484
134. Aberfan, South Wales, Britain, landslide, 1966 487
135. Hurricane Camille, 1969 493
136. Peru earthquake, 1970 497
137. Bangladesh cyclone, 1970 501
138. Iraq mercury poisoning, 1971 503
139. Hurricane Agnes, 1972 508
140. Munich, Germany, terrorism, 1972 510
141. Managua, Nicaragua, earthquake, 1972 515
142. Iceland volcanic eruption, 1973 518
143. Brisbane, Australia, flood, 1974 521
144. Kalapana, Hawaii, earthquake, 1975 525
145. Guatemala earthquake, 1976 528
146. Teton Dam, Idaho, collapse, 1976 531
147. Seveso, Italy, dioxin spill, 1976 536
148. Tangshan, China, earthquake, 1976 541
149. France oil spill, 1978 545
150. Love Canal, New York, contamination, 1978 549
151. Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, nuclear accident, 1979 554
152. Mount St. Helens, Washington, volcanic eruption, 1980 559
153. Canada, sinking of oil platform, 1982 565
154. Coalinga, California, earthquake, 1983 569
155. Bhopal, India, gas poisoning, 1984 572
156. Air terrorism, 1985 577
157. Mexico earthquake, 1985 582
158. Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia, volcanic eruption, 1985 584
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CONTENTS ix
159. Challenger (space shuttle), Florida, fire/explosion, 1986 587
160. Chernobyl, Ukraine, nuclear accident, 1986 591
161. Armenia earthquake, 1988 596
162. Alaska oil spill, 1989 598
163. Tiananmen Square, China, massacre, 1989 604
164. Loma Prieta, California, earthquake, 1989 608
165. Persian Gulf oil inferno, 1991 611
166. Mount Pinatubo, Philippines, volcanic eruption, 1991 615
167. Hurricane Andrew, 1992 619
168. New York City, New York, terrorism, 1993 623
169. Northridge, California, earthquake, 1994 628
170. Rwanda genocide, 1994 631
171. Kobe, Japan, earthquake, 1995 639
172. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, terrorism, 1995 642
173. Srebrenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, genocide, 1995 652
174. Red River flood, 1997 658
175. Hurricane Floyd, 1999 661
176. Peru offshore earthquake, 2001 664
177. Nine Eleven, New York City, New York, terrorism, 2001 666
178. United States anthrax terrorism, 2001 672
179. Sumatra, Indonesia, earthquake and tsunami, 2004 676
180. Northern California offshore earthquake, 2005 682
181. Hurricane Katrina, 2005 686
182. Pakistan earthquake, 2005 696
183. Taiwan earthquake, 2006 698
184. Greensburg, Kansas, tornado, 2007 701
Appendix 1:USGS List of Worldwide Earthquakes
(1500–2007) 705
Appendix 2: U.S. Natural Environments 716
Appendix 3: World’s Deadliest Disasters 720
Appendix 4: Measuring Natural Disasters 723
Bibliography 727
Index 729
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