Sunday, September 25, 2005


Natural hazards










































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Afghanistan


damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts


Albania


destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought


Algeria


mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season


American Samoa


typhoons common from December to March


Andorra


avalanches


Angola


locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau


Anguilla


frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October)


Antarctica


katabatic (gravity-driven) winds blow coastward from the high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the plateau; cyclonic storms form over the ocean and move clockwise along the coast; volcanism on Deception Island and isolated areas of West Antarctica; other seismic activity rare and weak; large icebergs may calve from ice shelf


Antigua and Barbuda


hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts


Arctic Ocean


ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May


Argentina


San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the Pampas and northeast; heavy flooding


Armenia


occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts


Aruba


lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt


Ashmore and Cartier Islands


surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards


Atlantic Ocean


icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September; hurricanes (May to December)


Australia


cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires


Austria


landslides; avalanches; earthquakes


Azerbaijan


droughts


Bahamas, The


hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage


Bahrain


periodic droughts; dust storms


Baker Island


the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard


Bangladesh


droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season


Barbados


infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides


Bassas da India


maritime hazard since it is usually under water during high tide and surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones


Belarus


NA


Belgium


flooding is a threat in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes


Belize


frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)


Benin


hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March


Bermuda


hurricanes (June to November)


Bhutan


violent storms from the Himalayas are the source of the country's name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season


Bolivia


flooding in the northeast (March-April)


Bosnia and Herzegovina


destructive earthquakes


Botswana


periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility


Bouvet Island


NA


Brazil


recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south


British Indian Ocean Territory


NA


British Virgin Islands


hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)


Brunei


typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are very rare


Bulgaria


earthquakes, landslides


Burkina Faso


recurring droughts


Burma


destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts


Burundi


flooding, landslides, drought


Cambodia


monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts


Cameroon


volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes


Canada


continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains


Cape Verde


prolonged droughts; seasonal harmattan wind produces obscuring dust; volcanically and seismically active


Cayman Islands


hurricanes (July to November)


Central African Republic


hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common


Chad


hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues


Chile


severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis


China


frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence


Christmas Island


the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard


Clipperton Island


NA


Cocos (Keeling) Islands


cyclone season is October to April


Colombia


highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts


Comoros


cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano


Congo, Democratic Republic of the


periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes


Congo, Republic of the


seasonal flooding


Cook Islands


typhoons (November to March)


Coral Sea Islands


occasional tropical cyclones


Costa Rica


occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes


Cote d'Ivoire


coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible


Croatia


destructive earthquakes


Cuba


the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to October (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common


Cyprus


moderate earthquake activity; droughts


Czech Republic


flooding


Denmark


flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes


Djibouti


earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods


Dominica


flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months


Dominican Republic


lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts


East Timor


floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones


Ecuador


frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts


Egypt


periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms


El Salvador


known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes


Equatorial Guinea


violent windstorms, flash floods


Eritrea


frequent droughts; locust swarms


Estonia


sometimes flooding occurs in the spring


Ethiopia


geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts


Europa Island


NA


Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)


strong winds persist throughout the year


Faroe Islands


NA


Fiji


cyclonic storms can occur from November to January


Finland


NA


France


flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean


French Guiana


high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding


French Polynesia


occasional cyclonic storms in January


French Southern and Antarctic Lands


Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes


Gabon


NA


Gambia, The


drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years)


Gaza Strip


droughts


Georgia


earthquakes


Germany


flooding


Ghana


dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts


Gibraltar


NA


Glorioso Islands


periodic cyclones


Greece


severe earthquakes


Greenland


continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island


Grenada


lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November


Guadeloupe


hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere de Guadeloupe is an active volcano


Guam


frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (June - December)


Guatemala


numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms


Guernsey


NA


Guinea


hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season


Guinea-Bissau


hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires


Guyana


flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons


Haiti


lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts


Heard Island and McDonald Islands


Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island


Holy See (Vatican City)


NA


Honduras


frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast


Hong Kong


occasional typhoons


Howland Island


the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard


Iceland


earthquakes and volcanic activity


India


droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes


Indian Ocean


occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches


Indonesia


occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, forest fires


Iran


periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes along western border and in the northeast


Iraq


dust storms, sandstorms, floods


Ireland


NA


Israel


sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes


Italy


regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice


Jamaica


hurricanes (especially July to November)


Jan Mayen


dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970


Japan


many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons


Jarvis Island


the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island poses a maritime hazard


Jersey


NA


Johnston Atoll


NA


Jordan


droughts; periodic earthquakes


Juan de Nova Island


periodic cyclones


Kazakhstan


earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty


Kenya


recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons


Kingman Reef


wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of about 1 meter makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard


Kiribati


typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea level


Korea, North


late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall


Korea, South


occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest


Kuwait


sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April; they bring heavy rain which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August


Kyrgyzstan


NA


Laos


floods, droughts


Latvia


NA


Lebanon


dust storms, sandstorms


Lesotho


periodic droughts


Liberia


dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)


Libya


hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms


Liechtenstein


NA


Lithuania


NA


Luxembourg


NA


Macau


typhoons


Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of


high seismic risks


Madagascar


periodic cyclones


Malawi


NA


Malaysia


flooding, landslides, forest fires


Maldives


low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise


Mali


hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding


Malta


NA


Man, Isle of


NA


Marshall Islands


infrequent typhoons


Martinique


hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average of one major natural disaster every five years)


Mauritania


hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts


Mauritius


cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards


Mayotte


cyclones during rainy season


Mexico


tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts


Micronesia, Federated States of


typhoons (June to December)


Midway Islands


NA


Moldova


landslides (57 cases in 1998)


Monaco


NA


Mongolia


dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "zud", which is harsh winter conditions


Montserrat


severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1996)


Morocco


northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts


Mozambique


severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods occur in central and southern provinces


Namibia


prolonged periods of drought


Nauru


periodic droughts


Navassa Island


NA


Nepal


severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons


Netherlands


flooding


Netherlands Antilles


Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October


New Caledonia


cyclones, most frequent from November to March


New Zealand


earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity


Nicaragua


destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes


Niger


recurring droughts


Nigeria


periodic droughts; flooding


Niue


typhoons


Norfolk Island


typhoons (especially May to July)


Northern Mariana Islands


active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)


Norway


rockslides, avalanches


Oman


summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts


Pacific Ocean


surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December


Pakistan


frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)


Palau


typhoons (June to December)


Palmyra Atoll


NA


Panama


occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area


Papua New Guinea


active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Ring of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis


Paracel Islands


typhoons


Paraguay


local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)


Peru


earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity


Philippines


astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis


Pitcairn Islands


typhoons (especially November to March)


Poland


flooding


Portugal


Azores subject to severe earthquakes


Puerto Rico


periodic droughts; hurricanes


Qatar


haze, dust storms, sandstorms common


Reunion


periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano


Romania


earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides


Russia


permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula


Rwanda


periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo


Saint Helena


active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha


Saint Kitts and Nevis


hurricanes (July to October)


Saint Lucia


hurricanes and volcanic activity


Saint Pierre and Miquelon


persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard


Saint Vincent and the Grenadines


hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat


Samoa


occasional typhoons; active volcanism


San Marino


NA


Sao Tome and Principe


NA


Saudi Arabia


frequent sand and dust storms


Senegal


lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts


Seychelles


lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible


Sierra Leone


dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms


Singapore


NA


Slovakia


NA


Slovenia


flooding and earthquakes


Solomon Islands


typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity


Somalia


recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season


South Africa


prolonged droughts


South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands


the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism


Southern Ocean


huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue


Spain


periodic droughts


Spratly Islands


typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and shoals


Sri Lanka


occasional cyclones and tornadoes


Sudan


dust storms and periodic persistent droughts


Suriname


NA


Svalbard


ice floes often block the entrance to Bellsund (a transit point for coal export) on the west coast and occasionally make parts of the northeastern coast inaccessible to maritime traffic


Swaziland


drought


Sweden


ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic


Switzerland


avalanches, landslides, flash floods


Syria


dust storms, sandstorms


Taiwan


earthquakes and typhoons


Tajikistan


earthquakes and floods


Tanzania


flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought


Thailand


land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts


Togo


hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts


Tokelau


lies in Pacific typhoon belt


Tonga


cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou


Trinidad and Tobago


outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms


Tromelin Island


NA


Tunisia


NA


Turkey


very severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van


Turkmenistan


NA


Turks and Caicos Islands


frequent hurricanes


Tuvalu


severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were three cyclones; low level of islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea level


Uganda


NA


Ukraine


NA


United Arab Emirates


frequent sand and dust storms


United Kingdom


winter windstorms; floods


United States


tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development


Uruguay


seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind which blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts


Uzbekistan


NA


Vanuatu


tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis


Venezuela


subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts


Vietnam


occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta


Virgin Islands


several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes


Wake Island


occasional typhoons


Wallis and Futuna


NA


West Bank


droughts


Western Sahara


hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility


World


large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)


Yemen


sandstorms and dust storms in summer


Yugoslavia


destructive earthquakes


Zambia


tropical storms (November to April)


Zimbabwe


recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare





Source: http://www.umsl.edu/services/govdocs/wofact2002/fields/2021.html

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