Top 10 Disasters of 2006

The year 2006 left alot of damages as well as a lasting horrible impression to many.

1. January 11, 2006 - The Augustine Volcano, a stratovolcano located at Cook Inlet, Alaska, erupts twice, marking its first major eruption since 1986. The eruption deposited ash over Anchorage and disrupted air traffic in south central Alaska. The ash cloud was tracked at 14,000 feet and satellite observations revealed lava flowing near the summit.

2. February 11^th and 12^th, 2006 - a record-breaking 26.9 in of snow fell in Central Park in New York City, New York. The snow storm consisted of winds of up to 40mph with lightning and thunder accompanying the blizzard like conditions. The National Weather Service had called this rare phenomenon "thunder snow". Flights were cancelled and over 119,000 people were without power.

3. March 6^th and 7^th. 2006 - More than 200 wildfires in a 24-hour period destroyed 15 homes, killed 10,000 cattle and horses, and burned 191,000 acres. Since December 26th, Texas wildfires have killed 11 people, destroyed 400 homes, and burned more than 3.7 million acres. Over 2,000 people were evacuated in seven counties. Smoke from the fires contributed to nine car accidents on Interstate 40, killing four people.

4. March 10^th thru 13^th, 2006 - Over 110 tornado sightings and over 209 hail reports swept through the Southern Plains and Midwest United States. The storms bypassed Texas and most of Oklahoma, high winds caused wildfires charring over 1200 square miles. Normally a thunderstorm lasts an hour or two and travels less then 100 miles, but this particular storm traveled a 700 mile path from Oklahoma to Kansas into Indiana.

5. May 26, 2006 - In Java, Indonesia,a 6.3 magnitude earthquake killed more than 6,000 people, 50,000 more were injured, 200,000 were displaced, and destroyed 135,000 homes. This area had also been under an intense volcano watch due to the ongoing eruption of the volcano Merapi, the earthquake and it's aftershocks can add to the volcanic activity. Between 60 and 80 percent of buildings in the area were damaged, including schools and hospitals.

6. July 16^th thru 25^th, 2006 - The warmest summer on record in the United States, heat waves and blackouts have contributed to more than 150 related deaths. Storms with heavy winds knocked out power to than 600,000 homes in Missouri leaving many without electricity for more than a week during the heat wave. In the Queens borough of New York City, more than 100,000 were without electricity for up to 9 days. California sweltered under an historic heat wave lasting 11 days that caused more than 56 heat-related deaths.

7. September 27^th and 28^th, 2006 - Typhoon Xangsane hit the Phillipines, Vietnam, and Thailand. The island of Luzon suffered an island wide power outage and the Phillipine government estimated over 2 million people that were affected as well as over 197 deaths. Vietnam's casualties reached 71 and caused over $629 million dollars in damages. Thailand suffered over 35 of their provinces flooded taking out 520,000 acres of farmland along with high levels of water pollution and waterborne illnesses.

8. October 26^th, 2006 - More than 25 inches of snow hit parts of Colorado causing power failures and setting off avalanches and rockslides. Hundreds of miles of highways were shut down, the state was littered with broken tree limbs playing havoc with power lines, and over 90,000 customers in the Denver area alone lost electricity during the storm.

9. November 7, 2006 - In Saroma, Japan,the deadliest tornado in Japan, where tornadoes are rare, knocked out power, damaged cars, and killed 9 people. The tornado knocked out electricity to hundreds with it's wind speeds of over 156 miles per hour.

10. November 22, 2006 - In Danvers, Ma,an explosion at a chemical factory leveled 90 houses and damaged a dozen more in a half mile radius. The explosion was at night and there were no deaths. This massive explosion became the equivalent of a 10 alarm fire, with rescuers from more than 30 cities and towns. About 10 people were taken to local hospitals with cuts and bruises.