PARIS, Dec 28, 2008 (AFP) - Natural disasters that hit world headlines in the year just ending: - Cyclone Nargis lashed Myanmar on May 2 and 3, leaving 138,000 people dead or missing, 2.4 million homeless and devastating rice paddies. In the weeks after the disaster the Myanmar authorities mired the aid effort in red tape, hampering humanitarian staff trying to reach the affected areas. The junta relented after a visit from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, leaving southeast Asian nations in charge of the aid effort to most of the 2.4 million survivors.
- An earthquake measuring eight on the Richter scale rocked the Chinese province of Sichuan on May 12, killing 88,000 people, leaving at least 375,000 injured, five million homeless and up to 1.5 million people displaced. It caused about 124 billion dollars in direct economic losses, while reconstruction costs could exceed 245 billion dollars and take many years, the government said.
- Four hurricanes or tropical storms -- Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike - pounded Haiti one after the other in August and September killing more than 800, including more than half the population of the town of Gonaives. Around a million people were left homeless and some 100,000 homes were damaged in the Caribbean country, which is the poorest in the region.
- The Philippines ferry Princess of the Stars was caught in enormous waves caused by the typhoon Fengshen and sank off the island of Sibuyan on June 21, on its way from Manila to Cebu in the centre of the country, with 862 passengers on board. Only 57 survivors were found. Several days later the Philippine authorities suspended search and rescue operations after discovering that the ship was carrying large amounts of highly toxic pesticides.
- A mudslide swallowed Taoshi, a town of some one thousand inhabitants in China's northern province of Shanxi of China on September 8, killing at least 262. The disaster occurred when a mining tailings pond burst, swamping the village in a torrent of mud and sludge.
- Deadly wildfires erupted to the north of Los Angeles in mid-October fanned by winds raging at more than 100 kilometres (70 miles) per hour, killing one person, forcing thousands to flee their homes and scorching more than 19,000 acres (7,689 hectares) in five days. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency. Then, on November 12, three fires destroyed more than 800 homes and some 42,000 acres (17,000 hectares) of land in the region of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
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