On 9 December 2019, Whakaari / White Island, an active stratovolcano island in New Zealand’s northeastern Bay of Plenty region, explosively erupted.[3] The island was a popular tourist destination, known for its volcanic activity, and 47 people were on the island at the time. Twenty-two people died, either in the explosion or from injuries sustained, including two whose bodies were never found […]

The Mount Erebus disaster occurred on 28 November 1979 when Air New Zealand Flight 901 (TE901)[nb 1] flew into Mount Erebus on Ross Island, Antarctica, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew on board.[1][2] Air New Zealand had been operating scheduled Antarctic sightseeing flights since 1977. This flight was supposed to leave Auckland Airport in the morning and spend a few hours flying over the Antarctic continent, before returning to

The 1970 Bhola cyclone (also known as the Great Cyclone of 1970[1]) was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) and India’s West Bengal on November 12, 1970.[2] It remains the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded and one of the world’s deadliest humanitarian disasters. At least 300,000 people died in the storm,[3] possibly as many as 500,000,[4][5] primarily as a result of the storm surge that flooded much

Severe Tropical Storm Linda, also known as Typhoon Linda, Cyclonic Storm Linda (BOB 08), or in the Philippines as Tropical Depression Openg, was the worst typhoon in southern Vietnam in at least 100 years, killing thousands of people and leaving extensive damage. It formed on October 31, 1997, in the South China Sea, between Indochina and the Philippines. Strengthening as it moved westward, Linda struck extreme southern

10 September 1914 Attempts were first made to mine sulfur on Whakaari (White Island) in the late 19th century. Sulfur was used in the manufacture of sulfuric acid and superphosphate fertiliser. On 10 September 1914, 10 miners were killed when part of the crater wall collapsed, causing a landslide. The only survivor was the mining

The 2010 Canterbury earthquake (also known as the Darfield earthquake)[7] struck the South Island of New Zealand with a moment magnitude of 7.1[1][2] at 4:35 am local time on 4 September, and had a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale.[1] Some damaging aftershocks followed the main event, the strongest of which was a magnitude 6.3 shock known as the Christchurch earthquake that occurred nearly six months later

Hurricane Katrina was a devastating Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that resulted in 1,836 fatalities and caused damage estimated between $97.4 billion to $145.5 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding areas.[1] At the time, it was the costliest tropical cyclone on record, tied now with Hurricane Harvey of 2017. Katrina was the twelfth tropical cyclone, the fifth hurricane,

The 2003 Fiordland earthquake struck the remote region of Fiordland in the South Island of New Zealand on 22 August 2003 at 12:12 am NZST. The epicentre was 12 km deep, and was thought to be near Secretary Island at the entrance to Doubtful Sound. At 7.2 Ms  magnitude, it was one of the largest quakes in the country for some time, and was the largest shallow quake

The 20th August 1988 was most significant single day of fire growth to occur during the 1988 Yellowstone fires. These were the most significant fires to ever occur in a national park, and an event that would in many ways transform fire management throughout the country. The 1988 fire season at Yellowstone started out to

The 2013 Lake Grassmere earthquake[2] was a magnitude 6.6 earthquake that occurred at 2:31:05  pm (NZST) on Friday 16 August 2013.[3] The epicentre was located about 10 km south-east of Seddon, under Lake Grassmere, with a focal depth of 8 km. The earthquake caused significant land damage in the local area, with landslips blocking roads, including the main highway between Blenheim and Christchurch. Buildings