 Oct. 10, 1780: Gigantic hurricane unleashes its fury across the West Indies. Every tree and building on the island of Barbados is destroyed, 6,000 are killed. On Martinique, 40 ships in a French fleet are demolished and 4,000 soldiers drown; 20 villages are completely destroyed along with 9,000 people. The storm is so violent it actually causes earthquakes.
Extreme hurricane blasts Savannah, GA – Sept. 12, 1804: 100+ mile-per-hour winds flatten forests and a military fort, tossing 4,800 pound cannons hundreds of feet into the air. Sweeping north it devastates Charleston, SC, wrecking dozens of ships and sinking five. It continues north to New England, crushing forests and houses along the way.
Hurricane, West Indies, Barbados, Louisiana – Aug. 10-11, 1831: Barbados is laid waste by intense, destructive storm that destroys virtually all trees and vegetation on the island. 1,500 killed, damage at $7.5 million.
Cyclone, Coringa, India – 1839: 40 foot waves crush 20,000 vessels and 300,000 are killed.
Savage Cyclone wipes out Calcutta, India – Oct. 5, 1864: Intense winds drive a 40-foot sea wave into Calcutta harbor, destroying more than 200 ships, submerging the city and instantly drowning more than 50,000 inhabitants. Destruction of the water system brings on disease which kills another 30,000 within a few weeks.
Intense hurricane, Nova Scotia, Canada – Aug. 24-25, 1873: Utterly destroys the harbors of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton and Newfoundland. Over 1000 ships sink, or are torn apart. 600 lives are lost.
Cyclone, Backergunge, India – Oct. 31, 1876: Massive cyclone smashes into the Bay of Bengal region of India, instantly drowning 100,000 people; 100,000 additional deaths due to disease spread by the storm.
Freak gale of Feb. 21-22, 1879: Storm pushes massive waves against Gloucester, Massachusetts. 15 ships in the harbor are overturned by the intense wind, drowning 157 men.
Drought and massive famine, China – 1877-1878: Failure of monsoons for three years straight triggers devastating famine in four provinces of northern China. Between 10 and 13 million perish. Widespread cannibalism, suicides, mass death – with millions of rotting corpses. Nearby provinces experience crop destroying floods.
Devastating tornado, Iowa – June 17, 1882: Wipes away the towns of Grinnel, Mount Pleasant, Malcolm and Brooklyn, Iowa. Tornado cuts a swath over 90 miles long, moving at 56 miles per hour.
Massive Yellow River flood, China – Spring 1887: Heavy rains cause the Yellow River to burst its banks, 600 towns and villages washed away, 1500 villages inundated by 40 to 50 feet of water. Estimated deaths: 1.5 to 7 million.
Severe Hurricane, Louisiana – Oct. 1, 1893: Produces storm surge wave 12 feet high, many ships lost, millions in property damage, and 2,000 people killed.
Drought induced famine, India – 1898: Intense drought affects some 300,000 square miles of southern and western India and the Punjab, causes widespread crop failures two years in a row. More than a million people starve to death, over 60 million people are severely affected.
Hurricane hits Florida, Oct. 2-3, 1898: Powerful hurricane slams into Florida. Giant oaks are snapped off like twigs, houses are blown down, vessels swept inland by massive rush of water.
Horrific drought in India – 1899-1900: Millions die of starvation, millions more die of disease and prolonged famine.
Violent typhoon, Hong Kong, China – Sept. 18, 1906: 10,000 are killed, Hong Kong is totally wrecked. One and two thousand ton ships are picked up by the winds and tossed about, other ships are demolished and sink.
Typhoon gale, Indian Ocean, sinks 9,339 ton liner Waratah – July 28, 1909: 465 foot ship vanishes without a trace in a great storm. All 211 passengers and crew are lost.
Giant Hurricane smashes into Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama – Sept. 10-20, 1909: 350 killed, Mississippi River rises three feet when dikes give way, New Orleans inundated, several smaller towns utterly flattened.
Enormous Floods, Yangtze River, China – Sept. 1911: 700 square miles of four provinces and the city of Shangha