Jan. 1–4, Kenya: more than 300 people are killed and
thousands of houses, farms, and businesses are burned nationwide in
violent riots between Luo and Kikuyu tribes after incumbent president
Mwai Kibaki, a Kikuyu, defeats opposition candidate Raila Odinga, a Luo,
in the presidential election.
Jan. 7–8, Ark., Ill., Mo., Wis.: a series of tornadoes caused
by record-breaking temperatures kill at least six people, including two
children, destroy houses, and flood roads.
Jan. 28, eastern and southern China: severe snowstorms leave at least 24 people dead and affect 78 million people overall, including 827,000 emergency evacuees. About half of the 31 provinces are without power, which strands at least 600,000 train passengers, and at least 19 major airports close. The economic cost of the storm is projected to be $3.2 billion.
February 2008 Disasters
Feb. 3, Dem. Rep. of the Congo: at least 45 people are killed and about 450 more injured after two strong earthquakes, one at 6.0 magnitude and the other at 5.0, strike the Congo.
Feb. 5–6, Tenn., Ark., Ala., Ky., Mo.: at least 55 people are killed and hundreds more injured after violent tornadoes rip through the southern United States. According to emergency officials, the victims include 31 people in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas, 7 in Kentucky, and 3 in Alabama.
Feb. 21, Venezuela: a Venezuelan passenger plane crashes into an Andean Mountain within the Sierra La Culata National Park killing all 46 people aboard.
March 2008 Disasters
March 14–15, Georgia: two people are killed and at least 30 people are injured when violent tornadoes strike Atlanta and northwestern counties of Georgia including Polk County and Floyd County. The storms cause damage to the CNN Center, the Georgia Dome, and the Convention Center in Atlanta, and leave thousands of homes without power statewide.
March 17–19, Ark., Ill., Ky., Mo., Ohio: 13 people die, hundreds of people are evacuated from their homes, and hundreds of roads are closed during major floods that stretch from Texas to Pennsylvania.
April 2008 Disasters
Ongoing since January, Brazil: More than 80 people have died and at least 75,399 infected in Rio de Janeiro since January during a dengue fever outbreak. In March, the Brazilian military opened three field hospitals to help control the epidemic. In April, after a month of heavy rains, trained members of the army and navy start a 30-day tour in the Rio State to idenitify mosquito breeding grounds and educate residents on dengue fever prevention.
April 29, Virginia: Three tornadoes strike Norfolk, Suffolk, and Colonial Heights, injuring over 200 people and destroying at least 140 homes.
May 2008 Disasters
May 1–2, Arkansas: seven people are killed and 13 more injured in Arkansas when storms hit 16 counties Thursday night and Friday morning.
May 3, Myanmar: Cyclone Nargis hits the Irrawaddy Delta and the city of Yangon, killing almost 32,000 people— 30,000 more are still missing. Most of the deaths and destruction were caused by a 12-foot high tidal wave that formed during the storm. Cyclone Nargis is the worst natural disaster since the tsunami in 2004.
May 11, Okla., Mo., Ga.: more than 20 people die and hundreds more are injured when tornadoes hit Missouri, Oklahoma, and Georgia. Racine, a town about 170 miles south of Kansas City, Missouri saw the most damage, leaving about 9,000 people without electricity for over three days.
May 12, China: close to 15,000 people die and thousands more are injured when a 7.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan Provinces in western China. Nearly 900 students were trapped when Juyuan Middle School in the Sichuan Province collapsed from the quake.
