Theme: DISASTERS CAUSED BY NATURAL HAZARDS Issue: Human vulnerability to extreme natural events

Indicator: Number of people killed by natural disasters *MDG indicator no.

27b under Target 9, Goal 7

The year 2004 ended with one of the biggest disasters in recent times – the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. The reported death toll of this disaster is 226 435 (CRED 2005), while about ten times that number were injured, homeless or otherwise affected, and massive damage was incurred by infrastructure, housing and ecosystems. In total, 241 400 people were reportedly killed in 2004 due to natural hazards. The year 2005 again saw several major disasters, including the earthquake in Pakistan and many related to typhoons (in Asia) and hurricanes (in the Caribbean and North America).