The biggest natural disasters of 2022: earthquakes, blizzards, fires, and more

In the year 2022, the world witnessed a series of major disasters that caused widespread destruction, demolishing homes and communities, and in some cases, taking lives.

Here’s a look at some of the biggest natural disasters in the United States and around the world in 2022:

Undersea volcano erupting in the Pacific Ocean

On January 15, 2022, an undersea volcano erupted in the South Pacific Ocean, near the island kingdom of Tonga. The explosion triggered tsunami warnings for the archipelago and even as far away as the West Coast of the United States.

An umbrella cloud generated by the underwater eruption of the Hong Tonga-Hung Haapai volcano on January 15, 2022. (NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens using GOES images courtesy of NOAA and NESDIS)

Aerial observation flights of New Zealand and the Australian Defense Force showed extensive damage to homes, roads, water, cisterns, and other infrastructure along the west coast of Tongatapu. Seismologists said it was one of the largest volcanic eruptions on record since Krakatoa in 1883.

The California earthquake claimed two lives and injured 11 others

Pakistan floods kill more than 1,700 people

Record-breaking floods ravaged Pakistan between June and October, sweeping away thousands of homes and claiming at least 1,739 lives.

Government estimates of damage were at least $30 billion as crops, roads, livestock, bridges, homes, schools and medical facilities were washed away.

People in Pakistan struggle to make their way through flooded streets after monsoon rains trigger flash floods in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Pervez Masih)

Nearly 8 million people have been displaced, left without a home for adequate healthcare. Many were living out in the open and exposed to diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea, dengue fever, skin infections, severe eyes, cholera and dog and snake bites – all spreading rapidly amid stagnant floodwaters that officials say will take several months to recede. .

Massive fires in California

Although relatively scarier than in previous years, a series of wildfires ravaged California between January and October. Cal Fire estimates there were about 7,592 incidents in total with an estimated 362,271 acres burned and nine fatalities. More than 100 buildings were damaged and approximately 772 structures were destroyed.

Firefighters battle a wildfire in California. (Fox News/Giovanni Legi)

East Coast storm leaves 100,000 without power, at least 3 dead

The northeastern winter storm in January caused blizzards in many areas and left more than 100,000 people without power.

Around the New York City area, snow totals ranged from a few inches in some areas north and west of the city to more than two feet in Islip on Long Island, according to the National Weather Service.

A white plow, East Squantum Street during a blizzard in Quincy, Massachusetts on January 29, 2022 (Photo by Stan Grossfield/Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Warren, Rhode Island, got more than two feet while Norwich, Connecticut, finished close to two feet. Some areas of Maine and New Hampshire also received more than ft.

Mauna Loa eruption: what do you know?

Suffolk County Police said an elderly man fell into a swimming pool while shoveling snow in Southhold and was pronounced dead after attempts to resuscitate him failed. Nassau County officials said two men, ages 53 and 75, died in Syosset Tower while shoveling snow.

1,036 people are killed in an earthquake in Afghanistan

A major earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed an estimated 1,036 people and injured at least 1,500 more in June – the deadliest of 2002, when a 6.1-magnitude earthquake killed nearly 1,000 people.

In this photo released by the state-run Bakhtar News Agency, Afghans look at the devastation caused by an earthquake in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. (Bakhtar News Agency via AP)

The magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck the country’s Paktika province, just 10 months after the chaotic withdrawal and most of the international community left the region, complicating efforts to provide relief to the country’s 38 million people.

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The earthquake destroyed hundreds of homes in Paktika, while dozens remained trapped under the rubble. Countless buildings were also damaged in Khost Province.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital correspondent covering crime, politics and more.

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