1. The Taal Volcano is the second most active volcano in the Philippines and it started rumbling on January 12th in Luzon, followed by an eruption and ash dust over 100 km away. It had last erupted 43 years back. The Volcano left huge ash clouds which caused mass evacuations of over 300,000 people. On Feb 13th, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported a total of 2,484 volcano-tectonic earthquakes in the vicinity of the volcano, 176 of which were felt. The Philippines is still reeling from the volcano eruption with a number of countries sending in domestic aid
2. On January 1, 2020 devastating floods destroyed Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta and some neighbouring areas. Over 4 lakh people were forced to flee from their homes. The floods were accompanied by heavy rains lashing the city causing further damage as rivers overflowed and people were submerged in waters that were 5ft in depth. Several locals were victims to drowning or landslides, while others died of electric shocks or landslides. About 66 people lost their lives to this natural disaster of 2020.
3. Started in December 2019, the Australian bush fires showed no signs of slowing down or stopping. While most countries were celebrating New Year’s, Australia was facing one of its biggest natural disasters and several states called for emergency in January. As per a report published in the Medical Journey of Australia, the Australian bushfire burned an estimated 18.6 million hectares, destroyed over 5,900 buildings, and killed at least 34 people, while over 400 people were killed due to the residual smoke inhalation.
This was written by a 4th grader
