These Are The Deadliest Natural Disasters In Modern History

Haiti Earthquake, 2010

Photo by JUAN BARRETO/AFP/Getty Images

On January 10, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake with a depth of 8.1 miles hit the Caribbean country of Haiti. The epicenter, which occurred south west of Port-Au-Prince, had a total of 59 aftershocks ranging from 4.2 to 5.9 magnitudes. It was the strongest earthquake in the country since 1770.

Altogether the ‘quake caused over 200,000 deaths, left 2 million homeless, and 3 million people in need of emergency aid. An estimated 250,000 residences were destroyed, as well as 30,000 commercial buildings that either collapsed or were severely damaged. The nation’s already struggling economy and widespread poverty greatly added to the death toll and amount of destruction.