Top 10 natural disasters caught on camera (part 1)

Top 10 horrible natural disasters that affected the world. These terrible acts of nature that were caught on camera claimed a vast amount of lives and cost millions in damage.

Nature can be described in a number of different ways – awesome, breath-taking, spectacular and incredible, among them. Sometimes, though, simple adjectives don’t quite do they trick. We’ve all seen footage of natural disasters that go well beyond those descriptors and seem better suited to bold, superlative exclamations like “HOLY CRAP!” and “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT??”. That’s because few sights can carry the scope, presence and pure aura of nature’s wrath in action. No wonder, then, that the internet has become a hotbed for disaster porn – terrifying videos of storms as they happen and the damage that they cause.

It is a fascinating and potentially dangerous time in the history of our planet. A confluence of factors has resulted on humans reaching a point where they’ve never been more vulnerable to natural disasters. The threat of global warming has all but been confirmed as true, ushering in a steady, gradual increase in climate-related weather unrest. Additionally, disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes are taking more of a toll today as global population numbers continue to rise and people are required to spread out and take up residence in regions that push them nearer to volatile, dangerous areas.

On top of that, digital technologies have afforded us unprecedented access to all that life has to offer, including these rare, spectacular and potentially devastating disasters. Once, this was simply the work of storm chasers and other thrill-seeking risk-takers who summon the courage to run towards the storm. Now, however, just about every disaster is met with the clicking and flashing of an army of camera phones, which can both chronicle the devastation that it leaves in its wake and can be immediately uploaded online for limitless viewing.

Indeed, the internet is awash in amateur video of spectacular destruction across the globe, from torrential flooding to explosive volcanic eruptions to blazing wildfires to dramatic, terrifying earthquakes. These videos generate major views and a large audience drawn in by the shock value of some of these scenes. There’s something undeniably compelling in the inherently unsettling nature of watching unfold a sudden, brutal happening that extends well beyond the control of any individual person. The first-person perspective of the often shaky camera puts you firmly in the shoes of the video’s director, making you feel as if you are experiencing the natural disaster personally.

For all of the death and ruin that they are capable of leaving in their wake, natural disasters possess a strange beauty about them. Beyond being dangerous and damaging towards humans, these events shape our planet and affect where and how we live. Volcanoes are thought to have once played a key role in the emergence of life on Earth. They enrich soils and help develop fertile land for growing crops. Meanwhile, earthquakes signal the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates, which contribute to the building of mountains. All told, these events showcase the impressive, extensive powers of Mother Nature and the planet Earth.

Featuring:
Tsunami Wave, Japan
Fire Tornado
Volcanic Eruption, Papua New Guinea
Hurricane Katrina
Meteor Attack, Russia
Typhoon Haiyan, Philippines
Volcanic Eruption, Mount Ontake
2010 Haiti Earthquake
Tsunami, Indian Ocean
Earthquake, Nepal

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