In April, wildfires ravaged the colorful port city of Valparaiso in Chile. This calamity resulted in the death of 16 people and the destruction of around 2,000 homes. An estimated 756 hectares were destroyed and 10,000 people had to be evacuated. Considerable resources were spent trying to put out these fires and today more resources are being used to rebuild Valparaiso. This demonstrated once again the ability of natural disasters to cause total chaos in countries or cities that have done no wrong. This also raised the key question of how to minimize the damage caused by these disasters. In 2012, 357 natural disasters were recorded, 9,655 people were killed and 124.5 million people were victims worldwide. Research and statistics have shown that over the past decade, India, Indonesia, China, the United States of America and the Philippines have been the most affected countries. What is important to note is that among the top ten countries in terms of disaster mortality in 2012, six are classified as low-income or lower-middle-income countries. In 2012, Asia represented 64.5% of global disaster victims, followed by Africa (30.4%). Compared to the 2002-2011 annual averages, the number of victims in 2012 increased in Africa and Oceania, but decreased in the Americas and Europe. This further highlights countries that are not as economically strong as those facing the bulk of the problems. While richer countries continue to accumulate the technology needed to help them cope with disasters, it is poorer countries that suffer and need help. The economic damage estimate in 2012 was approximately $157 billion. Natural disasters, earthquakes, tornadoes... middle of paper ....... Large-scale mudslides covered the town of Armero, killing almost the entire population. It is estimated that 20,000 people out of 29,000 lost their lives. • 1991- The cyclone that hit Chittagong in 1991 is considered one of the deadliest cyclones ever seen. The death toll was estimated at 138,000 while nearly 10 million people were left homeless.• 1992- Hurricane Andrew in 1992 proved to be one of the most destructive hurricanes ever to hit the United States. The storm caused approximately $27 billion in damage to South Florida and $250 million to the Bahamas.• 2000 - The 2000 Mozambique flood was a natural disaster that occurred in February and March 2000. The catastrophic flood was caused by heavy rains that lasted five weeks. and left many people homeless. Around 800 people were killed. 1,400 km² of arable land were affected and 20,000 head of livestock were lost.