अगर आप उत्तराखण्ड के कुमाऊँ क्षेत्र में नहीं रहते तो आप कल दिवाली मना चुके होंगे और अगर आप कुमाऊँ क्षेत्र में रहते हो तो आज दीपावली मना रहे होगे.
खैर जो भी हो, आप सभी को दीपावली की हार्दिक शुभकामनाये.
हम ले कर आये हैं आज के दिन घाटित आपदाओं का लेखा – जोखा
और विगत में आज की तारीख़ में घटित आपदाओं का विवरण ताकि आपको अपनी घातकता को ले कर किसी प्रकार का संशय न हो.
Himalayan and Mountainous Regions
Cyclone RAMIL Landfall Threat
The focus remains on the developing situation in Southeast Asia, where Tropical Cyclone RAMIL is intensifying. The storm is forecast to make landfall in the Central-Southern Luzon area of the Philippines today or tomorrow, which could trigger flash floods and landslides in the mountainous regions of the islands.
This follows a period of heightened tectonic and hydro-meteorological activity across Asia‘s mountainous regions.
Persistent Vulnerability
Reports continue to emphasize that the catastrophic events in the Himalayas in 2025 (like the cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) were primarily driven by the region’s geological fragility, which is severely compounded by unscientific development (hydropower, roads) and accelerated climate change.
Major Disasters in Other Areas
Severe Weather and Floods in Indonesia
As of October 21, one person has been reported injured, with 136 people affected and 34 houses damaged across impacted areas, according to the ASEAN Disaster Information Network (ADINet) and BMKG.
Volcanic Activity in Indonesia
A volcano eruption has been classified with medium humanitarian impact by GDACS. Recent posts highlight ongoing activity, including visuals of the “Blue Volcano.”
Coastal Flooding in Alaska
Persistent coastal flooding continues to affect the region, stemming from the devastating remnants of Typhoon Halong that struck western Alaska on October 12. The storm unleashed hurricane-force winds up to 107 mph, record storm surges exceeding 14 feet in places like Kipnuk, and widespread inundation across remote Yup’ik villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, including Kipnuk, Kwigillingok, and Toksook Bay.
At least one fatality has been confirmed, with two individuals still missing, over 1,400 people displaced, and dozens of homes swept off foundations or severely damaged.
Rescue operations by the US Coast Guard and Alaska National Guard have airlifted hundreds to safety in Bethel and other hubs, marking one of the state’s largest evacuations in history. Recovery efforts are ongoing amid fluid conditions, with FEMA providing support for rebuilding in these vulnerable Indigenous communities, where erosion and climate-amplified risks have long been documented but underfunded.
Monitoring persists for secondary surges and erosion, with state disaster declarations extended through the week.
Earthquake in Iran
As per the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) report, Iran was shaken near Nurabad, Fars, by an earthquake of magnitude 5.0.
The quake hit at a moderately shallow depth of 35 km beneath the epicentre near Nurabad in the morning on Tuesday, October 21st, 2025, at 11:02 am local time.
Earthquake in Philippines
Seismic activity continues across the Ring of Fire.
A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck off southeastern Philippines at 11.35 GMT on Monday according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The earthquake took place at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), and the epicentre was 103 km (64 miles) east of the Manay municipality in the Davao Oriental province, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, which determined the magnitude of the quake as 5.7.
The region is still grappling with the aftermath of the M7.4 and M6.8 quakes earlier in the month.
Global Health Concerns
The melting of permafrost due to accelerating climate change continues to pose a threat of reawakening ancient pathogens, an emerging biological disaster risk globally.
DRR & CCA Conferences, Workshops, Reports, Concerns and Incidences
New Report on Climate Anxiety
A new study published today suggests that approximately 2.3% of people in Canada experience climate change anxiety at a “clinically relevant” level, causing meaningful distress and disruption.
This highlights the growing psychological and social impact of the climate crisis.
First Planetary Tipping Point Crossed
Reports released following the International Day for DRR confirm that humanity has reached the first Earth system tipping point—the widespread and irreversible death of warm-water coral reefs globally.
With current warming at about 1.4o C, the planet is dangerously close to triggering other catastrophic shifts like ice sheet collapse and disruption of major ocean currents (AMOC).
Rising Global Temperatures
The UN continues to report that global temperatures are expected to remain at or near record levels in the next five years, which will drive more harmful heatwaves, extreme rainfall events, and intense droughts.
Air Quality Governance
Following a review on October 17, authorities in the Delhi-NCR region have been directed to strictly enforce a ban on older commercial goods vehicles from entering Delhi starting November 1, 2025, to combat the escalating seasonal air pollution crisis.
Historical Disasters on This Day (October 21)
1805 – Battle of Trafalgar
Off the coast of Spain, British Admiral Horatio Nelson commanded his fleet against a combined French and Spanish armada led by Pierre-Charles Villeneuve.
Nelson’s innovative tactics—breaking the enemy line in two columns—led to a decisive British victory, capturing or destroying 22 enemy ships without losing a single British vessel. However, the battle was a human tragedy, with over 4,000 French and Spanish sailors killed or wounded, and around 450 British casualties. Nelson himself was fatally shot by a French sniper aboard the HMS Victory, dying shortly after learning of his triumph.
This event crippled Napoleon’s naval ambitions but came at a steep cost, immortalsing Nelson as a hero while highlighting the brutal realities of 19th-century warfare.
This conclusively established Britain’s naval supremacy for the next century and effectively ended Napoleon‘s threat to invade Britain.
1861 – Battle of Ball’s Bluff
A major early battle of the American Civil War in which Union troops suffered a devastating defeat in Virginia due to poor planning and leadership, leading to a Congressional investigation.
1907 Qaratog earthquake
The Qaratog earthquake ravaged the borders of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
This massive seismic event, estimated at magnitude 7.4, struck a sparsely populated but vulnerable region, triggering landslides and destroying entire villages.
Between 12,000 and 15,000 people perished, many buried under debris or succumbing to injuries in remote areas with limited rescue capabilities.
The disaster underscored the perils of living in seismically active zones and prompted early discussions on earthquake preparedness in Central Asia, though infrastructure improvements were slow to follow.
1944 – First Kamikaze Attack
The first official kamikaze (suicide) attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy occurred against the HMAS Australia during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, marking a desperate and destructive turn in the Pacific War.
1966 – Aberfan Disaster
In the Welsh village of Aberfan, heavy rains caused a colliery spoil tip—a massive pile of mining waste—to collapse and avalanche down the hillside, engulfing Pantglas Junior School and several homes in a wave of slurry.
The disaster claimed 144 lives, including 116 children who were just beginning their school day.
Rescue efforts were frantic, with miners, parents, and volunteers digging through the muck, but the scale of the loss devastated the close-knit community.
Investigations revealed negligence by the National Coal Board, which had ignored warnings about the tip’s instability.
The Aberfan disaster led to the Mines and Quarries (Tips) Act of 1969, stricter regulations on waste management, and the establishment of a memorial fund. It remains a symbol of industrial hubris and the enduring grief of a community forever changed.
1994 – Collapse of the Seongsu Bridge in Seoul
Collapse of the Seongsu Bridge in Seoul, South Korea, killed 32 people when a section plummeted into the Han River due to poor maintenance and construction flaws, prompting nationwide infrastructure overhauls.
2018 – Train Derailment in Yilan County, Taiwan
The train derailment resulted in at least 18 deaths and hundreds injured after the Puyuma Express veered off the tracks at high speed, highlighting issues with rail safety and driver fatigue.
यह हमारा एक छोटा सा प्रयास हैं, आपको हर दिन आपदा से जुड़ी नवीनतम जानकारियाँ प्रदान करने का – विशेष रूप से वह आपदायें जो हिमालय व अन्य पहाड़ी क्षेत्रों में घटित हों.
हमारा यह प्रयास आपको कैसा लगा और कैसे हम इसे बेहतर व उपयोगी बना सकते हैं ?
हमेशा की तरह आपके सुझावों का हमें इंतजार रहेगा.
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