The usual thing I do before the end of the year is to look back in the past 12 months and see how the world has change. Since I do not remember everything that has happen, I scour the Internet in search for those events that has affected our lives. This would be a five-part posting starting with Disasters followed by Sports and Entertainment, Politics, Business and Technology and last would be my own look back on my own 2010.
I called 2010 an eventful year, not only because of the good things that had happen but also the bad ones. The scandals, the man-made disasters, the sputtering economy, even Mother Nature was at full force this year. But all these bad events were balanced out (sorta) by great things that had happen such as the Olympics, the World Cup and the 33 miners who survive their ordeal underground for 68 days.
As Zohan would say, "So Lets Go"
Disasters and Triumphs
The Earth Shook!!
Mother Nature sure showed her prowess this year starting off with a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti destroying the nation of 10 million with most living below the poverty line. The earthquake cause massive damages to infrastructure and killed an estimated 230,000 people and affected at least 250,000 residence making it the 6th deadliest earthquake of all time. Haiti is still feeling the effects of this natural disaster. Then in February 27, a 8.8 magnitude quake struck the coast of Maule in Chile producing a tsunami that destroyed Chile's coastal towns. The quake killed 500 people and cause $30 billion in damages while leaving 200,000 homeless. China was also hit by an earthquake in April. The province of Qinghai was struck with a 7.1 magnitude quake killing 2,000, injuring 10,000 and destroying 90 percent of the homes. Rescue efforts were slow due to the remoteness of the province. California and Mexico were shook by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in April - the strongest quake the state has experience in 20 years.
Snowstorm
Early February saw a major blizzard striking the east coast of the United States. The blizzard shuttered the state capital and the federal government for four and half days.
Eruption disrupt air travel
Then in April, Eyjafjallajokull (Icelandic for "island-mountain glacier") erupted on the 14th spewing pieces of rock and glass particle while its ash cloud cause massive cancellation of flights from Germany to London for six days. In all, a total of 100,000 flights were canceled and 8 million travelers affected. I remember this because twitter was abuzz with DJs apologizing for the canceled gigs due to their flights being canceled.
Sinkhole
June saw a massive sinkhole struck Guatemala City in Guatemala, the sinkhole measured 66 feet wide and 100 feet deep.
Floods
Pakistan would remember 2010 as the worst monsoon season in 100 years. Torrential downpour in July submerge a fifth of country in water and took the lives of 2,000 Pakistanis. And with flood comes the Cholera and Dengue fever epidemic that threatens the lives of 6 million who are still homeless. The US also saw its share of flooding with the Cumberland River in Nashville overflowed in May flooding Nashville and a good portion of the South with 13 feet of water and causing $2 billion in damages. Flash floods killed 18 people in campgrounds in Arkansas in June.
Wildfire
July also saw a massive wildfire in Russia that covered more than 300,000 acres. And it didn't help that Russia was in a heat wave resulting in dense smoke covering Moscow and residents and tourist needing to wear face mask as the air was filled with toxic fumes. Fortunately, the temperature drop in August which greatly help the firefighters in containing the wildfires.
Thick Fog
In April, a plane carrying Lech Kaczynski, Poland's president, his wife and 94 other people inlcuding political and military leaders, crashed while attempting to land in thick fog in Smolensk, Russia. I remember this becauseArmin had to canceled the last #ASOT450 celebration in Poland. Then in July, another plane crashed due to the same reason (thick fog) in Pakistan killing all 152 people on board.
Man-made disasters
Man-made disasters were in the news also this year with the BP oil spill headlining most of April until July. On April 20, a massive explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig, a BP leased rig, killed 11 people and spewed at least 170 million gallons of crude oil in the Gulf, making it the worst man-made disaster of the year. The disaster cause extensive to the marine and habitats as well as the Gulf's fishing and shrimping business. The oil even made it all the way down to the beaches in Florida. The Gulf oil spill has been voted as the top AP news story of 2010 and it was the Top Trending Topic on Twitter this year beating World Cup, Inception, Haiti Earthquake and the Vuvuzelas.
In Oct, a toxic spill in Hungary kills 8 after a sludge reservoir burst sending 200 million gallon of toxic sludge to three villages. Hundred of people were forced out of their homes and the spill
This year was also marred with Mine disasters. In April, a explosion in a West Virginia coal mine resulted into 29 people death, making it the worst disaster in the US since 1970. Then in May, a blast in a mine in Sibertian City of Mezhdurechensk, Russia killed 43 people.
The 33
In the midst of all these disaster comes a triumph. On August 5, the San Jose copper-gold mine collapsed trapping 33 miners 2,300 ft underground. The miners were in isolation for 17 days until a drill bit tore through the shaft where the miners were trapped. News spread that the miners will not be rescued until at least December. The miners were sent food, oxygen and were allowed to chat with their families through video feeds. Then on October 12, two months before the estimated rescue date, the first of the miners were lifted out of the hole. On Oct 13 at 8:55pm EST, the last miner, shift foreman Luis Urzua was lifted out of the mine. The miners were trapped for 89 days and it was a miracle that they all survived. Quoting Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, "What started as a tragedy is ending as a real blessing."
Sources: Yahoo! 2010 in Review, Wikipedia, Twitter, Infoplease
No comments:
Post a Comment