Burak Bir
02 January 2022•Update: 02 January 2022
ANKARA
A range of environmental disasters hit the world in December 2021, including heavy rains and floods in Malaysia and Spain, wildfires in Australia and Argentina, volcanic eruptions in the Mt. Semeru of Indonesia and the Spanish island of La Palma, and deadly typhoon in the Philippines.
Below is a timeline compiled by Anadolu Agency:
Dec. 1:
- A fierce storm hits Turkiye’s Marmara region, killing five people.
Dec. 4:
- Almost 55,000 people are evacuated as a tropical storm lashes parts of southern India with heavy rains.
- Mt. Semeru, the highest and most active volcano on Indonesia’s Java island, belch out thick clouds of smoke and ash.
Dec. 10:
- Storm Barra brings flooding, landslides, strong winds, and heavy precipitation to the north of Spain and kills one person.
- Fire in Western Australia's Margaret River region destroys over 6,000 hectares of forestry area.
Dec. 13:
- The ongoing eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma enters the history books by becoming the longest local eruption on record.
Dec. 14:
- The death toll from a wave of tornadoes that hit the US state of Kentucky reaches 74, with 100 people still missing.
- The death toll following the eruption of the highest and most active volcano on Indonesia’s Java island rises to 48.
Dec. 16:
- Super Typhoon Rai, which upgraded from a typhoon, slams into the eastern parts of the Philippines.
- More than 510,000 people are without power after powerful storms rip through the Great Plains and the Midwest.
Dec. 17:
- At least eight people, including a girl, die as a result of torrential rains in Erbil, northern Iraq.
Dec. 18:
- Indonesian authorities raise the alert level to the second-highest on Java island over fears that the Semeru volcano may erupt again.
Dec. 21:
- At least 14 people are dead in floods that ravage Malaysia.
Dec. 22:
- Floods in Syrian refugee camps leave thousands of families devastated as 500 tents become unusable.
- Dozens of people are missing after a landslide hit a town in the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar.
Dec. 26:
- At least 47 people lost their lives in the massive floods in Malaysia.
Dec. 27:
- The death toll from a powerful typhoon in the Philippines climbs to 389.
- Japan is witnessing record snowfall that disrupts the land and air traffic in parts of the country.
Dec. 28:
- Firefighters in Argentina continue to battle fires in Patagonia that authorities said have destroyed nearly 4,000 hectares (988 acres) of forest.
- The death toll from flash floods in northeastern Brazil since November rises to 20.
Dec. 30:
- The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in Brazil’s northeastern state of Bahia rises to 24, with around 630,000 people affected by the natural disaster.
