2020 has seen from its inception to date, a number of natural disasters, which have shaken the world, other than the coronavirus, is descended from the type of coronavirus, scientifically called “COVID-19”. It has recorded 14,909,236 cases and 614,471 deaths worldwide. For many of us, 2020 was a year full of disasters, and countless “Zoom” meetings, with some beginning to describe this year of a major epidemic as “the worst year ever”. But a quick look into history shows us that the world over the years much worse, so maybe we should be thankful for where we are. So, let’s preview in this article some of the significant losses which the world has suffered during 2020
COVID-19 losses
Significant losses in the financial markets and millions under quarantine
Stock prices in financial markets around the world have dropped significantly. Italy has closed wide areas in the north of the country. Authorities struggle to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Italian authorities have closed nearly a quarter of the country’s population, including Milan and Venice, following what China did when it closed its outbreak Center.
Tens of millions of people are now quarantined around the world, yet there are still fears that the virus could spread further in the second wave, which is expected to be more crucial than the beginning of the virus, and labor and market disruptions could plunge a number of world economies into recession.
Because of Corona, 2020 was the worst year for airlines!
2020 was the worst year for global airlines due to the spread of coronavirus. Flight cancellations, declining passenger numbers have caused lots of losses to many airlines’ companies around the world, for example:
The German airline Lufthansa Group has announced that it will continue to suspend flights to China until April 24 and to the Iranian capital Tehran until April 30.
Lufthansa Group, for example, announced a 40 % reduction in the number of flights to Italy. Since all things are related to each other and their impact is mutual in the air transport sector, the number of short and medium flights was declined by about 25 %.
Airlines have to act and make quick decisions to keep pace with the development and spread of coronavirus around the world. There are lots of pessimistic forecasts of the losses that might occur in 2021 due to the second wave of corona which is now striking lots of countries around the world.
Covid-19 has claimed many lives in 2020
As of December 17, 2020, more than 74.5 million people have been infected with COVID-19, and more than 1.6 million have been killed worldwide, according to statistics from Johns Hopkins University.
Other catastrophes that have shaken the world in 2020
A massive explosion destroyed the port of Beirut in 2020
An accidental fire at a warehouse containing nearly 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate caused a massive explosion on the Fourth of August. The explosion killed nearly 190 people and injured more than 6,000.
Experts say the Beirut Harbor explosion was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, with the intensity of a thousand tons of TNT- which equals one-fifth as intense as the atomic bomb dropped by the Americans on Hiroshima in 1945.
Fires in Australia
On 31 January, a fire spread out of control in Canberra, which its range estimated at 185 square kilometers. It was described as “the worst historically”. Nearly 3 billion animals have died or escaped as a result of fires in Australia (the first sparks erupted in late 2019). In addition to killing at least 33 people, it caused widespread destruction to the continent’s fauna. Large numbers of mammals, lizards, birds, and frogs died in fires or because of the loss of their natural habitat.
Natural disasters that stuck in many countries worldwide
The following lines, some other natural disasters that devastated the world in the first half of 2020, leaving many victims around the world.
On the 2nd of January:
An Earthquake hits the town of Sinjin in northeastern Iran with a magnitude of 5.8 “Richter”.
On the 4th of January:
Floods hit Jakarta in Indonesia and create 53 dead and more than 170 thousand in shelters.
On the 14th of January
Taal volcano releases ash clouds in the Philippine capital Manila and suspends schools and businesses across the city.
On the 24th of January
A powerful earthquake shakes eastern Turkey, killing dozens and collapsing buildings.
The 3rd of march
The eruption of the most active volcano in Indonesia, releasing lava and a huge amount of smoke and ash with a height of 6 thousand meters.
The 21st of May:
Amfan tornado hits eastern India and Bangladesh, killing at least 84 people and causing “massive destruction”.
The 23rd of June:
An earthquake of a magnitude estimated by 7.5 Richter hit southern Mexico. Followed by a warning of a “tsunami” in Central America.
The 8th of July:
Unprecedented rainfall in Japan and local meteorologists declare a state of high alert.
Therefore, in many ways, 2020 was a very difficult year. Yet we pray the coming year will bring joy and happiness to the people of the earth and be an end to the global epidemic COVID-19
