Looking back: Environmental disasters that struck in February

In this photo taken Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, desert locusts jump up from the ground and fly away as a cameraman walks past, in Nasuulu Conservancy, northern Kenya. (AP Photo)

by Anadolu Agency

Mar 03, 2020 9:10 am

This February saw numerous environmental disasters exacerbated by climate change and vice versa, including Storm Ciara that wreaked havoc across Europe, swarms of locusts that invaded East Africa, as well as a volcanic eruption that shook Japan.

Here is a look at all the global environmental disasters experienced in February.

Feb. 3:

– Pyroclastic flows reach 900 meters (3,000 feet) southwest of the crater of Japan's Mt. Shindake, while ash and smoke spew 7,000 meters (2,300 feet) high after a volcanic eruption.

Feb. 4:

– Floods and landslides kill at least 13 in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, as the country has seen dozens of deaths due to torrential rain in recent weeks.

Feb. 8:

– Heavy rain and flooding in various regions of Tanzania kill at least 40 people, destroy 1,750 houses and displace 15,000 people.

Feb. 9:

– Swarms of deadly desert locusts, accelerated by the effects of climate change, enter Uganda after ravaging parts of Kenya, causing food shortages.

Feb. 10:

– Australia is hit by the heaviest rain in the last three decades, bringing widespread flooding and causing a loss of power for 100,000 homes.

– Thousands of homes are flooded in Indonesia's South Sumatra province due to heavy rainfall.

A cycle rack engulfed by floodwater after the River Ouse burst its banks in the aftermath of Storm Ciara, in York, England, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. (AP Photo)

Feb. 11:

– The worst of Storm Ciara abates in central Europe after near-hurricane-force winds leave the region battered, while Scandinavian countries, as well as Switzerland, France, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany, continue to experience downpours and high winds.

Feb. 15:

– At least three people die in the U.K. from the quick-approaching Storm Dennis, which was the second-strongest nontropical storm on record in the North Atlantic Ocean, bringing widespread floods and winds exceeding hurricane force.

Feb. 17:

– Northern regions of Zimbabwe are hit by flooding that damages or destroys bridges, roads and nearly 200 homes.

Feb. 20:

– Around 700 families of an indigenous community in Bolivia affected by seasonal rains and deadly floods, causing widespread damage in the north and west.

Feb. 21:

– Hundreds of homes are damaged in Peru as heavy rain in the mountains triggers flash floods and deadly landslides, displacing hundreds of families from their homes.

In the photos taken on February 20, 2020, it shows the disasters left by heavy rains and the overflow of a creek in the Cocas sector of the Vilcanchos district, province of Víctor Fajardo, in Ayacucho, Peru. (REUTERS Photo)

Emergency personnel wade through water in a flooded street after Storm Dennis in Hereford, Britain, February 17, 2020. (REUTERS Photo)

Flood water continues to surround Severn Stoke in Worcestershire, in the aftermath of Storm Dennis. (REUTERS Photo)

Asha Khalif Ali, 35, an internally displaced Ethiopian sits on bags of rotten wheat which was ruined by heavy rain and desert locusts, Tuli Guled, Somali Region, Ethiopia January 13, 2020. Picture taken January 13, 2020. (REUTERS Photo)

Feb. 23:

– Flash floods in Yogyakarta, Indonesia hit a large group of students trekking along a river, killing 10.

Feb. 25:

– Swarms of locusts destroy 170,000 acres of crops in East Africa, leaving local farmers helpless.

Feb. 27:

– At least eight people die in floods and landslides in Colombia after dayslong heavy rain.

Feb. 28:

– Rivers overflow and cause widespread flooding in Iran's Lorestan province after heavy rain on Feb. 24 left roads damaged, bridges destroyed and numerous villages cut off.

Last Update: March 03, 2020 13:54