18/01/2025
25 million displaced annually by natural disasters
25 million displaced annually by natural disasters: see the data and map
Storms and floods are the leading cause of displacement in the world, while in the Mediterranean it is fires
AUTHOR. Sergi Pont Sànchez. Journalist for 324.cat
The fires that have devastated the area around Los Angeles, California, or the flood that three months ago devastated the Horta Sud in Valencia are two recent examples of how natural disasters can wreak havoc in inhabited areas. Suddenly, entire communities are forced to leave their homes.
In California, more than 100,000 people have been evacuated. In the Valencian Community, the Housing Ministry estimated that more than 1,600 houses were uninhabitable after the floods.
Although they have been among the most media-worthy, these have not been isolated cases. And every year in the world, tens of millions of people have to flee their homes as a result of natural disasters. An average of 25 million each year.
These are data collected by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), an organization that collaborates with the UNHCR in the analysis and monitoring of forced displacement of people.
According to the IDMC database, in 2023 - the last year for which consolidated data is available - more than 26 million people around the world had to leave their homes due to a natural phenomenon. Since 2008, when they began tracking it, 2010 was the year with the most displaced people for this reason: more than 42 million worldwide.
Storms and floods, the first cause of displacement
Natural disasters caused by meteorological factors are the ones that have the greatest impact on the displacement of people. In fact, between floods and storms, they cause more than 85% of evacuations.
Earthquakes - a phenomenon not linked to meteorology - are the third cause of forced displacement and represent more than 10% of the total registered between 2008 and 2023.
If disasters caused by floods and storms have the greatest impact on households, the most affected areas are those that suffer from this type of phenomenon.
Areas where tropical cyclones are concentrated, such as Southeast Asia, the Pacific islands, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean, register the highest numbers of evacuees due to natural disasters.
Cuba is at the top of the list, with an average of 4,000 displaced persons per 100,000 inhabitants.
The Philippines, a country also affected by seismic activity, is another of the most affected, with nearly 3,400 evacuees per year per 100,000 inhabitants.
In absolute figures, China is the country where the most displacements due to natural disasters have occurred in the 16 years of records: more than 100 million.
Displaced by natural disasters in the world
Many of the countries with the most displaced due to natural disasters are also underdeveloped or developing countries, which makes them more vulnerable to responding.
A 2024 report published by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre points out that, in addition to not having adequate housing, displaced people have a higher level of food insecurity and more difficulties in having a stable income compared to non-displaced people in their own countries.
Fires, the main threat in the Mediterranean
In Spain, of the 161,000 displacements that have been registered in the period 2008-2023, 112,000 --almost 70%-- have been caused by fires.
In fact, Spain is the fourth country with the most evacuees due to fires, only surpassed by the United States, Canada --both with much more forested area-- and Greece.
Of the ten countries with the most displaced for this reason, five have a Mediterranean coast
Displacements due to natural phenomena triple in Spain
In Spain, the problem of those displaced by meteorological phenomena has been increasing in recent years.
2022 was the year in which more people had to leave their homes for this reason, according to IDMC data, which does not yet include data for 2024, marked by the disaster in the Valencian Community.
In any case, the upward trend is clear. And the average number of displaced people in the last five years is three times the average of previous years:
Catalonia is not exempt from this threat either.
10/01/2025
2024, the year with the highest global temperature in history:
Source: 324.https://www.3cat.cat/324/
The fires in California or the floods in the Valencian Country are examples of how rising temperatures are fueling these phenomena
2024 has been a year of climate records that should make humanity react to prevent the escalation of global warming from continuing. The European Earth observation program, Copernicus, has presented its climate report on the year that we have just closed with this cry of alarm.
Because 2024 has been the year that has had the highest average global temperatures since 1850 (when the pre-industrial era is considered to begin and, therefore, humans are increasing greenhouse gas emissions), but this worrying data is only the tip of the problem. We have already had a decade of rising temperatures, year after year, and breaking records, one after another.
So, although 2024 will be remembered as the warmest on record, perhaps the coming years will surpass it. This increase in temperature is linked to greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity, and these emissions also continue to increase.
Every tenth of a degree counts
But what does it mean that the planet is adding tenths? Each one has impacts on our health, that of ecosystems, our economy, our lives...
"Every increase in temperature, no matter how small it may seem, causes big changes. For example, less water availability, more and stronger storms, more and more severe heat waves"
The same goes for fires, like the ones California is currently experiencing, Buontempo highlights: "With more drought, more energy for fires."
In fact, the number of fires in 2024 was lower than in other years, but those that were declared were much fiercer.
And these fires cause the effect of the fish biting its tail, since they are large emitters of CO₂. Fires fueled by very long periods of extreme droughts that, combined with high temperatures, create ideal conditions for large forest fires such as those that have devastated thousands of hectares throughout the American continent and, now, in California.
And we already know that these climate disasters will get worse and worse.
"It is inevitable, because we will see new records of temperatures, droughts, even more intense floods"
2024, the year in which the red line was exceeded
Another ominous record from 2024: for the first time, the warming of the planet has exceeded one and a half degrees of average global warming, the red line that science and the Paris agreements have marked as the limit of acceptable warming.
10/01/2025
At least 10 dead and 10,000 homes burned in Los Angeles' worst fires
Source: 324.https://www.3cat.cat/324/
The two main fires alone have already burned 13,750 hectares and forced the evacuation of 180,000 people
It is estimated that they have already destroyed 10,000 homes and have left a devastating landscape of absolute destruction, of houses almost reduced to ashes, among which often only the chimneys remain standing, of construction.
"It looks like the apocalypse"
In addition to homes, the fire has also devoured educational centers, businesses and other buildings.
"It looks like an atomic bomb has fallen in this area," said Luna.
"We can say without a doubt that the Palisades fire is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles," said Kristin Crowley, head of the fire department.
09/01/2025
The six fires surrounding Los Angeles cause 5 deaths and force 180,000 people to evacuate
Source: 324.https://www.3cat.cat/324/
Fires are destroying entire neighborhoods fanned by strong winds in Los Angeles and Pasadena, California
At least five people have died in the fires that continue to burn out of control fanned by strong winds in California around the city of Los Angeles and Pasadena, where nearly 12,000 hectares have already been burned.
There are at least six active fires burning in Los Angeles County, the latest in the Hollywood Hills.
The warm winds known as the Santa Ana winds continue to blow strongly and 180,000 people have been ordered to evacuate.
Four of the fires are burning out of control. The largest, those in Palisades and Eaton, are moving towards Pasadena.
Official figures indicate that the flames have devoured more than 1,300 buildings.
"It's one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of the city," said Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, referring to the expected major earthquake on the San Andreas fault that threatens California, added: "This firestorm is the 'Big One'"
In addition, police have arrested 20 people for looting homes taking advantage of the emergency situation.
Educational centers, schools and high schools, have been closed throughout Los Angeles County this Thursday, as well as the University of Los Angeles UCLA, which, although not directly affected by the fires, has decided to reduce activity until Friday.
7,000 hectares burned in Palisades in Malibu
The largest fire is the first that was declared at noon on Tuesday in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, one of the most exclusive in the city.
The flames have now burned about 7,000 hectares. There are no reports of casualties in the area, but fire chief Anthony Marrone said about 1,500 homes have been affected.
In Palisades, the flames have spread between Santa Monica and Malibu, to the Pacific Ocean, following the coastal highway.
A third fire that is moving quickly is the Hurts fire, in the town of Sylmar, in the San Fernando Valley, north of Los Angeles. In the last few hours, the flames have spread to nearly 400 hectares.
Two other fires, the Lidia and Woodley fires, are under control, but homes and businesses are still at risk. The flames are also threatening everything from a juvenile detention center to shelters that have been set up to receive evacuees.
The fire threatens Hollywood
The latest front was declared in the Hollywood Hills area, known as Sunset, on Wednesday afternoon, where about 60 hectares have been affected so far.
This Thursday afternoon, authorities lifted mandatory evacuation orders for the area delimited by Mulholland Drive and Hollywood Boulevard, where the popular Walk of Fame is located.
Dry hydrants due to water shortage
Authorities have urged Californians to conserve water, as three reservoirs that supplied fire hydrants have been emptied after fighting the flames.
Janisse Quiñones, executive director of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, explained that Pacific Palisades depends on three reservoirs of about 4 million liters each, and the demand for water to fight fires at lower elevations made it difficult to fill the reservoirs at higher elevations.
08/01/2025
More than 30,000 evacuated by a fire in a neighborhood of mansions in Los Angeles
Source: 324.https://www.3cat.cat/324/
A large fire is burning in Los Angeles, forcing the evacuation of more than 30,000 people. The fire, which is spreading very quickly due to strong winds, originated in one of the city's affluent neighborhoods, Pacific Palisades, in the mountains near the city.
The wind reaches gusts of more than 160 km/h, dragging the embers hundreds of meters (Reuters/Ringo Chiu)
In this situation, more than 62,000 people have been left without electricity in Los Angeles County
Some mansions have been destroyed (Reuters/Mike Blake)
The wind has already opened a new fire front in another fire declared near Pasadena, north of Los Angeles, where more than 400 hectares have been quickly razed by the flames, according to CalFire, the California firefighters.
Traffic jams during the escape
The Democratic governor has asked Californians to respect the evacuation orders.
Amidst the panic due to the virulence of the flames, many people have had to flee their homes with only what they were wearing and their pets.
Police force residents to leave their homes due to the fire (Reuters/Daniel Cole)
Traffic jams were reported during the evacuation, with some roads blocked by traffic and the fire's debris.
"You couldn't go anywhere and people were abandoning their cars," said one resident. "Everyone was honking their horns, there were flames all around us, left and right (...) It was terrifying."
"We were trapped for 20 minutes," said another resident, as "children were being evacuated from the school."
Firefighters had to clear the road with an excavator to access the neighborhood. The fire is causing a huge cloud of smoke, visible from all over the city.
More extreme events due to climate change
"This is the strongest wind event in this region since 2011," warned Daniel Swain, a specialist in extreme events at UCLA. But, he said, the fire risk is "much greater" than it was then.
Now, after two very wet years that revitalized vegetation, Southern California is experiencing "the driest start to winter on record." In other words, everything that has grown abundantly again is now acting as fuel for the fire.
Scientists point out that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events. "November, December, January... There is no longer a fire season, it is all year round," Governor Newsom recalled.
