Natural Disasters

Lutheran World Relief responds to the immediate needs of people affected by natural disasters and stays to address the medium and longer-term recovery of affected communities.

Natural disasters, including floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis, affect millions of people every year, killing thousands and causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage each year.

Over the last decade, the world has endured an average of 350 natural disasters per year that affected 200 million people, killing nearly an average of nearly 70,000 people. Annually, natural disasters cause $141 billion in damage, although in 2017, natural disasters cost $335 billion. 

Countries in Asia are disproportionally affected by natural disasters. In 2017, Asia, which includes countries located in the Ring of Fire that is highly geologically active, accounted for 44 percent of all disasters, nearly 60 percent of the deaths and 70 percent of the people affected.