The 10 Cities Most At Risk Of Being Hit By Natural Disasters

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Business Insider

The 10 Cities Most At Risk Of Being Hit By Natural Disasters

Harrison Jacobs

Mar. 28, 2014, 7:16 AM   

Swiss Re, a global reinsurance company, has analyzed the disaster potential for 616 of the world’s largest cities (PDF).

Each city is ranked according to its potential for earthquakes, storms, storm surges, tsunamis, and river floods. For each type of disaster, Swiss Re devised an extreme weather scenario in which defenses fail and the human and economic toll can be enormous.

Further, each city was ranked based on the effect each scenario would have on its residents by combining population-distribution data and vulnerability estimates for each disaster. The scenarios consider fatalities, injuries, evacuations, those whose homes would be damaged or destroyed, and those who would be unable to access their workplace.

10. Tehran, Iran

9. Los Angeles, U.S.

8. Shanghai, China

7. Kolkata, India

6. Nagoya, Japan

5. Jakarta, Indonesia

4. Osaka-Kobe, Japan

3. Pearl River Delta, China

2. Manila, Philippines

1. Tokyo-Yokohama, Japan

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