Introduction
Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on Saturday with 120 mph winds and a tidal surge that smashed through coastal towns and cities. Tens of thousands of people have died, and diplomats fear that the death toll could exceed 100,000. Aid workers have been struggling to gain access to the military-ruled country. Almost a week after the storm, entire villages in Myanmar’s Irrawaddy delta remained flooded.
Nargis already ranks among the deadliest storms to strike Asia in modern times. Click the \"Next\" arrow above to learn about nine more of the deadliest storms since 1970, plus the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history.
-- John Roach, msnbc.com contributor
";
Killerstorms_science[i++] = new Array("","2007: Cyclone Sidr rakes Bangladesh","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss_071116_bangladeshcyclone/ss_071125_bangladesh_02.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Saurabh Das", "AP", "267", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Killerstorms_science[i-1].body = "
2007: Cyclone Sidr rakes Bangladesh
Tropical Cyclone Sidr slammed into southwest Bangladesh on Nov. 15, 2007, with peak sustained winds of 135 mph. Hundreds of thousands of homes were damaged, much-needed crops were destroyed, and an estimated 3,500 people lost their lives. The death toll would have been much higher if the government hadn’t evacuated more than 1.5 million people from low-lying villages before the storm made landfall. Pictured here, a boy waits for food with others at a relief distribution center.";
Killerstorms_science[i++] = new Array("","2005: Katrina gives U.S. one-two punch","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080508/storms/080508-storms-app-katrina-2005.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "John Bazemore", "AP file", "248", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Killerstorms_science[i-1].body = "
2005: Katrina gives U.S. one-two punch
The infamous Hurricane Katrina hit the United States with a one-two punch. The storm first crossed southern Florida on Aug. 23, 2005, as a Category 1 soaker that caused several deaths. When it passed over the Gulf of Mexico, the storm, pictured here, blew up to one of the strongest on record – a rare Category 5 with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph. When Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29, the storm had weakened slightly but was no less costly. At least 1,836 people were killed. New Orleans was swamped, and much of the Gulf Coast was devastated.";
Killerstorms_science[i++] = new Array("","1999: Tidal surge swamps India","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080508/storms/080508-storms-app-india-cyclone-1999.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "NOAA", "260", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Killerstorms_science[i-1].body = "
1999: Tidal surge swamps India
The super cyclone pictured here swept into the northeastern state of Orissa, India, on Oct. 29, 1999, with 155 mph winds. At least 10,000 people died in the storm. A 20-foot-high tidal wave traveled 12 miles inland across low-lying plains. Nearly 7,000 square miles of crops were destroyed. Torrential rains and record-breaking floods made roads impassable. Millions were left homeless.";
Killerstorms_science[i++] = new Array("","1998: Mitch devastates Central America","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080508/storms/080508-storms-app-mitch-1998.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Yuri Cortez", "AFP - Getty Images file", "270", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Killerstorms_science[i-1].body = "
1998: Mitch devastates Central America
Hurricane Mitch unleashed a furry of wind and torrential rain as it raked across Central America from Oct. 29 to Nov. 3, 1998. At least 11,000 deaths in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize are attributed directly to the storm, and perhaps several thousand more perished in the aftermath. More than 3 million people were displaced as several feet of rain sent mud racing down hillsides and wiped out entire villages, such as the one pictured here in Honduras. Before Mitch made landfall, the hurricane reached maximum sustained winds of 180 mph. Gusts topped 200 mph. ";
Killerstorms_science[i++] = new Array("","1991: Bangladeshis drown in floods","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080508/storms/080508-storms-app-bangladesh-1991.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "AFP - Getty Images file", "273", "419", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Killerstorms_science[i-1].body = "
1991: Bangladeshis drown in floods
On April 29, 1991, a cyclone struck the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh with winds in excess of 150 mph. A massive storm surge and widespread flooding devastated low-lying coastal regions, such as the area pictured here. At least 138,000 people died, most by drowning. As many as 10 million more were left homeless. Researchers say many of the deaths could have been prevented if adequate warning systems had been in place.";
Killerstorms_science[i++] = new Array("","1991: Thelma lashes Philippines","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080508/storms/080508-storms-app-thelma-1991.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Jose Duran", "AFP - Getty Images file", "273", "410", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Killerstorms_science[i-1].body = "
1991: Thelma lashes Philippines
Tropical Storm Thelma, pictured here, killed an estimated 6,000 people as it swept across the Philippines on Nov. 5, 1991, making it the deadliest tropical cyclone in the Pacific island nation's history. A dam failure, landslides and extensive flash flooding contributed to the catastrophe. Ormoc City was the hardest-hit, in part because extensive logging had stripped the surrounding hills of vegetation.";
Killerstorms_science[i++] = new Array("","1977: Surge swamps Indian villages","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080508/storms/080508-storms-app-india-cyclone-1977.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Jacques Pavlovsky", "Sygma / Corbis file", "273", "406", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Killerstorms_science[i-1].body = "
1977: Surge swamps Indian villages
A cyclone struck the state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India on Nov. 19, 1977, bringing a 15-foot-high tidal surge and widespread flooding. Between 10,000 and 20,000 people were killed, and several million were rendered homeless. About 60 fishing and farming villages in the path of the storm were wiped out.";
Killerstorms_science[i++] = new Array("","1975: Rains burst dams in China","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080508/storms/080508-storms-app-Typhoon_Nina.vlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "wikipedia.com", "297", "278", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Killerstorms_science[i-1].body = "
1975: Rains burst dams in China
Super Typhoon Nina, pictured here, brought a short-lived gusher of epic proportions to China on Aug. 2, 1975. Nearly 42 inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period, the highest recorded on mainland China. The water volume caused the Banqiao Dam to collapse, which triggered the collapse of a series of smaller dams. In total, 61 dams burst. An estimated 170,000 people died in the floods.";
Killerstorms_science[i++] = new Array("","1970: Devastation in Ganges delta","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080508/storms/080508-storms-app-bhola-1970.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Mondadori", "Getty Images file", "273", "393", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Killerstorms_science[i-1].body = "
1970: Devastation in Ganges delta
The Bhola cyclone is the deadliest storm ever recorded and one of the worst natural disasters in modern times. Up to 500,000 people were killed, primarily as the result of a 30-foot storm surge that flooded low-lying islands in the Ganges delta in modern-day Bangladesh. The Category 3 storm made landfall the night of Nov. 12, 1970. East Pakistan's handling of relief effort was highly criticized locally and in the international media, fueling a resistance movement that led to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. ";
Killerstorms_science[i++] = new Array("","1900: Deadliest in the U.S.","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080508/storms/080508-storms-app-galveston-1900.vlarge.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "Hulton Archive", "Getty Images file", "358", "274", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Killerstorms_science[i-1].body = "
1900: Deadliest in the U.S.
A Category 4 hurricane that struck Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 8, 1900, ranks as the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. An 8- to 15-foot storm surge leveled the low-lying city, pictured here. Between 6,000 and 12,000 people were killed. The few buildings that survived are tourist attractions today.";
// END editorial data