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• The last 24 hours have been crazy seismically. There was a 7.0 earthquake in Japan yesterday, and now this 8.8 earthquake in Chile (just upgraded by the USGS, which tracks quakes) sounds especially scary. It’s already prompted tsunami warnings in neighboring countries. We’ll keep you posted. It’s already quite awful. source

• 40+ people have died in Madeira’s flooding, and many more are missing
• 120+ people are injured as a result of the resort island’s natural disaster source

• neediness The small country of 9.8 million is one of the poorest in the Western hemisphere. Most people live on less than $2 a day. Plus, the country is still recovering from a devastating 2008 hurricane season. source
• dangers Haiti is a country located in a seismically active area largely built on a fault. Plus, there is no national building code, which left many dwellings in severe danger of collapse when disaster struck. source

• 15+ have died in the mudslides, which hit on New Year’s Eve
• 10+ were injured; authorities are searching for survivors now source

• 14+ people died in the wake of Typhoon Mirinae yesterday source

• two number of typhoons that have hit the Philipines in the last 14 days source

• 20,000+ people have fled the scene of massive wildfires near Santa Barbara, Calif. source

• 6.3 The magnitude of the quake, which hit L’Aquila, in central Italy, earlier today source

• 10,000 baggers have been putting sand into bags since Sunday attempting to stem a major flood in North Dakota source