Top 10 Disaster amazing movies

       Disaster movies have long been one of my favorite genres of film. They are often mega-blockbusters that will set historic, long holding cinema records. Disaster films are a key importance in film, not only because of their high audience appeal. But, disaster films raise the bar for technology that is used in the other genres. These films continually push the limits of the special effects of their time and are some of the most expensive films to make. At the right cinema and with the right seats the results can be phenomenal for the viewer. Usually, disaster films do not contain deep dialog or even a very serious plot. They are written and produced for one reason and one reason only, and that is for pure, popcorn crunching entertainment. This article covers the top 10 disaster movies.

1. Titanic

Titanic (1997) Unlike most disaster film's. Titanic was of coursed based on a true event and thus had a very thick plot. Titanic not only has the best character development of the disaster film's. It also has one of the best character developments of any movie of all time. By the time the action hits, you really care for the characters and want them to survive. The movie had a 200 million dollar budget and when released became the highest grossing film of all time. With it's stunning visual effects and deep story line. You don't just watch Titanic you experience it.

2. Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park (1993)- An absolute favorite of mine. This movie brought dinosaurs to life for the first time and let the viewers experience the Jurassic world. The special effects on this film were ground breaking and even though this film is now over a decade old. It barely shows it's age. It's still able to put realistic looking dinosaurs in your living room. Jurassic Park is an excellent disaster film full of thrill after thrill. The T-Rex scenes are an amazing experience in a home theater when you combine a large screen and a powerful sub-woofer.

There were two more films that came after. Although, they were good disaster flicks in their own right. They paled in comparison to the first. There are rumors of a 4th film in the series that would bring back most of the original characters.

3. Idependence Day

Independence Day (ID4) (1996) -Using a $71 million dollar budget, this 90's summer blockbuster puts the earth at the mercy of an alien race. The story starts as this alien race starts placing massive space ships at key points around the world. As the worlds minds work together to figure out the intentions of these beings, we find it's anything but peaceful. The movie then kicks in gear as we fight the aliens with our primitive technology and race to prevent the total destruction of mankind.

ID4 is a thrilling disaster film with absolutely insane special effects. As with most disaster films. The plot is weak and there isn't much character development. However, if you're going into it already knowing that, and just enjoy the movie for it's high-tech thrills.You will have a great time. It's a fantastic popcorn movie and it is also a superb choice to demo your home theater system.

4. The Poseidon Adventure

The Poseidon Adventure (1972) The greatest disaster movie to come from the 70's. The Poseidon Adventure takes us on a voyage on the S.S Poseidon on New Years eve. When a tidal wave capsizes the ship. The adventure begins as the survivors must work there way from the ballroom floor all the way to the bottom of the ship (now the top). With lots of thrills, obstacles, and a little drama along the way. The Poseidon Adventure will keep your attention from beginning to end.

5. The Towering Inferno

The Towering Inferno (1974) Another hot 70's disaster movie starring legendary actor Steve McQueen. This movie takes us to a premiere party being held in and for the worlds tallest skyscraper. Due to faulty wiring in the building, it catches a blaze and traps the occupants inside. A brave fireman and a highly regarded architect fight the fire as the people trapped struggle to escape. I wish they made more movies like this one. 

6.Twister

Twister (1996) There have been quite a few movies involving tornado's over the years. However, none of them have really been excellent. Even Twister could have been much better. However, it is the best Tornado movie to date and if you look past it's flaws and just try to enjoy the movie for what it is. You will have a great time with it. Twister has amazing weather effects and sound. Crank up the volume on your home theater and this movie will put you right into the eye of the storm. As I said, this movie isn't perfect; but I haven't found a tornado movie to date that is; so this movie deserves the spot on this list. 

7. Deep Impact

Deep Impact (1998) The best comet or asteroid disaster movie ever. Deep impact puts us in the situation of a comet being on a collision course with Earth. This disaster movie adds quite a bit more drama than a lot of the others on this list. It's a global disaster movie and there is a bit of a dramatic story with this one. As everyone on the planet all have to cope with the fact that they are all going to die. It's a believable disaster movie and a must have for disaster movie collectors.

8. Jaws

Jaws (1975) The godfather of all animal disaster movies. Jaws is a cult classic. I think everyone who is reading this right now will remember the music played as that massive great white was closing in. This was a movie that made me fear the water after I watched it. Even though the shark today looks totally "cheesy" compared to todays standards. It still can make a person who has never watched it before jump and think twice about going in the water. It takes a great movie to do something like that. It's proof that it's not all about the effects. It's a combined total of everything in a movie and Spielberg nailed it. The sounds, the actors, the scenarios, everything was spot on in Jaws to make it a heart pounding, nail biting, tension filled ride.

9. The Ghost and tahe Darkness

The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) Sadly, This is probably the least known of all disaster movies on this list. Like Jaws, this is an animal disaster movie. It's actually based on a true story. Starring, Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer its the true story of two lions in Africa that killed 130 people. This movie won an Oscar for best effects and sound. Like Jaws, this movie is full of tension. For those who haven't seen it, this is a must see.

10. Volcano

Volcano (1997)- The city of Los Angeles incurs another minor earthquake. Or so they thought. Unfortunately, directly below the city a Volcano has formed. This movie has a ridiculously laid out plot. But, its a fun ride. In this disaster film you get to watch ginormous amounts of lava destroy half of downtown Los Angeles and it's all up to Tommy Lee Jones, playing as the experienced EMD to save the city.

(Source: nevermindo.blogspot.com)

10 deadliest natural disaster

        A natural disaster is the consequence of a natural hazard (e.g. volcanic eruption, earthquake, landslide) which moves from potential in to an active phase, and as a result affects human activities. In some cases these disasters have lead to the loss of millions of lives. This is a list of the top 10 natural disasters (ranked by number of fatalities). From fewest to most killed:

10. Aleppo Earthquake – 1138, Syria [Deaths: 230,000]

(Image: The Citadel at Aleppo)

       Aleppo is located along the northern part of the Dead Sea Transform system of geologic faults, which is a plate boundary separating the Arabian plate from the African plate. The earthquake was the beginning of the first of two intense sequences of earthquakes in the region: October 1138 to June 1139 and a much more intense series from September 1156 to May 1159.

      The worst hit area was Harim, where Crusaders had built a large citadel. Sources indicate that the castle was destroyed and the church fell in on itself. The fort of Atharib, then occupied by Muslims, was destroyed. The citadel also collapsed, killing 600 of the castle guard, though the governor and some servants survived, and fled to Mosul.

9. Indian Ocean Earthquake – 2004, Indian Ocean [Deaths: 230,000]

(Images:The tsunami hits)

    The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing large numbers of people and inundating coastal communities.

       The magnitude of the earthquake was originally recorded as 9.0, but has been increased to between 9.1 and 9.3. At this magnitude, it is the second largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. It was large enough that it caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as half an inch, or over a centimetre.

8. Banqiao Dam Failure – 1975, China [Deaths: 231,000]

(Image:The dam After it failed)

       Banqiao Dam was designed to survive a 1-in-1,000-year flood (306 mm (12 inches) rainfall per day). In August of 1975, however, a 1-in-2,000 year flood occurred, pouring more than a year’s rainfall in 24 hours, which weather forecasts failed to predict. The sluice gates were not able to handle the overflow of water, partially due to sedimentation blockage. As a result of the blockage, 64 dams failed.

      When the dam finally burst, it caused a large wave, which was 10 kilometers (6 miles) wide, 3-7 meters (9-23 feet) high, to rush downwards into the plains below at nearly 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph). It almost wiped out an area 55 kilometers long, 15 kilometers wide, and created temporary lakes as large as 12,000 km² (4,600 square miles). Evacuation orders had not been fully delivered because of weather conditions and poor communications.

7. Tangshan Earthquake – 1976, China [Deaths: 242,000]

(Image:Aftermath of the quake)

       The Tangshan earthquake is one of the largest earthquakes to hit the modern world, in terms of the loss of life. The epicentre of the earthquake was near Tangshan in Hebei, China, an industrial city with approximately one million inhabitants. The earthquake hit in the early morning, at 03:42:53.8 local time (1976 July 27 19:42:53.8 UTC), and lasted for around 15 seconds. Chinese Government’s official sources state 7.8 on the Richter magnitude scale, though some sources list it as 8.2. It was the first earthquake in recent history to score a direct hit on a major city.

       The People’s Republic of China government refused to accept international aid, and its own efforts were criticized as inadequate. It was also criticized for having ignored scientists’ warnings of the need to prepare for an earthquake. The ramifications of the political situation created, largely contributed to the end of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

6. Kaifeng Flood – 1642, China [Deaths: 300,000]

(Image:Kaifeng today)

       Kaifeng, a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province, People’s Republic of China, located along the southern bank of the Yellow River, was flooded in 1642 by the Ming army with water from Yellow River to prevent the peasant rebel Li Zicheng from taking over. Roughly half of the 600,000 residents of Kaifeng were killed by the flood and the ensuing peripheral disasters such as famine and plague, making it one of the deadliest single acts of war in history (excluding systematic genocide) and the second greatest single loss of human life of its time. The flood is sometimes referred to as a natural disaster due to the role of the Huang He river.

5. India Cyclone – 1839, India [Deaths: 300,000+]

(Image:A site near Coringa today)

       In 1839, a 40-foot tidal wave caused by an enormous cyclone wiped out the harbor city of Coringa that was never entirely rebuilt; 20,000 vessels in the bay were destroyed and 300,000 people died. This was not the first major catastrophe to occur in Coringa: in 1789 three tidal waves caused by a cyclone destroyed the harbour city at the mouth of the Ganges river. Most ships were sunk and estimated 20,000 people drowned.

4. Shaanxi Earthquake – 1556, China [Deaths: 830,000]

(Images:The effect of the quake)

       The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake or Hua County earthquake is the deadliest earthquake on record, killing approximately 830,000 people. It occurred on the morning of 23 January 1556 in Shaanxi, China. More than 97 counties were affected. A 520 mile-wide area was destroyed and in some counties, sixty percent of the population was killed. Most of the population in the area at the time lived in yaodong, artificial caves in loess cliffs, many of which collapsed during the catastrophic occurrence, with great loss of life.

       Modern estimates, based on geological data, give the earthquake a magnitude of approximately eight on the moment magnitude scale. While it was the most deadly earthquake and the fifth deadliest natural disaster in history, there have been earthquakes with higher magnitudes. Aftershocks continued several times a month for half a year.

An account written at the time says:

“In the winter of 1556 AD, an earthquake catastrophe occurred in the Shaanxi and Shanxi Provinces. In our Hua County, various misfortunes took place. Mountains and rivers changed places and roads were destroyed. In some places, the ground suddenly rose up and formed new hills, or it sank in abruptly and became new valleys. In other areas, a stream burst out in an instant, or the ground broke and new gullies appeared. Huts, official houses, temples and city walls collapsed all of a sudden.”

3. Bhola Cyclone – 1970, Bangladesh [Deaths: 500,000 - 1,000,000]

(Image:The impact of the cyclone)

        The 1970 Bhola cyclone was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on November 12, 1970. It was the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, and one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern times. Up to 500,000 people lost their lives in the storm, primarily as a result of the storm surge that flooded much of the low-lying islands of the Ganges Delta. The Pakistani government was severely criticized for its handling of the relief operations following the storm, both by local political leaders in East Pakistan and in the international media.

        The cyclone intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on November 11, and began to turn towards the northeast as it approached the head of the Bay. A clear eye formed in the storm, and it reached its peak later that day with sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph). The cyclone made landfall on the East Pakistan coastline during the evening of November 12, around the same time as the local high tide.

2. Yellow River Flood – 1887, China [Deaths: 900,000 - 2,000,000]

(Image:Boats on the Yellow River)

       The Yellow River (Huang He) in China is prone to flooding, due to the broad expanse of largely flat land around it. The 1887 Yellow River floods devastated the area, killing between 900,000-2,000,000 people. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded. For centuries, the farmers living near the Yellow River had built dikes to contain the rising waters, caused by silt accumulation on the riverbed. In 1887, this rising seabed, coupled with days of heavy rain, overcame the dikes, causing a massive flood. The waters of the Yellow River are generally thought to have broken through the dikes in Huayankou, near the city of Zhengzhou in Henan province.

      Owing to the low-lying plains near the area, the flood spread quickly throughout Northern China, covering an estimate 50,000 square miles, swamping agricultural settlements and commercial centers. After the flood, two million were left homeless. The resulting pandemic and lack of basic essentials claimed as many lives as those lost directly by the flood itself.

1. Yellow River Flood – 1931, China [Deaths: 1,000,000 - 4,000,000]

(Image:Refugees caused by another Yellow River flood)

       The 1931 Yellow River flood (Huang He flood) is generally thought to be the deadliest natural disaster ever recorded, and almost certainly of the twentieth century (when pandemics are discounted). Estimates of the number of people killed in the 1931 flooding range from 1 to 4 million. Deaths caused by the flooding include but are not limited to drowning, disease, ensuing famines, and droughts. Lesser population densities in prehistoric times make it unlikely that this toll had previously been surpassed.

       Between July and November, some 88,000 sq km of land were completely flooded, and about 21,000 sq km more were partially flooded. The river is often called “China’s sorrow” because millions of people have been killed by flooding.

(source:listverse.com)

The Announcement of the provisional new 7 wonders of nature

The first count of the global vote to elect the New7Wonders of Nature has been announced. In alphabetical order, they are: Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, Komodo, Puerto Princesa Underground River, Table Mountain.

Announcing the results at the headquarters of the New7Wonders Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland, Bernard Weber, Founder-President of New7Wonders, said: “I would like to thank the many champions, citizens, voluntary organisations, public bodies and governments that have helped promote the New7Wonders of Nature campaign over the past four years, starting with over 440 locations from over 220 countries and all the way to the 28 Finalist candidates from whom the New7Wonders of Nature have been chosen.”

The results announced this evening are provisional and based on the first count of votes completed since voting ended at 11:11 GMT this morning. The results will now be checked, validated and independently verified. Once the voting validation process is completed, in early 2012, New7Wonders will then work with the confirmed winners to organise the Official Inauguration events. Note: It may happen that one or more of the provisional winners announced today will not be confirmed during the validation process, New7Wonders will issue a media update should this happen.

“We congratulate each of these participants on achieving their provisional New7Wonders of Nature status, and look forward to completing the confirmation process to celebrate each one in their own Official Inauguration ceremony early in 2012,” said Bernard Weber, adding, “When the New7Wonders of Nature are confirmed they will join the man-made New 7 Wonders of the World in becoming part of Global Memory for humankind for ever.”