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USA, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean
The United States was hit exceptionally hard in the El Nino of 1992. Storms raged their
fury from New York to California. In New York the worst ice storm in decades knocked out
power in over 300,000 homes. The flooding in California took the lives of two boys.
However, El Nino's wrath did not relent there. Violent thunderstorms and tornadoes ravaged
southern USA. The storms reaped a death count of 23 people in its path from Texas to South
Carolina. The north suffered a similar El Nino related disaster when it faced hurricane
Bob. This storm left 13 people dead and left $1.8 billion in damage.
As El Nino destroyed the north, south, east and west of the United States, it's neighbors
to the south were bombarded with equal fury. In Chile, a water tank exploded from heavy
rains. Mudslides from this disaster killed 112 people and left 17,000 more homeless. In
Costa Rica, similar floods left 33,000 people homeless. Similarly, flood caused landslides
in Colombia left 45 people dead. Costa Rica and Ecuador are also home to many United
States crops. The flooding did $15 million in damage to these crops in Costa Rica alone.
However, the countless deaths in South America were far more disastrous than any crop or
property damage.
Africa and Middle East:
Africa and the Middle East were not spared from El Nino's devastation. In the African
country of Malawi brutal mudslides left 516 people dead or missing. 40 to 50 thousand more
people of Southeast Malawi were left homeless by the destructive forces of El Nino.
However, the deaths did not stop here. In Nouakchott, Mauritania violent winds killed 4
people and injured 300 more. If El Nino can cause winds like this that can kill and maim
so many, it is no wonder it could sweep away an Israeli bridge killing 3 men on their way
to prayer. The winds accompanied by severe rainstorms crippled the infrastructures of
Jordan and Israel. Many major highways were closed down. The same rainstorms damaged power
lines and telephone wires in these countries.
Europe and USSR
Europe and the USSR took a beating from torrential rains caused by El Nino. In Eastern
Turkey, these rains collected into flash floods. More than 30 people were killed in these
deadly unpredictable floods. In Romania, the heavy rains continued to destroy lives and
property. A dam in the northeastern part of the country could not compensate for the added
water and burst. The wall of water from this dam killed at least 66 people and destroyed
10,00 or more homes. Also, Bucharest was bombarded with two straight days of flooding that
claimed 53 lives. Many more people of Bucharest were left homeless or remain missing to
this day. Rains also ravaged Belgium: community center collapsed and 3 children were
killed. Many more children no longer have a place to play. The rains in Europe were no
help to even the most arid areas. Where rain was needed, it was given too much. Where it
was not needed, many remain devastated six years later.
Asia:
The mainland of Asia did not fare well in the path of El Nino's destruction in 1992.
Asia's offshore islands, such as Japan, did not deal with the condition well either.
Typhoon Mitreilly caused a great deal of damage to both United States and Japanese
industry in Japan. The Philippines, also hit with a great typhoon, suffered greatly.
Mudslides and flooding from this typhoon left 581 people dead on the tiny island. Nearby
Vietnam was also devastated by sever storms and flooding. One storm took the lives of over
40 people.
Flooding was a major killer all across the continent. In Afghanistan, these floods caused
by a great deal of rains left 5000 people dead in their path. In nearby China, similar
floods affected 206 million people. An enormous death count of 1500 people was reported
after the devastation subsided. However, 4 million people remained homeless after the
flooding had ceased. Flooding in Iran left 22 people dead. However, this was the least of
this country's problems when it suffered from the most severe winter it has seen in 50
years. This country not equipped to deal with severe winter and it's people suffered
greatly.
Australia & Oceania
Australia was hit with winters more devastating than it has ever seen. In Melbourne, for
example, the wettest June ever was reported. The snow destroyed crops and livestock. Over
2000 heads of cattle were lost in the flooding later that year. In nearby New Zealand,
history was made, when the coldest temperatures since 1976 were reported. There were even
several reports of sheep frozen to the ground. Needless to say this was devastating to the
small country. Livestock were not alone in the body count of Oceania. Cyclone Val took the
lives of 13 people in Samoa. 11,000 more people were left homeless by typhoon Zelda in the
Marshall Islands. Even though the destruction seems small, the populations of these areas
are equally as small. El Nino overlooked no one while spreading its destruction.