Water is an imperative resource to preserve all life forms yet increasingly natural disasters are becoming a global event.

As these pictures illustrate and we have seen for ourselves the devastating effects these disaster have on countries and their communities.

As a direct consequence of global warming here are some united nations statistics that bear out just what all this can mean.

  Africa

• 1,695 recorded disasters caused the loss of 731,747 lives and $5 billion in economic losses.
• The continent accounts for 15 per cent of weather, climate, and water-related disasters; 35 per cent of associated deaths and one per cent of economic losses reported globally.
• Although disasters associated with floods were the most prevalent, at 60 per cent, droughts led to the highest number of deaths, accounting for 95 per cent of all lives lost in the region, with most occurring in Ethiopia, Mozambique and Sudan.

Asia

• 3,454 disasters were recorded, with 975,622 lives lost and $2 trillion reported in economic damages.
• Asia accounts for nearly one third, or 31 per cent of weather, climate, and water-related disasters globally, for nearly half of all deaths and one-third of associated economic losses.
• Forty-five per cent of these disasters were associated with floods and 36 per cent with storms .
• Storms took 72 per cent of lives lost, while floods led to 57 per cent of economic losses

South America

• The top 10 recorded disasters in the region accounted for 60 per cent of the 34,854 lives lost 38 per cent of economic losses equalling $39.2 billion.
• Floods represented 90 per cent of events in the top 10 list of disasters by death toll and 41 per cent of the top ten list by economic losses.
• Floods were responsible for 59 per cent of disasters, 77 per cent for lives lost and 58 per cent of economic loss for the region.

North America, Central America & the Caribbean

• The region suffered 74,839 deaths and $1.7 trillion economic losses.
• The region accounted for 18 per cent of weather-, climate- and water-related disasters, four per cent of associated deaths and 45 per cent of associated economic losses worldwide.
• Storms were responsible for 54 per cent and floods, 31 per cent of recorded disasters., with the former linked to 71 per cent of deaths and the latter to 78 per cent of economic losses.
• The United States accounts for 38 per cent of global economic losses caused by weather, climate and water hazards.

South West Pacific

• The region recorded 1,407 disasters, 65,391 deaths, and $163.7 billion in economic losses.
• 45 per cent of these disasters were associated with storms and 39 per cent with floods.
• Storms accounted for 71 per cent of disaster-related deaths.
• Disasters resulting from weather, climate and water hazards in Australia accounted for 54 per cent or $88.2 billion in economic losses in the entire region.

Europe

• 1,672 recorded disasters took 159,438 lives and $476.5 billion in economic damages.
• Although 38 per cent were attributed to floods and 32 per cent to storms, extreme temperatures accounted for 93 per cent of deaths, with 148,109 lives lost.
• Extreme heatwaves of 2003 and 2010 were responsible for 80 per cent of all deaths, with 127,946 lives lost in the two events.