The Basics of Bible - Herald of Hope

dead cannot be accurately stated but estimates range up to 40 million;
25 million in Europe and up to one half of England alone. Numbers
in Russia and the Near East are uncertain.
So great was the loss of life that there was a labour shortage, and new
conditions of employment were demanded by the peasants, who saw
the opportunity to revolt.
The Black Death plague came from the Far East on ships and was
transmitted by flea-ridden rats at every port.
The Great Plague of London was a significant disaster and took 70,000
lives in 1665, according to the Oxford Encyclopedia of World History.
Following WWI the worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918 took 22
million lives, far exceeding the deaths of the Great War. In WWI, 8.5
million died, 21 million were injured, and 7.5 million were prisoners
and missing, according to Timetables of History by Bernard Grun.
The AIDS epdemic currently ravaging Africa and Asia could prove
worse than all previous plagues. As yet science has no answer,
although large sums of money are being spent on research.
A great deal of research on tsunamis is being carried out to provide
early warning systems. About half of the American population of
280 million live within 50 km of the coastline, and since tsunamis
travel at the speed of a jet liner it is imperative that efficient early
warning systems be set up to allow maximum time for evacuation.
The countries bordering the Pacific have invested in an early warning
system, however, countries around the Indian Ocean had determined
not to instal detection and warning devices and as a result tens of
thousands received no prior notification of the 2004 tsunami. Early
warning systems are being installed and population in the region will
receive some early warning in the future.
Help from wealthy nations such as USA, UK and Australia was
generous and medical teams began arriving in disaster areas after the
first week, but that was too late for many survivors who suffered
horrible injuries. In the unsanitary tropical conditions disease
threatened the lives of many and authorities feared that the deathtoll
could double. Fortunately that seems to have been averted.
Complaints were made that relief was arriving too slowly, but with
road and rail systems destroyed it was left to helicopters and naval
craft to reach the needy with food, water, and medical supplies. It
seems to have been forgotten that there was earthquake damage prior
to the tsunami.
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Signs of the Last Days