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'Huge year for natural disasters' 2008

The past year has been one of the most devastating ever in terms of natural disasters, one of the world's biggest re-insurance companies has said.

Munich Re said the impact of the disasters was greater than in 2007 in both human and economic terms.

The company suggested climate change was boosting the destructive power of disasters like hurricanes and flooding.

It has called for stricter curbs on emissions to prevent further uncontrollable weather scenarios.

Although there were fewer "loss-producing events" in 2008 than in the previous year, the impact of natural disasters was higher, said Munich Re in its annual assessment.

More than 220,000 people died in events like cyclones, earthquakes and flooding, the most since 2004, the year of the Asian tsunami.

Meanwhile, overall global losses totalled about $200bn (£137bn), with uninsured losses totalling $45bn, about 50% more than in 2007.

This makes 2008 the third most expensive year on record, after 1995, when the Kobe earthquake struck Japan, and 2005, the year of Hurricane Katrina in the US.

Torsten Jeworrek of Munich Re said the pattern continued a long-term trend already observed.

"Climate change has already started and is very probably contributing to increasingly frequent weather extremes and ensuing natural catastrophes," he said.

Uninsured

Asia was the continent worst hit by natural disasters in 2008, Munich Re reported.

Cyclone Nargis in Burma killed an estimated 130,000 people and devastated much of the low-lying Irrawaddy Delta region, while the earthquake which struck China's Sichuan province in May left an estimated 70,000 dead and millions homeless.

Munich Re said the losses of $85bn made Sichuan the second most expensive earthquake after Kobe.

Although Nargis and the Sichuan quake brought the biggest cost in terms of human lives, the economic losses were mostly uninsured.

The most expensive single event in 2008 was Hurricane Ike, which brought $30bn in losses. It was one of five major hurricanes in the North Atlantic over the year, which saw a total of 16 tropical storms.

In addition, roughly 1,700 tornadoes across the US caused several billion dollars of damage, as did periods of low pressure weather activity in Europe.

'Huge year for natural disasters'  (http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7803624.stm?ad=1)

Monthly Tornado Statistics Chart

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/torn/monthlytornstats.html

US Annual Tornado trends

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/torgraph-big.png

Hurricane stats

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastdec.shtml

1990's earthquake data for the US and Worldwide.......

http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eqlists/info_1990s.html

2000's earthquake data

http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eqlists/eqstats.html

Now I'll admit, it has been a frustrating year trying to get other Christians to take notice, in these times of trouble in the world.

Matthew 16:3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

I noticed that the Climahysterics have jumped on this bandwagon pretty quickly. Climate change (the new terminology for global warming) is the cause for earthquakes and volcanoes? They are getting desperate. I also noted that Munich Re is only basing this on data since 1980. Not a very big time frame when it comes to weather cycles. This article also tries, quite successfully, to confuse things by mixing disasters in the U.S. and those world wide. 1980 may have been the 3rd worst year since 1980 but it is far more down the line for being the worst in history. 1925, the year of the tri-state tornado, was by far much worse for natural disasters. There are many others also worldwide with many more deaths due to floods, volcanoes and earthquakes. Those years with blizzards and cold temps being higher up the list for deaths than those that were hot.

With such false statements and people like Jim Hansen of NASA along with his cohorts at NOAA cooking the books it is no wonder that people do not and will not believe the truth. When it does come on us it will be of such a magnitude that great chaos will ensue and people will no longer be able to avoid the truth with any semblance of intelligence.

Brothers and Sisters,

We know from GOD'S WORD that the ushering in of the Tribulation Period will involve a variety of signs coming together that were all foretold thousands of years ago by GOD. The variety of signs appears to be coming together, and mankind won't be able to do a single thing about ANY OF THEM. They will progress exactly as foretold. Most people who study Bible Prophecy would agree that any single sign will PROBABLY be as bad or worse than anything mankind has ever seen, but we must remember that the Tribulation Period involves MULTIPLE PROBLEMS of HORRENDOUS MAGNITUDE. These problems are listed in numerous threads on the forum, and there are examples of all of them in the days in which we currently live. ONLY GOD knows how much worse things will become, but many portions of Scripture indicate it will be much worse than men can imagine. All Christians can do is read these portions of Scripture and know that time is growing short for this current AGE OF GRACE. Natural Disasters are just one piece of the GIANT BIBLE PROPHECY PICTURE that will be revealed soon. We also know that part of the Prophecy will be EXECUTED in STAGES and in SEQUENCE clearly indicated in the Holy Bible. I'm not talking about the RAPTURE, rather of a clearly ordered sequence of events that very few disagree with.

Brothers and Sisters, I think there are ample examples of many kinds of signs that indicate the LAST DAYS OF THIS AGE OF GRACE are drawing near. There is considerable disagreement about where the RAPTURE fits into Bible Prophecy. However, the vast majority of Bible Evidence indicates the CHURCH WHICH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST will be RAPTURED either before the "Time of Jacob's Trouble" or before the beginning of the Tribulation Period. The last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation period is the worst and is known as the "Time of Jacob's Trouble". The big point for Christians is simple: our time is growing short to share the GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD. If nothing else, most of us have concerns about family members or friends who are LOST. We should be concerned about all LOST people whether they are our family and friends or not. The BIG QUESTIONS are:  1) What does GOD want us to do?;  2) How much can we do?;  3) How much time do we have left on this earth? We can't answer ALL of these questions, but we can pray, ASK GOD, pray for guidance, pray for strength, and try to yield to HIS WILL each day we have left. I have no doubt that Christians in this part of the world are about to face persecution like we've never known or experienced before. We can't just lay down in the face of difficulty or persecution. Great hosts of Christians before us didn't lay down in the face of danger and even death. There is a "Great Cloud of Witnesses" who have already testified about how serious the concerns of REAL CHRISTIANS should be. SHOULD THERE BE A TIME TO LAY DOWN AND GIVE UP? THE ANSWER IS NO! - NEVER! Would there be any gain or advantage in LAYING DOWN? The answer is "NO!" Please Note: facing death is not a requirement for SALVATION in this current AGE OF GRACE. Those who become Christians during the Tribulation Period MUST ENDURE TO THE END FOR SALVATION! If it means being beheaded for failure to RENOUNCE CHRIST, that will be required! SO, we must remember that this AGE OF GRACE will END!

Love In Christ,
Tom

2 Corinthians 3:14-18 NASB  But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.