Actually the world has always been a violent place to occupy. The only issues are that humans occupy so much of it and that we transmit information around the globe in a matter of minutes. This means that we hear or see about every disaster that occurs anywhere near human settlements, and even many that bypass our settlements completely. And really, if you want think about it 500 dead really isn't much.
There are over 100 deaths per minute (on average) globally. Basically that means that in the time it takes you to read this there are likely over 200 people who have died. In the time it takes you to make some toast close to 300 people have died, and by the time you take a shower over 1,000 human beings have perished of varying causes. Not to sound bitter or cynical, but if we don't hear about the 1,000 who died while we take a shower are 500 from Brazil really newsworthy? Why are they particularly special?
Global warming, the convienent scape goat anyone can point to when anything related to weather happens...I fully agree with Walker, it's just that we have such a wide coverage of the world and near instantaneous information transfer that all incidents get reported. I'm sure thousands of years ago there were MORE natural disasters/proportions of death, since we now use technology to prevent/protect ourselves from the events.
Here's an example. (Made up) 100 people died today from a widespread disease. That sounds bad doesn't it? Yeah well, what if I was talking about the common cold? Not so intimidating now is it...
Agreed CommanderDude. If you place a settlement in a very mountainous/hilly region with a high torrential rainfall you are bound to get some flooding and mudslides. That's just erosion, water, and gravity doing what they do. Sooner or later this is bound to happen in such a place that it affects said settlement. Same thing I say when people complain or are shocked about hurricanes in Florida, if you don't want it to happen to you, move. A basic understanding of weather will tell you that you are living in an area where it is a high possibility of happening.
It's a flood, so what?? Tons of people die in floods. My uncle's neighbor had to move in with him because his house was washed away by floods in Southern California. I don't think that it has anything to do with 2012.
Ghgt, it is a build up to 2012, do you think everyone will just collapse, and die? It has to be a reason, possibly, hurricanes/earthquakes/floods/tsunami's, y'know?
It was probably caused by the clearing of land which originally had a lot of loose soil, which washed away because of heavy rains. Such soil can exist because trees hold them in place, but without trees, they wash away easily.
Oh for Christs sake - why is everyone so pre-occupied with the absolutely stupid idea of the world ending in 2012? The hardcore Christians are saying the rapture will happen then, the hardcore conspiracy theorists have a range of theories from thermonuclear war to government-controlled slaughter - and almost every other idiot goes along with the completely false idea that the Mayans predicted the world would end in 2012.
Avorne, I am entitled to my own opinion, and what you call stupid, might soon to be a fact.
I will gladly bet you a sizeable amount of the currency of your choice that we're still here in 2013. You're basing your opinion on nonsense and I'm entitled to take the piss out of it.
I am Brazilian but fortunately I am not in the middle of that big trouble and I know how the people feel. Our government is doing the best to help the people that lost their homes and all of their things. We will need billions of dollars to rebuild the destroyed cities. I would say that the erosion was natural. It is raining a lot these summer (yes, we are in the summer) and the cities are in the lowest part of the mountains. It rains, the erosion starts and unfortunately hits the people that built their homes there.
