On January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the island of Haiti. The quake affected almost 3 million people, and aid was provided by  many countries. At least 300,000 people were injured, and an estimated 250,000 died. More than a million people were displaced and forced to live in temporary, makeshift housing. 

On May 12, 2008, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Sichuan Province in Western China, killing 87,587 people and leaving over 18,000 missing.

In December 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake in Indian Ocean generated a tsunami that left more than 227,898 dead and millions homeless.