Flooding And Natural Disasters

Hungary
Danube Flood Relief semipostal
August 14, 1965
One stamp and one souvenir sheet were issued to raise funds for the Danube Flood victims.
The June 1965 flood was one of the most severe floods of Danube in history. Heavy flood occurred from Bratislava (Czechoslovakia) downstream through Budapest, Baja and Mohacs (Hungary).

Argentina
Flood Relief semipostal stamps
October 4, 1958
The Buenos Aires region was heavily flooded by La Palta River in August 1958. The heavy rain and storms caused La Palta and other waterways to rise by as much as 5 meters. The water wiped out the entire villages of flimsy houses. Riverside dwellings in low-lying areas were completely submerged.

http://www.criticalpast.com/video/6...ictims_boats

Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbia Administration)
Flood Relief 2014
A low-pressure cyclone designated Tamara and Yvette affected a large area of Southeastern and Central Europe in mid-May 2014, causing floods and landslides. Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered the greatest damage. Towns of Obrenovac in Serbia and Doboj in Bosnia and Herzegovina account for most victims.

Holland/The Netherlands (literally The Low Lands) suffered one of their worst flood catastrophes in January 1953, when dikes (levies) broke in several places and much of the country was flooded by the sea and the rivers. Island issued a charity stamp to send aid; the boat struggling in high seas a fitting picture.


(Amy, this is a very timely topic when we see so many reports of natural disasters in the news - I wonder how much is linked to global warming? K.)

Kris Rascher - Denmark also issued a charity stamp to raise funds and help the victims of this tragedy (flood in Netherlands - January 1953)

Germany issued the 'Freedom Bell' with an overprint for the needy after the flooding of 1956. There are many variations to this stamp. For anyone interested in the fascinating history of the this Freedom Bell itself: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Bell

Greenland
Relief for the Victims of Heimaey
October 18, 1973
The island of Heimaey off the southern coast of Iceland was devastated by an eruption of the Eldfell Volcano on January 23, 1973. Volcanic ash fell over most of the island, destroying around 400 homes. Within six hours of the onset of the eruption, almost all of the 5,300 people of the island were safely evacuated to the mainland. An operation, started in early February, of pumping sea water to cool the advancing lava flow saved the harbor and its fishing fleet. The eruption of lava continued to decrease and finally ended in early July.



The stamp issued by Greenland was engraved by Czeslaw Slania (1921 - 2005).




*** Edited by Staff to add YouTube tags. Please use them in the future. We prefer embedded video. ***

When Australia suffered severe flooding in early 2011, Lake Eyre filled - a vast area below sea level which is usually almost dry. Photo of area near Brisbane.

A charity stamp raising money for the flood victims of 1997 was issued by overprinting the earlier coat of arms stamp of 1992. Flooding affected mainly eastern Germany and Poland.

Guatemala - 1976

The 1976 Guatemala earthquake struck on February 4 at 03:01:43 local time with a moment magnitude of 7.5



Guatemala está en pie. Gracias amigos del mundo (Guatemala is standing. Thank you friends in the world)

The most heavily affected area covered some 30,000 km², with a population of 2.5 million. Some 23,000 people were reported dead and 77,000 wounded.
Approximately 258,000 houses were destroyed, leaving about 1.2 million people homeless

That monster-tzunami at the end of December 2004 washed away a whole traveling train in Sri Lanka.

This is the souvenir sheet Sri Lanka issued in 2005.

DDR (Germany)
Aid for Flood Victims
August 16, 1954: 24 + 6 pfg
February 25, 1955: surcharged to 20 + 5 pfg
Flooding in Bavaria in July 1954 left more than 50,000 people homeless along the Danube, Isar and Inn rivers, as well as great damage to the crops. Relief efforts continued throughout the year.

Italy appealed for help after the flood that hit Florence in 1966; contributions from all over the world helped restore some of the art and architectural treasures, many were beyond repair. Photo at St. Croce.

Venetians are used to high water (acqua alta), but the flood of November 1966 was one of the worst and caused considerable damage. The 4th in a set of 4 stamps (1973) shows the Piazetta under water. UNESCO program to save Venice. Photo: Piazza in front of the Basilica.