(CNN Philippines) — Nobody can predict when and where an earthquake will strike and how strong it will be. That’s why it’s important to have disaster preparedness programs – to help the nation become earthquake-ready.
Participating in quake drills are encouraged and having a survival kit or a “go bag” ready is vital.
These practices, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), will “increase the metro’s chances of better recovery and implementation of contingencies in the event of earthquakes.”
Also read: What are the essential items in a survival kit?
Past earthquakes have caught countries off guard, leading to a large number of casualties.
Here are the 10 deadliest earthquakes recorded from 1900-2014, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS):
‘ ’11’:
Chimbote, Peru
When a 7.9 earthquake hit Chimbote, Peru on May 31, 1970, a total of 70,000 people were killed or presumed dead.
Messina, Italy
A magnitude-7.2 earthquake hit Messina, Italy on December 28, 1908, killing 72,000 people — more than 40% of the population of the city.
Pakistan
On October 8, 2005, a 7.6-magnitude quake rocked northern Pakistan and killed 86,000 people.
Sichuan, China
Sichuan, China was struck by a 7.9 earthquake on May 12, 2008. The quake, which killed 87,587 people, was also felt in Bangladesh, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on October 5, 1948 killed 110,000 people and destroyed plenty of buildings in the area.
Japan
On September 1, 1923, the Tokyo-Yokohama area of Japan was hit by a magnitude-7.9 quake. The tremor caused firestorms and a tsunami, and killed 142,800 people.
Haiyuan County, China
It was estimated that 200,000 people died when Haiyuan County, China was rocked by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake on December 16, 1920.
Sumatra
A magnitude-9.1 earthquake, the third largest quake measured since 1900, hit Sumatra on December 26, 2004. The tremor killed 227,898 people and displaced 2 million people.
Tangshan, China
Tangshan, China was struck by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on July 27, 1976, killing an estimated 242,769 people.
Haiti
The most deadliest earthquake was the magnitude-7.0 quake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010. According to official estimates, around 316,000 people were killed and more than 1 million were displaced.
