Unveiling what lies in (and out) Mormon temples' walls
The Great Famine, aka the Irish Potato Famine or the Great Hunger, led to at least 2.1 million people leaving Ireland.
On April 18, 1906, California was hit by a violent earthquake, which destroyed a great part of San Francisco. At least 20,000 people evacuated the area by sea.
In 480 BCE, Greek commander Themistocles ordered the evacuation of around 100,000 Athenians to avoid the Persian army.
In an attempt to escape the Blitz, around 3.75 million civilians were evacuated from major British cities, including London, during World War II.
Between July and October 1975, following the end of the Portuguese colonial war in Africa, the government flew around 600,000 Portuguese citizens from ex-colonies such as Angola and Mozambique to Portugal.
The nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine in April 1986 led to the evacuation of around 335,000 people.
On November 10, 1979, a train derailed in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The accident caused a chlorine leak, leading to the evacuation of around 218,000 people.
Operation Solomon was a covert Israeli military operation conducted between May 24 and 25, 1991. The goal was to take 14,325 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
The same happened in Germany, with millions of citizens being evacuated to the countryside. The aim of the Kinderlandverschickung or KLV, as Germans called it, was for women and children to be safe from air raids.
Between July and August 1998, around 14 million people were evacuated due to flooding and landslides in north and central China.
In April 1997, the Red River of the North flooded, leading to the evacuation of nearly 50,000 people in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Between August 13 and October 11, 1990, over 170,000 Indian expats were evacuated from Amman in Jordan to India, during the Persian Gulf War. The operation entered the Guinness World Records for the most people evacuated by a civil airliner.
In September 1999, Hurricane Floyd prompted one of the largest evacuations in American history. It's estimated that three million people had to leave their homes.
On February 1995, flooding in the Netherlands led to the evacuation of at least 200,000 people.
In August 2002, several countries in Europe were hit by heavy rainfall, which resulted in flooding. Some 250,000 Czech citizens were evacuated, around 156,000 people were evacuated in Germany, and 1,500 individuals in Hungary had to flee, just to name a few instances.
The terror attacks of September 11, 2001, led to the mass evacuation of numerous buildings across the country, especially high-rise ones. In addition, over 500,000 people fled New York City following the attacks; many by boat.
In August 2004, Hurricane Frances led to evacuation orders being issued to more than 2.8 million Florida residents.
In August 2005, the US was hit by one of the most devastating hurricanes in the country's history. It's estimated that around 1.5 million people were evacuated in the state of Louisiana.
In 2005, this intense tropical cyclone prompted the evacuation of at least 2.5 million people in Louisiana and Texas.
In 2008, Hurricane Gustav led to the evacuation of least 1.9 million people in Louisiana alone. Around 300,000 people were also evacuated in Cuba.
From October 20 to November 9, 2007, numerous devastating wildfires in California forced the evacuation of around 900,000 people from their homes.
In October 2007, Typhoon Krosa led to the evacuation of over 1.4 million people from the Chinese provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian.
In 2013, Cyclone Phailin became one of the most intense tropical cyclones to ever hit India. Close to one million people were evacuated by local authorities and India's Air Force in 36 hours.
On May 1, 2016, a wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, led to the evacuation of over 88,000 people. This remains the largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta's history.
Typhoon Hagupit, or Typhoon Ruby, ravaged the Philippines in 2014. An estimated one million people were evacuated.
This devastating event occurred on March 11, 2011, at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan. Following the event, around 200,000 people were evacuated within a 50-mile (80-km) radius of the disaster site.
Hurricane Irene hit the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States in August 2011, prompting the evacuation of over 1,400 people.
The withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2021 led to a massive evacuation operation. It's estimated that over 120,000 people, both foreign and Afghan citizens, fled the country over the course of two weeks.
The eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary Islands lasted from September 19 to December 13, 2021. Around 7,000 people were evacuated.
Sources: (The Economic Times)
See also: These are the biggest volcanic eruptions of all time
In 79 CE, the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy caused the mass evacuation of Pompeii.
The Fall of the Alamo in 1836 led to the evacuation of thousands of American, Mexican, Tejano, and Texian people.
On October 23, 2019, a wildfire broke out in Sonoma County, California. It was not fully contained until November 6. At least 185,000 people were forced to leave their homes.
Throughout history, there have been many events that led to mass evacuations. The reasons for people leaving their homes and fleeing vary, but such extreme measures are usually deployed in the face of a natural disaster, or even a man-made event such as war.
In this gallery, we take you on a journey through the most significant mass evacuations to have ever occurred. Click on them and get to know all about them.
The greatest mass evacuations in history
Communities mobilized in times of crisis, conflict, and catastrophe
LIFESTYLE Escapes
Throughout history, there have been many events that led to mass evacuations. The reasons for people leaving their homes and fleeing vary, but such extreme measures are usually deployed in the face of a natural disaster, or even a man-made event such as war.
In this gallery, we take you on a journey through the most significant mass evacuations to have ever occurred. Click on them and get to know all about them.