Record number of devastating disasters in 2008: Worldwatch

Record number of devastating disasters in 2008: Worldwatch: "A new snapshot of natural disasters trends based on data from 1974 to the present reveals that in 2008, some 750 natural disasters occurred worldwide, a 22 percent decline from the record 960 that occurred in 2007. While the number of smaller catastrophes (Categories 1 and 2) fell in 2008, major catastrophes continued an upward trend."