The Year the Earth Went Wild

29 November 2011

TX: Tuesday 27th December, 8pm, Channel 4.

The Year The Earth Went Wild looks back at a year where almost every month was affected by a natural disaster. A record-breaking cold winter, the Tsunami in Japan, the extraordinary killer American tornado season, the floods in Australia and a hurricane in New York. 2011 has seen an onslaught of epic-scale climate and geological events across the world - all caught on camera in the most spectacular fashion.

Using eye-witness footage, interviews with survivors and rescuers and analysis from geological and weather specialists, this one-hour documentary charts the incredible natural events of 2011.

The Year The Earth Went Wild includes in-depth expert analysis on the impact caused by these extreme weather events. The documentary begins from January, where arctic conditions engulfed the Northern Hemisphere and the freezing conditions in Europe brought chaos to the UK's transport system.

Also in January and over 10,000 miles away, a much more serious weather event was developing with record levels of rainfall soaking Australia and Cyclone Tasha which arrived on Christmas day. Queensland was saturated and three quarters of the state - an area three times the size of Britain - was officially declared a disaster zone.

However these flash floods were barely the beginning. February saw a devastating earthquake hit Christchurch in New Zealand causing destruction across the city and a death toll of 181. Just five months earlier, Christchurch had been hit by an even larger earthquake.

Within weeks another disaster was about to hit. In March, safety warnings flashed across Japan. A record-breaking five minute earthquake struck, and with a magnitude nine was one of the five strongest ever recorded - known as a mega-quake. Extraordinary footage shows the results of the Tsunami's journey just eight minutes after the quake hit and the widespread devastation the wave brought, up to six miles to inland Japan. The documentary describes Japan nine months on from the disaster where more than 15,000 lives were claimed, more than 100,000 homes destroyed and 80,000 people evacuated due to the Fukushima nuclear plant reactors over-heating.

In April, over the space of 48 hours, nearly two hundred tornados ripped through 16 US states and was one of the largest single system tornado outbreaks in American history - 38 people were killed. However, a few weeks later an even more violent event struck. An incredible 336 tornados in less than two days, claiming almost 300 lives and astonishing footage shows the tornados destruction first-hand and the resulting damage whilst expert scientists investigate answers to why 753 tornados hit the US in April, more than in any month in American history.

The month of May saw a monstrous mile-wide tornado hits Joplin, Missouri. Astonishing footage captures the chaos as the tornado leaves its trail of destruction and the resulting devastation it leaves behind. The unforgettable Joplin tornado claimed 162 lives, making it the single most deadly tornado since 1947.

In June, Puyehue Volcano erupted spewing ash high into the atmosphere causing major disruption. 3,000 people were evacuated from nearby areas and flights were disrupted from across the southern hemisphere from Argentina to Australia. 

The documentary also goes on to depict the damage that Hurricane Irene caused when it formed over the Atlantic Ocean in August and four days later headed to the Bahamas.

In September and October, intense Monsoon rains caused worst flooding in 50 years in Thailand, swamping on an epic scale with 500 people killed.

Finally, in October a 7.2 earthquake struck the province of Van in Eastern Turkey. Experts and witnesses describe the astonishing impact which resulted in more than 500 people killed and 3,000 buildings destroyed.

Throughout the heart of all this devastation, the documentary will also share the heart-warming stories of survival by those who were caught in the middle.

 

Director: Olly Jones

Producer: Bob Strange

Production Company: Pioneer Productions