All over the world, the past few months have been full of devastation and destruction from natural disasters. From Southeast Asia to Los Angeles flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes and fires have ruined cities, damaged property, and taken lives.

In late August, Nepal, Bangladesh, and India were hit with heavy rainfall that led to major flooding. In these areas, it is not unusual for the summer months to bring monsoons and extreme weather, but this summer proved itself to be an anomaly as it brought on over 1000 casualties, leaving millions of people displaced and stranded.

Late August and the beginning of September also saw a Category 3 hurricane sweep up the east coast of Texas: Hurricane Harvey. Harvey was responsible for at least 80 casualties due to flooding around the Houston and coastal areas. Tens of thousands spent nights in shelters and many more relocated to 2,000 hotels across 33 different states.

Following the onslaught of Harvey, Hurricane Irma plowed through the Atlantic, striking Cuba, the Bahamas, Florida, and more. Irma was the most catastrophic and intense hurricane to hit America since Katrina in 2005, causing 84 deaths in both the Caribbean and the United States, and leaving millions of people without power and thousands stuck in shelters.

Sept. 2 brought on a wildfire in the middle of a major heatwave in Los Angeles, California. The La Tuna fire blazed just 200 feet away from homes. The fire burned over 7,000 acres of land, destroyed five buildings, and forced the evacuation of 700 people from their homes and communities.

Shortly thereafter, on Sept. 8, Juchitan, Mexico, was hit with a devastating 8.2 magnitude earthquake. The earthquake was one of the strongest Mexico had seen in a century, matched only by the Mexico City earthquake of 1985 that killed 10,000 people. Mexico City was still not fully recovered from that earthquake, and although the capital got out of this earthquake unscathed, southern Mexico was not so lucky. It was hit with 98 casualties, 300 injuries, and immeasurable damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure.

Just after the earthquake hit Mexico, Category 1 Hurricane Jose  came up on the upper east coast of the US, but did not hold a candle to the devastation that came as a result of the following hurricane: Hurricane Maria. While it was being tracked, Maria was labelled as a Category 5 but touched down in Dominica and Puerto Rico as a Category 4. It brought on major destruction for the locals, leaving much of the population of Puerto Rico without energy and power to this day. The death toll of Maria was at least 25.

Property damage and economic stress have left a major mark on the victims of these tragedies, but the most severe damage is the loss of thousands of lives. Hundreds of organizations are still accepting donations to those affected, and it’s important to remember that there are always ways to help.