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Evacuation of Athens -

In 480 BCE, Greek commander Themistocles ordered the evacuation of around 100,000 Athenians to avoid the Persian army.

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Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE -

In 79 CE, the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy caused the mass evacuation of Pompeii.

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Battle of the Alamo -

The Fall of the Alamo in 1836 led to the evacuation of thousands of American, Mexican, Tejano, and Texian people.

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The Great Famine (1845-1852) -

The Great Famine, aka the Irish Potato Famine or the Great Hunger, led to at least 2.1 million people leaving Ireland.

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1906 San Francisco earthquake -

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.

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World War II evacuation of women and children in Great Britain -

In an attempt to escape the Blitz, around 3.75 million civilians were evacuated from major British cities, including London, during World War II.

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World War II evacuation of women and children in Nazi Germany -

The same happened in Nazi 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.

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Portuguese colonial war -

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.

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1979 Mississauga train derailment -

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.

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The Chernobyl disaster -

The nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine in April 1986 led to the evacuation of around 335,000 people.

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1990 airlift of Indians from Jordan -

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.

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Operation Solomon -

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.

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Netherlands flooding -

On February 1995, flooding in the Netherlands led to the evacuation of at least 200,000 people.

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Grand Forks flooding -

In April 1997, the Red River of the North flooded, leading to the evacuation of nearly 50,000 people in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

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1998 flooding and landslides in China -

Between July and August 1998, around 14 million people were evacuated due to flooding and landslides in north and central China.

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Hurricane Floyd -

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.

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September 11 attacks -

The terror attacks of September 11, 2001, led to 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.

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2002 European floods -

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.

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Hurricane Frances -

In August 2004, Hurricane Frances led to evacuation orders being issued to more than 2.8 million Florida residents.

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Hurricane Katrina -

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.

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Hurricane Rita -

In 2005, this intense tropical cyclone prompted the evacuation of at least 2.5 million people in Louisiana and Texas.

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Typhoon Krosa -

In October 2007, Typhoon Krosa led to the evacuation of over 1.4 million people from the Chinese provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian.

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2007 California wildfires -

From October 20 to November 9, 2007, numerous devastating wildfires in California forced the evacuation of around 900,000 people from their homes.

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Hurricane Gustav -

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.

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Fukushima nuclear disaster -

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.

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Hurricane Irene -

Hurricane Irene hit the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States in August 2011, prompting the evacuation of over 1,400 people.

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Cyclone Phailin -

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.

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Typhoon Hagupit -

Typhoon Hagupit, or Typhoon Ruby, ravaged the Philippines in 2014. An estimated one million people were evacuated.

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2016 Fort McMurray wildfire -

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.

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Kincade Fire in 2019 -

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.

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2021 Kabul airlift -

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.

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The 2021 Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption -

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

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