ca·lam·i·ty 
(kə-lămĭ-tē)
(kə-lămĭ-tē)n. pl. ca·lam·i·ties
1. An event that brings terrible loss, lasting distress, or severe affliction; a disaster: A hurricane would be a calamity for this low-lying coastal region.
2. Dire distress resulting from loss or tragedy.
[Middle English calamite, from Old French, from Latin calamitās.]