raze - RAYZ - destroy to the ground
Example: "Yesterday's cataclysmic earthquake in Haiti's capitol city, Port-au-Prince, has razed half the buildings and left thousands homeless or buried under rubble."
As a starter: and as a former teacher in English, I hope to add to reader's vocabulary by presenting a word a day in simple terms that anyone can understand - from current use in publications, radio,TV, etc. Remember: use a new word three times in a day and it's yours forever!