Record number of billion-dollar weather disasters in the US

In 2023, the number of natural disasters causing damage of over $1 billion in the US increased to a record high, partly showing the impact of climate change.

A woman walks through the rubble in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, after Hurricane Idalia hit on August 30. Photo: AP/Rebecca Blackwell — A woman walks through the rubble in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, after Hurricane Idalia hit on August 30. Photo: *AP/Rebecca Blackwell*

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on September 11 that 23 extreme weather events in the US caused at least $1 billion in damage from January to August this year, surpassing the record of 22 events that occurred in all of 2020. This year's disasters have caused more than $57.6 billion in damage, killed at least 253 people, and there are still 4 months left in the year.

NOAA's figures do not include damage from Tropical Storm Hilary (which made landfall in California) and the severe drought that has hit the South and Midwest, as the costs are still being calculated, said Adam Smith, an applied economist and climatologist at NOAA. "We're seeing the fingerprints of climate change all over the United States. I don't think it's going to slow down anytime soon," Smith said.

NOAA has been tracking billion-dollar weather disasters in the U.S. since 1980 and adjusting the cost of damage for inflation. Smith said what’s happening is that the number of disasters is increasing and more structures are being built in vulnerable places. “Exposure, vulnerability, and climate change are exacerbating these disasters, turning them into multibillion-dollar disasters,” he said.

NOAA has added eight billion-dollar disasters to its list since its last update a month ago, including Hurricane Idalia and the Hawaii wildfires. Experts say the U.S. must do more to adapt to the growing number of natural disasters because they will only get worse.

“The climate has changed, and what has been built and the response systems have not kept up with the change,” said Craig Fugate, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The increase in weather disasters is also consistent with what climate scientists have long predicted, possibly exacerbated by a natural El Niño event, according to Katharine Jacobs, a climate scientist at the University of Arizona. Smith thought the 2020 record would stand for a long time, but that didn’t happen, and now he’s skeptical that new records will last.

“Putting more energy into the atmosphere and oceans will increase the intensity and frequency of extreme events. Many of this year’s events are unusual, some unprecedented,” Jacobs said.

Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field said the trend of billion-dollar disasters is worrying. “But there are things we can do to reverse this trend. If we want to reduce the damage from extreme weather, we need to accelerate progress on climate change and build resilience,” he said.

Thu Thao (According to AP )

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