Avian Flu Diary: Weathering Heights: Billion-Dollar-Plus Weather Disasters

Credit NOAA - Link

# 5762

Yesterday on Twitter, Justin Kenney (@JustinNOAA NOAA’s director of communications and external affairs) tweeted a link on the National Climatic Data Center site to a detailed report that shows there have already been 9 billion-dollar-plus weather disasters in the United States this year.

The site is :

Billion Dollar U.S. Weather Disasters

And there you’ll find a sobering, yet fascinating 30+ year history of weather disasters that have caused more than 1 billion dollars in damage in the United States.

Going down the list, I find that I’ve been directly impacted (albeit sometimes marginally) by at least 6 of them. Which may partially help explain my penchant for preparedness.

Some of these events are well remembered, like the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the Oklahoma City Tornadoes of May 1999.

But how many people are aware that in 1980, it is estimated that as many as 10,000 people may have died from heat and drought conditions across the United States?

Droughts, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, ice storms . . . they all are capable of claiming both lives and property.

Already this year – with more than 4 months left to go – we’ve matched the previous high mark (9, set in 2008) for billion-dollar + disasters in one year.

2005 still remains the most expensive year for weather disasters by far, with hurricanes Rita, Wilma, Dennis, and Katrina all making landfalls in the United States.

As far as billion-dollar-plus disasters In 2011, we’ve already seen:

Upper Midwest Flooding, Summer, 2011
Mississippi River flooding, Spring-Summer, 2011
Southern Plains/Southwest Drought, Heatwave, & Wildfires, Spring-Summer, 2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes, May 22-27, 2011
Southeast/Ohio Valley/Midwest Tornadoes, April 25-30, 2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes, April 14-16, 2011
Southeast/Midwest Tornadoes, April 8-11, 2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes, April 4-5, 2011
Groundhog Day Blizzard, Jan 29-Feb 3, 2011

Combined, the total damage from these 9 events exceeds 35 billion dollars.

The most recent summary of these disasters has been released, current through mid-August, 2011. This is a 4 page PDF file with brief summaries of more than 100 weather disasters since 1980.

Printable Copy of This Report, 1980-2011

While we may not be able to prevent weather-related disasters, we can become better prepared to deal with them. Which is why September is designated National Preparedness Month, and agencies like NOAA, FEMA, and READY.GOV work year round to promote awareness and action.

Truly, the time to prepare for a disaster – weather related or otherwise – is now.

Like death and taxes, disasters are inevitable. A few of my general preparedness blogs include:

When 72 Hours Isn’t Enough

In An Emergency, Who Has Your Back?

An Appropriate Level Of Preparedness

To become better prepared as an individual, family, business owner, or community to deal with hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or any other type of disaster: visit the following preparedness sites.