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The 10 Costliest Natural Disasters
Every year there are thousands of natural disasters across the United States. They can be as simple as a low-magnitude earthquake in a remote location or as severe as a dramatic flood that sweeps through entire populations.
These disasters can be very costly too. In fact, Hurricane Isaac this year, has already cost $2 billion in damages according to Reuters.
Below, we’ve listed the 10 most expensive natural disasters in the U.S. Take a look, you might be surprised which disasters rank the highest.
10. Hurricane IvanHurricane Ivan was one of four costly hurricanes that hit the United States during 2004. The hurricane was one of the most intense ever recorded and produced at least 119 tornadoes across the eastern U.S.
Cost: $17 billionYou can stay up-to-date with breaking hurricane news via The ReadyHurricane Center.
9. Hurricane Charley2004 was a bad year for hurricanes and Hurricane Charley was the second of the year after Hurricane Ivan. The storm hit landfall in southwestern Florida at maximum strength and caused billions of dollars of damages.
Cost: $18 billion
7. Hurricane Rita and Hurricane WilmaNo, we didn’t forget the number eight. Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Wilma tied for the 7th costliest natural disaster. The two storms both hit in 2005 however, they both faded into memory with other hurricanes that hit that year. Hurricane Wilma became the first Category 5 hurricane of 2005 – blowing at 185 mph at its peak. When the hurricane fell to land however, it had dropped to 150 mph.
Cost of each: $19 billionLearn how to prepare for windstorms at The ReadyWindstorm Center.
6. Hurricane IkeHurricane Ike – which hit in 2008 – was the biggest hurricane since 2005 for the U.S. It struck Cuba as a category 4, went out to sea and made landfall again. A week later, the storm hit Galveston, Texas.
Cost: $29 billion
5. Midwest Floods of 1993The National Weather Service named this event “The Great USA Flood of 1993.” The flood was unusual because of its crests. The flooding was also interesting due to the number of days with measurable rainfall. Some areas had rainfall for 20 out of 25 days! The rains and flood waters destroyed homes, crops and businesses. In fact, the flooding covered 15 million acres of farmland.
Cost: $33 billionCheck out current flood conditions in your area with The ReadyFlood Center.
4. Hurricane AndrewHurricane Andrew struck in 1992 off the southern Florida coast. It caught a lot of Americans off guard. The storm weakened a little after hitting the Bahamas but still fell as a category 5 storm when it hit Florida. More than 100,000 homes in souther Miami were flattened, damaged or destroyed. The storm then strengthened and his Morgan City, Louisiana.
Cost: $44 billion
3. Drought of 1980A large heat wave hit when a high-pressure ridge settled over the Central U.S. Record temperatures were reached over and over again. The high temperatures caused a drought and many extreme weather affects. In fact, the extreme temperatures caused a phenomenon called derechos – a fast-moving, straight-lined wind storm. One derecho killed six people and injured 70. The storm also took at least 1,700 lives.
Cost: $56 billion (in current dollars)
2. Drought of 1988-1989The U.S. Drought of 1988 was one of the worst drought in the nation’s history. The heat wave killed at least 4,800 people dna started some of the worst wildfires in U.S. history. The drought also caused the worst dust storms since the 1930s Dust Bowl.
Cost: $100 billion (in current dollars)Monitor current drought conditions at The ReadyDrought Center.
1. Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina was the most expensive natural disaster in history. In 2005, the hurricane formed across the Atlantic and fell many times along the Bahamas, Florida and Louisiana. At least 1,833 people died in the hurricane and flooding. Much of the damage was caused because of storm surges that caused the levee systems to fail.
Cost: $146 billion
Unknowns
The Great Flood of 1927
There were many natural disasters that we’re not able to track their cost. The Great Flood of 1927 flooded the Mississippi and spilled into 10 states, toppling 146 levees. The storm continued to rain after the flooding and much of Memphis was underwater for days. However, due to the lack of some records, we don’t really know how much the flood cost us as a nation.
2012 Drought
Our current drought is one of the largest natural disasters in U.S. history. In fact, it’s officially the largest declared natural disaster by the government. The drought has affected much of the farming community and is sure to create inflation – especially corn prices. Time will tell how much this current drought will cost us.
You can always be ready for any extreme weather by visiting The ReadyWeather Center. You can always find it in our Ready Resources section located in the bright green bar at the top of this page.
“Haarp”!??? Look it up on u-tube.
September 29th, 2012 at 6:14 amplease include the unnamed hurricanes that hit galveston island in 1900 and 1906. they destroyed most of the island and killed somewhere between 8,000 and 20,000 people. no surviving records to tell us how many really died.
September 29th, 2012 at 1:35 pmSo many do not relize the Flood of 2011 that lasted 5 months. It effected several states along the Missouri River. The cost is still adding up almost a year later.
October 2nd, 2012 at 9:45 pmI just wonder how many of these disasters came shortly upon the USA after our Governmental officials either officially or nonofficially tried to convince the country of Israel to give up some of their land, especially Jerusalem. I think there might be some correlation. I think the USA should quit telling Israel to give up any of their GOD given land. I believe the Bible talks about God blessing those that bless thee (Israel) and cursing those that curse thee (Israel). I think it is in fact cursing a people (Israelites) to give up the very small amount of square feet they have in their country and give it to people who have other options. I mean their are many Muslim based countries, and if small square foot Muslim countries need more land space, couldn’t they ask to immigrate some of their citizens to other larger sq. ft. Muslim countries (e.g. Saudi Arabia) is much larger than Israel.
October 3rd, 2012 at 9:34 pm