The number and cost of disasters are increasing over time due to a combination of increased exposure (i.e., values at risk of possible loss), vulnerability (i.e., where we build; how we build) and that climate change is increasing the frequency of some types of extremes that lead to billion-dollar disasters.
More specifically, these trends are further complicated by the fact that much of the growth has taken place in vulnerable areas like
coasts and river floodplains. Vulnerability is especially high where building codes are insufficient for reducing damage from extreme events.
Climate change is also playing a role in the increasing frequency of some types of extreme weather that lead to billion-dollar disasters - most notably the rise in vulnerability to drought, lengthening wildfire seasons in the Western states, and the potential for extremely heavy rainfall becoming more common in the eastern states.
Every state in the country has been impacted by at least one billion-dollar disaster since 1980. Since 1980, there have been more than 100 of these events that have affected at least some part of Texas, while only one event has impacted Hawaii (Hurricane Iniki in 1992). The Central, South, and Southeast regions typically experience a higher frequency of billion-dollar disasters than other regions.
Billion Dollar Disasters from 1980 - 2021
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