U.S. disasters set crippling $306B record in 2017

AUSTIN – A trio of monster hurricanes and a ferocious wildfire season led to the costliest year for natural disasters on record in the United States in 2017 — nearly a third of a trillion dollars in damage, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Monday.

The USA endured 16 separate weather and climate disasters that each racked up losses that exceeded $1billion last year for a total cost of about $306 billion. That broke the record set in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina and other disasters caused $215 billion in damage.

Last year’s disasters killed 362 people in the USA, including Puerto Rico, NOAA said. NOAA climatologist Adam Smith said the toll could increase based on information that continues to come from Puerto Rico.

It was the most expensive hurricane season on record at $265 billion and the costliest wildfire season on record at $18 billion, Smith said.

Weeks ago, the House of Representatives passed an $81 billion disaster aid package. The Senate did not take up the bill, working on its own version.

Hurricane Harvey racked up damage of $125 billion, second only to Hurricane Katrina in the 38-year period of recordkeeping for billion-dollar disasters. Rainfall from Harvey caused flooding that displaced more than 30,000 people and damaged or destroyed more than 200,000 homes and businesses, NOAA said.

Hurricanes Maria and Irma caused $90 billion and $50 billion in damage, respectively. Maria now ranks as the nation’s third-costliest weather disaster on record, and Irma ranks as the fifth-costliest.