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Disaster Facts
Natural disasters kill one million people around the world each decade,
and leave millions more homeless each year, according to the United Nation's
International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. In addition, economic
damages from natural disasters have tripled in the past 30 years -- rising
from $40 billion in the 1960s to $120 billion in the 1980s. In the past
year, more than a dozen worldwide disasters have caused billion-dollar
losses.
While numbers alone cannot tell the story of the heartache and anguish
brought by natural disasters, they can give a concrete picture of the
breadth of the damage, and serve as a significant argument for the need
to focus on preparation and mitigation. These tables of damage costs provide
a glimpse of the toll of natural disaster both in the United States and
around the world.
Losses from natural disasters
1983-1994
Source: World Health Organization |
| Hurricane Alicia (USA, 1983) |
$1.65 billion |
| Winter storm Herta (Europe, 1990) |
$1.90 billion |
| Forest fire (USA, 1991) |
$2.00 billion |
| Winter storm Wiebke (Europe, 1990) |
$2.25 billion |
| Hurricane Iniki (Hawaii, 1992) |
$3.00 billion |
| Winter storm Vivian (Europe, 1990) |
$3.25 billion |
| Winter gale (Western Europe, 1987) |
$3.70 billion |
| Blizzard (USA, 1993) |
$5.00 billion |
| Typhoon Mireille (Japan, 1991) |
$6.00 billion |
| Winter storm Daria (Europe, 1990) |
$6.80 billion |
| Hurricane Hugo (USA, Caribbean, 1989) |
$9.00 billion |
| Floods (USA, 1993) |
$12.00 billion |
| Northridge Earthquake (USA, 1994) |
$30.00 billion |
| Hurricane Andrew (USA, 1991) |
$30.00 billion |
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