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Five-Year Study on Natural Hazards in U.S. to Be Released at National Press ClubThe tornadoes that tore through Oklahoma and Kansas on May 3 were an example of the enormous human and economic costs that can result from natural hazards. Since 1989, the financial cost of natural hazards in the United States (including floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires) has frequently averaged $1 billion per week. The cost is going up and is expected to keep rising, according to a new scientific study involving 132 experts. Seven of the 10 costliest U.S. disasters occurred between 1989 and 1994. The states experiencing the greatest losses from natural hazards between 1974 and 1994 were California, Texas and Florida. The results of the five-year, $750,000 study -- funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Engineering Directorate, with contributions from four other federal agencies -- will be publicly released at the National Press Club, May 19 by the head of the study team, Professor Dennis Mileti, chair of the sociology department and director of the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. NSF Deputy Director Joseph Bordogna; U.S. Geological Survey Deputy Director Tom Casadavell; and David Festa, senior advisor to Commerce Secretary William Daley will be available to answer questions. A representative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is also expected to attend.
For more information contact:
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