NEW YORK: The United States was hit by 15 climate disasters in the first half of this year, each with losses exceeding US$1 billion, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), reported Xinhua.
These disasters included 13 severe storm events and two winter storms, which resulted in 106 deaths according to a report released earlier this week by the nation’s premier meteorological agency.
The total cost exceeded US$37 billion.
In June alone, four climate disasters were registered, including two hail events that impacted Texas and Colorado, and a tornado outbreak in central US.
The US has sustained 391 weather and climate disasters since 1980, with overall damages of each reaching or exceeding US$1 billion. The total cost tops US$2.755 trillion, according to NOAA data.
The annual average from 1980 to 2023 is US$8.5 billion for climate events, and the annual average for the most recent five years (2019-2023) is US$20.4 billion for events. – BERNAMA-XINHUA
