How many billion dollar disasters have we had in the U.S. this year?
Current Event Friday
Data Scavenger Hunt
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above:
How many billion-dollar climate disasters did the United States have in the 1980s?
How many billion-dollar climate disasters did the United States have in the 2010s?
2020 was an extraordinary year for weather and climate events in the U.S.: The nation endured an unprecedented 22 billion-dollar disasters. A record number of named tropical storms formed in the Atlantic, with a record 12 making landfall. The nation also had its most active wildfire year on record due to very dry conditions in the West and unusually warm temperatures that gripped much of the country. Describe one trend you see in the visual above.
NOAA estimates 15 U.S. weather disasters with damage of at least $1 billion have happened already in 2023. Thirteen of those events were from severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. One was California flooding while the other was a cold outbreak around Groundhog Day. UBS expects Hurricane Idalia to result in insured losses of $9.36 billion based on preliminary estimate, which will make it the 16th billion dollar disaster of 2023. What is one consequence of the trend of the growing cost of natural disasters?
Based on the fact of our growing coastal population, rising sea-levels, and accelerated climate change. Predict what this graph will look like at the end of the 2020s.
Big Brain Questions
Answer these questions by yourself using your brain and the links below:
List one thing the chart makes you wonder:
Explain one cause of the trend you identified from the visual above.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employs more than 20,000 people nationwide. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., FEMA has 10 regional offices located across the country. FEMA leverages a tremendous capacity to coordinate within the federal government to make sure America is equipped to prepare for and respond to disasters. FEMA was officially created in 1979 through an executive order by then President Jimmy Carter. Under Article II of the Constitution, the President is responsible for the execution and enforcement of the laws created by Congress. Explain how much involvement you believe the federal government should have in disaster relief.
Describe how the trend illustrated in the visual above has impacted your own life.
A wealthy country like the United States can pay to clean up billion dollar disasters. How do poor countries deal with the rising cost and increasing toll of natural disasters.
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Contact President Joseph Biden and suggest one thing he could do to make America more resilient to a more dangerous and costly climate future. You can call the White House switchboard and leave comments at: 202-456-1111
Get Creative
Based on the trend in the visual above, think about a day in the life of America in 20 years. Think about how life will be different then. Make a creative response to the data from the visual above.
Learn More
So far all the years of the 2020s have set records for weather and climate disasters. Read the government’s report on climate change and weather disasters or check out Climate Central’s visuals about billion dollar disasters.
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