Hurricane Dorian Bearing Down on the Southeastern U.S. - How Costly Are Hurricanes?

This content leverages data from USAFacts, a non-profit that visualizes governmental data. You can learn more on its website, Facebook, and Twitter.

The National Hurricane Center on Wednesday updated its forecast for Hurricane Dorian to warn of “life-threatening storm surge and dangerous winds” from Daytona Beach, Florida to Hampton Roads, Virginia through Friday. 

The coastal Carolina region is expected to receive the heaviest flooding from Dorian, which is currently a category 2 hurricane, and nearly 1 million residents of the area are subject to evacuation orders.

How costly are hurricanes?

The two deadliest natural disasters in recent U.S. history were both hurricanes: Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Louisiana and surrounding areas in 2005 while Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017. This chart from USAFacts shows the death toll from natural disasters in recent decades, which spiked in those years:

Additionally, seven of the 10 most expensive natural disasters in U.S. history (including the top six) were hurricanes:

Here’s a look at the cost of 14 “billion-dollar disasters” broken down by type of disaster:

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / felixmizioznikov)