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The following is a list of natural disasters in the United States that caused $1 billion in damage in United States dollars (USD). All damage totals are in the USD from the original year, and events are only listed if they caused over $1 billion in the original year's USD.

Background

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Before the first $1 billion disaster, the United States experienced several costly events. The Dust Bowl caused an estimated $153 million in agricultural damage (1930 USD), calculated based on the decrease in land value.[1] In July 1951, widespread floods affected about 2,000,000 acres (810,000 ha) of Kansas and Missouri after a period of record rainfall, causing $935 million in damage.[2] The 1954 Atlantic hurricane season became the costliest season on record in the country, and was surpassed only a year later by the following season. In 1955, Hurricane Diane became "undoubtedly the greatest natural catastrophe in the history of the United States and earned the unenviable distinction of the first billion dollar hurricane", as described in the Monthly Weather Review; this calculation included indirect costs, and the damage total was about $750 million (1955 USD).[3]

As of 2006, floods in the United States caused about $6 billion in annual damage. During the latter portion of the 20th century, the annual cost increased as urban and coastal populations rose.[4]

Pre-1980s

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  • September 1965 - Hurricane Betsy crossed over southern Florida and later struck Grand Isle, Louisiana as a powerful storm. In Louisiana alone, the storm caused about $1.2 billion in damage after heavily damaging crops and flooding portions of New Orleans. Nationwide, damage totaled $1.4 billion, making Betsy the first billion dollar hurricane.[5]
  • August 1969 - Hurricane Camille was the second-strongest storm to hit the United States on record after the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, with a barometric pressure of 909 mbar (26.8 inHg) at landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi.[6] Damage was estimated at $1.42 billion, surpassing the total of Hurricane Betsy. The impact of Camille spread from the Gulf Coast of the United States to Virginia, and nationwide 8,670 homes, farms, and trailers were destroyed, while 54,555 buildings overall were damaged.[7]
  • June 1970 - Hurricane Agnes produced significant flooding across the eastern United States, causing $3.1 billion in damage.[8] About 110,000 houses were damaged or destroyed, mostly in Pennsylvania and New York.[9]
  • January 1977 - A cold wave produced snowfall throughout Florida that caused $2 billion in damage in the state, mostly due to agricultural losses. Snowfall reached as far south as Homestead, and several cities reported record cold temperatures.[10]
  • February 1978 - A powerful blizzard affected the northeastern United States with record snowfall and high rides. The combination of damage from the storm, as well as snow removal, was near $1 billion.[11]
  • September 1979 - Hurricane Frederic struck near the border of Mississippi and Alabama as a powerful storm, causing $2.3 billion in damage.[12] High winds damaged or destroyed many businesses along the coast, and widespread areas lost power for as long as five weeks.[13]

1980s

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  • May 1980 - The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and subsequent impact destroyed 250 houses and knocked down billions of trees. Damage reached over $1.1 billion.[14]
  • Summer 1980 - A widespread heat wave in the central and eastern portion of the country caused severe agricultural damage, and its overall effects totaled $20 billion, with 10,000 deaths.[15] During the heat wave, which was the worst since 1954, there was also an ongoing drought.[16]
  • February 1983 - A series of storms hitting the western United States caused beach erosion and widespread heavy rainfall,[17] resulting in $1.1 billion in damage and 50 deaths, collectively.[15]
  • March 1983 - A strong low pressure area affected the gulf coast with high winds and rainfall.[18] Flooding spread from Texas to Georgia, causing $1.1 billion in damage and 45 deaths.[15]
  • August 1983 - Hurricane Alicia makes landfall near Galveston, Texas and moves across Houston, destroying 2,297 homes, apartments, and mobile homes. More than 16,000 dwellings were damaged to some degree,[19] and overall damage was estimated at $3 billion.[15]
  • December 1983 - Unusually cold temperatures wrecked 30% of the citrus and vegetable crop in Florida,[20] and damage was estimated at $2 billion.[15]
  • January 1985 - Along with the previous event, an extended period of freezing temperatures caused the greatest loss of citrus trees in Florida in the 20th century. By August 1985, the total area covered by citrus trees was the lowest since 1956,[21] and damage was estimated at $1.2 billion.[15]
  • September 1985 - Hurricane Elena struck near Biloxi, Mississippi as a powerful storm after meandering in the Gulf of Mexico for several days, causing severe beach erosion and damage to coastal properties.[22] Damage was estimated at $1.3 billion, and there were four deaths.[15]
  • October 1985 - Less than two months after Elena affected the Gulf Coast, Hurricane Juan made landfalls in Louisiana and northwestern Florida. Heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding, resulting in heavy crop and livestock damage, while waves up to 49 ft (15 m) in height damaged oil rigs offshore Louisiana. Damage was estimated at $1.5 billion.[22]
  • Summer 1986 - After a lack of winter storms along the eastern United States, followed by one of the driest springs on record, many areas in the southeastern United States were in a severe drought, reaching its peak in July. Streams and rivers ran about 50% of their usual flow, and the dry conditions ended after wetter conditions in the autumn.[23] There was several agricultural damage, totaling $1.3 billion in damage, and 100 people were killed in the event.[15]
  • Summer 1988 - Much of the United States experienced drought conditions by August, due to low rainfall and high temperatures. The combination heavily damaged the corn and soybean crop,[24] and damage totaled about $40 billion, with about 7,500 deaths.[15]
  • August 1989 - A drought in the northern Great Plains caused about $1 billion in agricultural damage.[15]
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1994 Northridge earthquake

References

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  1. ^ Richard Hornbeck. (Report). Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. p. 13 ftp://laberintos.itam.mx/pub/academico/inves/seminars/Hornbeck.pdf. Retrieved 2013-02-26. {{cite report}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Text "The Enduring Impact of the American Dust Bowl: Short and Long-run Adjustments to Environmental Catastrophe" ignored (help)
  2. ^ Robert Cox; et al. (2001). The 1951 Kansas - Missouri Floods ... Have We Forgotten? (PDF) (Report). Missouri Basin National Weather River Forecast Center. Retrieved 2013-02-27. {{cite report}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |author= (help)
  3. ^ Gordon E. Dunn; Walter R. Davis; Paul L. Moore (December 1955). "Hurricanes of 1955" (PDF). Monthly Weather Review. Retrieved 2013-02-26. {{cite journal}}: More than one of |work= and |journal= specified (help)
  4. ^ USGS Science Helps Build Safer Communities (Report). United States Geological Survey. 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  5. ^ Arnold L. Sugg (March 1966). The Hurricane Season of 1965 (PDF) (Report). U.S. Weather Bureau. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  6. ^ The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Tropical Cyclones from 1851 to 2010 (and Other Frequently Requested Hurricane Facts) (PDF). National Climatic Data Center, National Hurricane Center (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2011-08-10. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  7. ^ Arnold L. Sugg (April 1970). "The Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1969" (PDF). 98 (4). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2013-02-26. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ Summary of Significant Floods in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, 1972 (Report). United States Geological Survey. 2008-09-17. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  9. ^ Impact of Hurricane Agnes on Property (GIF) (Report). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  10. ^ "Storm Data" (PDF). 19 (1). National Climatic Data Center. January 1977. Retrieved 2013-02-27. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ Summary of Significant Floods in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, 1978 (Report). United States Geological Survey. 2008-09-17. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  12. ^ Paul J. Hebert (July 1980). "The Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1979" (PDF). 108. National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2013-02-26. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. ^ Hurricane Frederic (Report). Mobile/Pensacola National Weather Service. 2009-10-22. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  14. ^ Mount St. Helens – How the Eruption of a Well-Known Volcano Caused Unexpected Death and Destruction (PDF) (Report). Royal Geographical Society. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Billion-Dollar Weather/Climate Disasters (Report). National Climatic Data Center. 2012. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  16. ^ Thomas R. Karl; Robert G. Quayle (October 1981). "The 1980 Summer Heat Wave and Drought in Historical Perspective". Monthly Weather Review. 109 (10). Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  17. ^ "Storm Data" (PDF). 25 (2). National Climatic Data Center. February 1983. Retrieved 2013-02-27. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. ^ "Storm Data" (PDF). 25 (3). National Climatic Data Center. March 1983. Retrieved 2013-02-27. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. ^ Hurricane Alicia Preliminary Report (GIF) (Report). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  20. ^ Henry W. Brandli (1984). "December Florida Freeze of 1983" (PDF). National Weather Digest. 9 (2). Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  21. ^ Harry M. Whittaker (1985). "Citrus Tree Losses from 1983 and 1985 Freezes in Fourteen Northern Counties" (PDF). Florida State Horticultural Society. 98. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
  22. ^ a b Robert A. Case (July 1986). "The Atlantic Hurricane Season of 1985" (PDF). 114. National Hurricane Center. Retrieved 2013-03-01. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  23. ^ Thomas R. Karl; Pamela J. Young. The 1986 Southeast Drought in Historical Perspective (Report). National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 2013-03-01.
  24. ^ Jeffrey D. Karrenbrock (May/June 1989). The 1988 Drought: Its Impact on District Agriculture (PDF) (Report). Federal Reserve Bank at St. Louis. Retrieved 2013-03-02. {{cite report}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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