Climate-worsened disasters have cost the U.S. more than $740 billion in damages over the past decade

April Siese

Daily Kos Staff

Wednesday November 16, 2022 · 2:58 PM CST

A new report from the organization Rebuild by Design shows the widespread damage climate-worsened disasters have caused across the U.S. over the past decade. Grist does a fantastic breakdown of key figures in the climate adaptation group’s “Atlas of Disaster,” noting that more than $740 billion in damages have accrued from 2011 to 2021 because of climate disasters. Rebuild by Design also found that nine out of 10 counties in the U.S. have experienced a federal climate disaster.

The group, which was founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, does much more than disaster response. Its “Atlas of Disaster” looks at the impact of disasters prior to them occurring, what happens during a climate event, and a disaster’s impact in the weeks and even years after. Inequality factors heavily in the report, with Rebuild by Design finding that “inequalities are exacerbated by the very systems put in place to help recovery,” in addition to many marginalized communities facing an inability to evacuate safely or safely prepare for an impending disaster.

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