At the time of this newsletter, 2022 has proven to be another
billion-dollar year of weather and climate disasters affecting the United
States. And 2023 is starting with high rainfall and flooding in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Santa
Barbara County, and other southern counties in California. At NCDP, we know
communities are impacted long after the disaster ends.
In 2022, there were 18 weather and climate disaster events,
with losses exceeding $1 billion with 474 deaths.1 Major disasters
included:
·
One
winter storm/cold wave event (across the central and eastern U.S.)
·
One
wildfire event (wildfires across the western U.S., including Alaska)
·
One
drought and heat wave event (across the western and central U.S.)
·
One
flooding event (in Missouri and Kentucky)
·
Two
tornado outbreaks (across the southern and southeastern U.S.)
·
Three
tropical hurricanes (Fiona, Ian, and Nicole)
·
Nine
severe weather/hail events (across many parts of the country, including a
derecho in the central U.S.)
Some additional
disaster challenges of 2022 included the fifth-warmest calendar year on
record for Florida and Rhode Island. An above destructive hurricane season
with 14 named storms, Hurricane Fiona brought 12-18 inches of rain to
Puerto Rico, Hurricane Ian brought 150 mph sustained winds to Florida along
with flooding, and Hurricane Nicole made landfall in Florida, causing
thousands of people to lose power. There were 1,332 tornadoes reported, and
in March of 2022, the most tornadoes were recorded in the 1950-2022 record.
In the West and Alaska, wildfires were widespread, causing destruction, and
in Alaska, over 1.185 million acres were burned, which is the
second-highest on record.
Disaster events impact communities large and small.
To assist
communities in preparing for and returning from these catastrophic
disasters, the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP), Columbia
Climate School, at Columbia University has created training
programs focused on post-disaster economic and housing recovery, mass
care, and pandemic planning.
These programs are funded through Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants.
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