Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Historical and projected costs of natural disasters

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/73028· OSTI ID:73028

Natural disasters cause billions of dollars of damage and thousands Of deaths globally each year. While the magnitude is clear, the exact costs (in damage and fatalities) are difficult to clearly identify. This document reports on the results of a survey of data on the costs associated with significant natural disasters. There is an impressive amount of work and effort going into natural disaster research, mitigation, and relief. However, despite this effort, there are surprisingly few consistent and reliable data available regarding the effects of natural disasters. Even lacking consistent and complete data, it is clear that the damage and fatalities from natural disasters are increasing, both in the United States, and globally. Projections using the available data suggest that, in the United States alone, the costs of natural disasters between 1995 and 2010 will be in the range of $90 billion (94$) and 5000 lives.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000
OSTI ID:
73028
Report Number(s):
SAND--94-2686; ON: DE95013875
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Program plan for the partnership for natural disaster reduction. Rev 0
Technical Report · Sat Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1998 · OSTI ID:582201

Photovoltaic application for disaster relief
Technical Report · Tue Oct 31 23:00:00 EST 1995 · OSTI ID:366568

Disaster planning and mitigation technologies, interim technology inventory report: Report {number_sign}2
Technical Report · Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1998 · OSTI ID:362622