DISASTER! - Homeland Security and Emergency Management ...

GENERAL FACTS & FIGURES ON DISASTERSAs our violent planet’s surface continues to shift and move it will continueto alter sea levels, food and water supplies and climate conditions aroundthe world.The costs of weather-related disasters in just the United States aloneaverage $1 billion per week.Year after year it appears the most frequent natural disasters are windstormsand floods, which combined usually account for 80%-90% of theworldwide economic losses.Every year hundreds of millions of people worldwide are evacuated ordriven from their homes due to natural disasters.According to Munich Re Group, (a reinsurance company that monitorsworldwide disasters) the following summarizes major losses:Worldwide # of Major # of deaths byYear Economic Losses Disasters Major Disasters2008 $200 billion (in US $) 750 220,0002007 $82 billion (in US $) 960 11,0002006 $45 billion (in US $) 850 18,0002005 $220 billion (in US $) 670 101,0002004 $150 billion (in US $) 650 245,4732003 $65 billion (in US $) 700 89,0002002 $60 billion (in US $) 700 11,0002001 $40 billion (in US $) 720 25,0002000 $38 billion (in US $) 850 10,300Please note the above figures do not include economic losses and deathscaused by smaller natural disasters that occur daily around the world. Alsonote, the 2004 tsunami killed more people in that one major event [over229,000] than the previous 4 years combined. This dramatic statistic proveshow devastating disasters can be in highly populated areas.Now let’s look at some facts and figures on specific types of disasters to geta better understanding of how they impact our world.2 www.itsadisaster.net or call 1-888-999-4325