UN published report on damage from natural disasters over the past half century

The World Meteorological Organization has published a report summarizing natural disasters over the past 50 years - from 1970 to 2019, according to the Daily Mail. The experts included more than 11,000 weather, climate or water-related disasters in their analysis. Here are the main findings of the report.

• From 1970 to 1979, the world reported an average of 711 weather accidents per year. By 2000-2009, this figure had risen sharply - up to 3536 cataclysms per year, or 10 per day, and by 2010 it had slightly decreased - to 3165.
• Most of the deaths and damage in 50 years of weather disasters have been caused by storms, floods and droughts.
• Weather, climate and water-related hazards have caused 50% of all disasters, 45% of all recorded deaths and 74% of all recorded economic losses in the world.
• Natural disasters killed 115 people daily and caused losses of $ 202 million. In total, more than 2 million people died from them, and the losses amounted to $ 3.64 trillion. More than 91% of these deaths occurred in developing countries. Almost 60% of the economic damage occurred in richer countries.
• Due to ongoing climate change, the number of extreme weather, climate and water-related events will continue to grow. Warming will cause more heatwaves, drought and forest fires. Due to the growth of water vapor in the atmosphere, there are more heavy precipitations and floods. As the temperature of the oceans rises, tropical storms will become more frequent.
• Rescuing people has been better than ever in recent years thanks to improved early warning systems and new methods of disaster management. However, economic losses are growing and will continue to grow.
• The five most costly weather disasters since 1970 have been storms in the United States. The five deadliest weather events have occurred in Africa and Asia.

  Top 10 disasters, ranked by death toll and economic loss (1970-2019)

Of death

1. Drought in Ethiopia (1983) - 300,000
2. Storm in Bangladesh (1970) - 300,000
3. Drought in Sudan (1983) 150,000
4. Storm in Bangladesh (1991) - 138,866
5. Storm in Myanmar (2008) - 138.366
6. Drought in Ethiopia (1973) 100,000
7. Drought in Mozambique (1981) 100,000
8. Extreme temperatures in Russia (2010) - 55 736
9. Flood in Venezuela (1999) - 30,000
10. Flood in Bangladesh (1974) - 28,700

Economic losses (USD billion)

1. Hurricane Katrina (USA, 2005) - 163.61
2. Hurricane Harvey (USA, 2017) 96.94
3. Hurricane Maria (USA, 2017) - 69.39
4. Hurricane Irma (USA, 2017) 58.16
5. Hurricane Sandy (USA, 2012) 54.47
6. Hurricane Andrew (USA, 1991) - 48.27
7. Flooding in China (1998) - 47.02
8. Flooding in Thailand (2011) - 45.46
9. Hurricane Ike (USA, 2008) - 35.63
10. Flood in North Korea (1995) - 25.17