Hurricane Ian is now the 15th billion-dollar disaster so far in 2022, the eighth consecutive year the U.S. has achieved the unfortunate milestone of 10 or more billion-dollar disasters. Hurricane Ian was preceded by Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, which was the 14th billion-dollar disaster this year.

When Hurricane Ian arrived on September 28, it swept feet of water from the Gulf of Mexico that ravaged Florida properties, ripping roofs, walls, and windows off of homes and businesses alike. It then blasted onward to South Carolina making landfall two days later on September 30.

The current count of losses from this year’s fifteen weather disasters comes in at $29.3 billion dollars so far. However, this is before accounting for the damage done by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, plus the wildfires on the west coast. Once all of these disasters are calculated, the final amount is expected to land near $100 billion in damage. A number that can rise if additional disasters take place this year.

These costly natural disasters decimate communities and leave a lasting impact with a significant recovery period. Far from simply replacing shattered windows, roof repair and replacement, and total rebuilds from the ground up are common.

Even more significant than the property damage, the loss of life caused by these events is staggering. The death toll of this year’s billion-dollar events sits at more than 300, with Hurricane Ian alone claiming over 100 lives.

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