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The increase in the total amount of damage by around 13 percent reflects the consequences of man-made climate change, said the organization Christian Aid on Monday.
The floods in Germany and Belgium caused around 43 billion dollars in damage.
AFP
In poorer countries, the financial damage caused by storms is often difficult to calculate because the infrastructure is not insured.
AFP
According to calculations by a British aid organization, the ten financially most severe weather disasters of this year caused damage totaling more than 170 billion dollars, around 20 billion more than in the previous year.
The financially most serious natural disaster this year was Hurricane Ida, which hit the eastern United States at the end of August and caused severe flooding in the New York region. Christian Aid put the damage caused by the cyclone at 65 billion dollars.
Flood disaster in Germany and Belgium in second place
In second place is the flood disaster in Germany and Belgium in July with a total of 43 billion dollars in damage. Also on the list include a cold snap in the US state of Texas and floods in the Chinese province of Henan. The organization acknowledged that the list mainly includes natural disasters in rich countries. In poorer countries, the financial damage caused by storms is often difficult to calculate because the infrastructure is not insured.
The Swiss reinsurance group had put the losses caused by natural disasters worldwide this year at an estimated 250 billion dollars in mid-December. Compared to 2020, the damage increased by almost a quarter (24 percent).
(AFP / sys)