2023: US Breaks Record for Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters

The United States has experienced a record-breaking number of billion-dollar weather disasters in 2023, with 23 such events causing over $57.6 billion in damages and claiming the lives of at least 253 people, according to a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The deadliest wildfire in over a century struck West Maui, Hawaii, killing 115 people and causing up to $6 billion in damages, while Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Florida's Big Bend coast as the strongest hurricane in 125 years. The increasing frequency of these disasters has raised concerns about the adequacy of FEMA's funding, with the agency's disaster fund expected to run out by mid-September unless Congress approves an additional $16 billion. President Biden has attributed the rise in severe weather events to climate change and urged swift action on FEMA funding.