The Costs of Severe Weather Are Rising | SERVPRO® of South Bronx

7/8/2021 (Permalink)

When storms do damage, we go to work to make things right. Contact SERVPRO of South Bronx to start the restoration process.

2020 was tumultuous year to say the least, and the weather was no exception. In fact, it was a record-setting year for climate and weather disasters.

Of all the years in history for which we have data, 2020 was the most financially destructive.

There were a total of 22 official weather disasters, which are defined as events that cause at least a billion dollar in damages, plus many other damaging storms. There were so many hurricanes and tropical storms during 2020 that the NWS had to start using the Greek alphabet to name all the storms.

How Costly Can It Be?

Hurricanes are easily seen as destructive and financially draining, but lately, other types of severe weather are starting to have the same effects. The most expensive disasters of 2020 in the contiguous United States were thunderstorms and tornadoes.

There were 14 official weather disasters that were severe thunderstorms, and some of these unleashed tornadoes as well. Thunderstorms happen so often that we typically forget the damage that can be associated with them. Reality is showing that we have to start taking safety actions now.

In August 2020, eastern Nebraska experienced what seemed to be a typical thunderstorm, but it quickly turned into something much more eventful called a derecho. A derecho is something like a tornado, but with straight-line winds instead of swirling ones, combined with a heavy thunderstorm.

When Nebraska had this hit, it impacted more than 10 million acres of corn fields, which is almost half the state’s corn crops—that’s over 11% of the entire country’s corn fields.

Our area is no stranger to severe weather, either. Last summer, we saw the impact of Tropical Storm Isaias, which was the most destructive storm in New York since Hurricane Sandy. And shortly thereafter, a line of severe thunderstorms came through the city and left a trail of tree damage from The Bronx to Queens.

Bigger Storms, Bigger Costs

The trend is showing that these severe storms aren’t backing down anytime soon. 2020 was the 10th consecutive year that had at least eight billion-dollar disasters.

2017 saw the highest total of damages on record, with over $300 billion in damages. And then in 2018 and 2019, there was a combined total of $136 billion in damages.

Severe storms happen, and lately they are becoming more intense and more costly, so as a home or business owner, it’s never too early to take whatever precautions are possible. in order to minimize the damage to your property.

No matter what precautions you take, life always throws curveballs, so it’s nice to know you’ve got friends in the restoration industry whose goal is to recover your valued items and restore your property "Like it never even happened."

When storms do damage, we go to work to make things right. Contact SERVPRO today to see how we can help.