Yahoo TV

So far in 2023, the United States experienced 23 confirmed climate disasters, each causing over $1 billion in damages and 253 lives, according to NOAA. It has already surpassed the 2020 record of 22 events, which was for an entire calendar year. The disasters have included floods, severe storms, hurricanes, raging wildfires, and more, resulting in an estimated total recovery cost of more than $50 billion.

NOAA Applied Climatologist Adam Smith sheds light on the report and why these disasters are so costly. Smith says there are a reasons why the costs are going up including where people are living and population density. He also says there is "vulnerability, where we build, how we build, but also how we rebuild after a disaster is increasingly important."