Severe weather costs us $485 billion per year

[one...two...tree 2,762]

According to estimates from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the baseline cost of extreme weather (which has always been with us, but which is steadily getting worse due to climate change) in the United States is $485 billion a year -- 3.4 percent of the country's GDP.

This is a complicated number -- it includes not only immediate costs from weather destruction, but also lost crops, power outages, resource usage, retail demand changes, and other indirect effects. Plus, it takes into account the fact that severe weather can be a boon for some industries (snow for ski resorts, for instance, or droughts for outdoor construction). Add it all up, and you get a chunk of change equivalent to a third of the U.S. budget deficit.

Just for perspective, House Republicans put a stop to the composting program in Congressional cafeterias, citing budget reasons, because it cost $475,000. That's 1/1000th as much as severe weather.

straight to the source

• Sticker Shock: What Extreme Weather Costs the U.S., Time

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Weather 'changes'..... who'da thunk?

[Darnell 8,478]

Ya, should be able to take a billion or two, make high speed water pipelines to get the water out of flood area, into huge water tanks half way cross the continent.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

All this in order to increase profits for insurance companies?

Steven, especially with Obama at the helm, we NEED severe weather to create work for people. All that broken stuff has to be fixed and most of it gets fixed with private insurance money.

When was the last time we had a good Class 3 or better Hurricane...oh yeah, right before AlGore did his movie. AlGore fixed it!