Helene and Milton Poised to Join Ranks of Costliest Storms, Each Likely to Cause $50 Billion in Damage
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) –
Hurricanes Helene and Milton are each expected to surpass $50 billion in damages, placing them among the most destructive storms in history alongside Katrina, Sandy, and Harvey.
Over the past 45 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has recorded 396 weather disasters, each causing at least $1 billion in damage when adjusted for inflation. Of these, 63 were hurricanes or tropical storms.
“The $50 billion mark defines truly historic events,” said Adam Smith, economist and meteorologist at NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information in Helene-hit Asheville, North Carolina. So far, only eight hurricanes have reached that threshold, but Smith believes Milton and Helene have a strong chance of joining the list.
Andrew became the first $50 billion hurricane in 1992, followed by Katrina 13 years later and Sandy seven years after that. With Helene and Milton, the U.S. will have seen seven such costly storms in just seven years.
These disasters follow a record-breaking 28 billion-dollar weather events in the U.S. during 2023, surpassing the previous high of 22 events set in 2020. Last year, marked the most billion-dollar disasters ever recorded in a single year.