People, Not Warming Cause Greater Storm Damage, NOAA Finds

The increase in economic damages from hurricanes in the U.S. is caused by growth in coastal population and infrastructure, rather than global warming, according to researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA).

While economic damages from hurricanes have been doubling every 10 to 15 years, NOAA reports no spike in the number or intensity of storms striking the mainland. "There is nothing in the U.S. hurricane damage record that indicates global warming has caused a significant increase in destruction along our coasts," stated Chris Landsea, science and operations officer at NOAA's National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Landsea warns that unless action is taken to reduce the concentration of people and property in coastal areas, damage from future hurricanes could exceed all current projections. "The damage will increase by a great deal as more people and infrastructure inhabit these coastal locations," he said in a press release.

Illustrating Landsea's point NOAA's Normalized Hurricane Damage in the United States: 1900-2005 (.pdf), concludes that if the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane were to hit today, it would cause the largest losses at $140 billion to $157 billion, with Hurricane Katrina second on the list at $81 billion.

Also See:
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NSF Takes Greenhouse Gas Out for a Spin
What are Greenhouse Gasses? (Environmental Issues)