The Storm Surge: How Much Natural Disasters Have Cost Us

Hurricane Sandy - you won't be easily forgotten.

As the effects of these costly disasters pile up in the northeastern United States and the eastern coast of Canada, the cost of keeping people safe is worth every penny. And while emergency preparedness is improving in every region of the world, and deaths are decreasing, The Economist points out that the economic cost is rising relentlessly.
A major reason is that "a growing share of the world's population and economic activity is being concentrated in disaster-prone places: on tropical coasts and river deltas, near forests and along earthquake fault lines."

But how much does it cost to rebuild? According to the Daily Telegraph, the cost of Hurricane Sandy may run as high as $20 billion, only half of which is insured. That's quite conservative when compared with our list of recent disasters:

SLIDESHOW: RISING COST OF NATURAL DISASTERS

1. Japan 2011 – the earthquake and tsunami that affected this Pacific island nation was one of the nation's worst disasters ever – and could cost (without the nuclear crisis) $309 billion

2. United States 2005 – Hurricane Katrina's decimation of the Gulf coastal communities as well as the city of New Orleans has lasting effects on this nation's view of disasters $300 billion

3. Indian Ocean countries 2004 - the effects of the tsunami were widespread and differing dependent on the economic strength or weakness of the 11 nations who were affected $134 billion

4. Haiti 2010 - one of the most disastrous earthquakes of the Caribbean region, this half of Hispanola had to start rebuilding from the ground up $14 billion

5. Iceland 2010 – the eruption of this nation's volcano Eyjafjallajokull not only made world news, but grounded flights across Europe as the ash disrupted air transportation for weeks $5 billion