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Natural catastrophes in 2020

This publication discusses how 2020 will be remembered for the global health and economic crisis triggered by COVID-19. Against the backdrop of the disruption and upheaval caused by the pandemic, millions of people also experienced severe weather events. In inflation-adjusted terms, global economic losses from natural and man-made catastrophes were USD 202 billion last year, up from USD 150 billion in 2019. The US was hardest hit, with large stretches of the East Coast pummelled by hurricanes, wildfires in the west, and the Midwest struck by a record number of convective storms. Australia suffered too, from unprecedented drought, wildfire and storms. Asia suffered deadly and catastrophic floods from monsoon rains.

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