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4mo ago

NOAA Halts Updates to Billion-Dollar Disaster Database After 44 Years

Staffing cuts and shifting priorities end updates to a key tool for tracking the rising costs of U.S. weather disasters, sparking calls for its reinstatement.

A woman walks her dog through Mary Grace and her dog among the wreckage and debris that Hurricane Helene left in Asheville, North Carolina.
U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) attends a hearing organized by Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate about the Trump administration's treatment of the Justice Department and law firms who act in cases disliked by the Republican president, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 7, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo
United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Overview

  • NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information has stopped updating its Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database, which tracked the economic toll of major U.S. disasters since 1980.
  • The database recorded 403 events totaling over $2.9 trillion in damages, including 27 billion-dollar disasters in 2024, but no new entries will be added for 2025.
  • Senator Adam Schiff has called for the database's restoration, warning its loss hinders planning for extreme weather events as disasters grow in frequency and cost.
  • Experts emphasize the database's unique integration of proprietary and non-public data, which made it an essential resource for insurers, researchers, and policymakers.
  • The decision follows an 18–20% reduction in NOAA's workforce, prompting concerns about the agency's ability to provide critical climate and disaster-related services.