Caribbean: costliest natural disasters 2000-2022

Since 2000, hurricanes were the natural disasters with the highest estimated economic losses in the Caribbean. Hurricane Ian, which affected several islands in the Caribbean (especially Cuba) and the southeast of the United States (specially Florida and the Carolinas) in September of 2022, caused overall losses for approximately 100 billion U.S. dollars. Hurricane Maria in 2017 ranked second, with an economic impact estimated at 68.6 billion U.S. dollars, in this case including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Dominica, Guadeloupe, the Dominican Republic, Martinique, and Haiti.

The aftermath of Hurricane Dorian

The Bahamas was the country most severely affected by Hurricane Dorian, which hit in late August 2019, lasting until September 9. This storm, a category 5 hurricane, claimed a total of 65 lives and was labelled the worst cyclone and natural disaster to ever occur in the Bahamas. That year, this island nation received the highest extreme climate risk score in the whole Latin American and Caribbean region.

The death toll of natural disasters in the Caribbean

The magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Haiti on August 2021 has been the deadliest natural disaster in Latin America and the Caribbean from 2018 to 2022, estimated to have killed 2,248 people. Regarding tropical cyclones, hurricane Eta in 2020 has been the deadliest in the region during the same period with approximately 183 victims.