Under Water
Storms, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis — with more than half the world’s population now concentrated in cities, the economic threat of natural disasters in metropolitan areas looms ever larger.
The 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan set a new standard for disaster with almost 20,000 people killed and a record $300 billion in economic losses. Later that year, Bangkok broke the cost record for freshwater floods, with $47 billion in losses. A year later Hurricane Sandy caused $60 billion in storm-surge damage in New York and New Jersey.
A new report by Swiss Re Ltd., the world’s second-biggest reinsurer, ranks 616 metro areas by the value of working days at risk from five natural perils, as well as by number of residents potentially affected. Click ahead to see whether your city is among the most vulnerable. The areas are ranked by potential economic impact.
See Also:
10 Perspectives on the Future of Water
Charting Our Water Future [PDF]
Public or Private: The Fight Over the Future of Water
Water: Soul of the Earth, Mirror of Our Collective Souls [Book Reviews by Robert Steele]
Worth a Look: Book Reviews on Water [Ranked, and Broader Books]
