Weather Disasters in U.S. Dominate Natural Disaster Losses in 2021

Hurricane Ida then tracked to the northeast, causing severe flooding, in particular in New Jersey and the New York City metropolitan area. Overall, Hurricane Ida caused losses of $65bn, of which approximately $36bn were insured (55 percent). A total of 114 people lost their lives.
Hard on the heels of the previous record-setting 30 named tropical storms in 2020, storm activity during the 2021 hurricane season was again significantly above the long-term average (14.3 for the period 1991 to 2020), with 21 named tropical storms.

Deep Freeze
In February, an exceptional cold wave brought icy temperatures as far as the southern USA. A temperature of -8°C (17°F) was recorded in the southern Texas city of Houston. Although the state of Texas experiences a major freeze event about once a decade, the state’s energy, infrastructure and buildings are often inadequately prepared for such conditions. Millions of people were left without electricity. Overall, with losses of $30bn (half of which were insured), the event was the year’s third-costliest natural disaster.

Europe: Extreme Flash Floods with Record Losses
In Europe, torrential rainfall in July 2021 triggered exceptionally severe floodings that caused devastating losses in local areas, particularly in western Germany. In the regions affected, the rainfall caused by the low-pressure system “Bernd” was the highest in over a hundred years. In tributaries, such as the River Ahr in the Rhineland-Palatinate, the deluge triggered flash floods that swept away countless buildings. There was also severe damage to infrastructure, such as railway lines, roads and bridges. More than 220 people were killed. 

Overall losses came to €46bn ($54bn), of which €33bn ($40bn) was in Germany. The insured portion was relatively low because of uninsured infrastructure losses and the limited insurance density for flooding in Germany. €11bn ($13bn) was insured, of which €8.2bn ($9.7bn) was in Germany, according to figures provided by the Association of German Insurers. It is the costliest natural disaster in Germany and Europe to date. 

What Effect Is Climate Change Having?
Ernst Rauch, Chief Climate and Geo Scientist at Munich Re, and head of the Climate Solutions Unit, commented as follows on the figures:

“The 2021 disaster statistics are striking because some of the extreme weather events are of the kind that are likely to become more frequent or more severe as a result of climate change. Among these are severe storms in the US, including in the winter half-year, or heavy rain followed by floods in Europe. For hurricanes, scientists anticipate that the proportion of severe storms and of storms with extreme rainfall will increase because of climate change. Even though events cannot automatically be attributed to climate change, analysis of the changes over decades provides plausible indications of a connection with the warming of the atmosphere and the oceans. Adapting to increasing risks due to climate change will be a challenge.”

Relatively Low Losses in Asia-Pacific Region
In the Asia-Pacific region, losses remained modest. With overall economic losses of $50bn, of which $9bn were insured (insurance gap 83 percent), the region accounted for just 18 percent of overall losses and 7 percent of insured losses. The costliest natural disaster was a severe flood in Henan Province in central China, where countless rivers, including the Yellow River, burst their banks. Hundreds of thousands of homes were flooded. Overall losses came to some $16.5bn, with only about 10 percent of these insured.

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the east coast of Japan on 13 February. The earthquake was not far from the epicenter of the Tohoku earthquake off Japan’s northeast coast, which ten years earlier had triggered a devastating tsunami that led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The latest earthquake caused substantial losses of $7.7bn, with insured losses in the region of $2.3bn (insurance gap: 70 percent).

Volcanic Eruptions and Earthquakes – an Underestimated Threat?
Along with the earthquakes in Japan, several violent volcanic eruptions following a number of more peaceful years underlined the threats from geophysical catastrophes. In September, the Cumbre Vieja volcano in the south of La Palma in the Canary Islands erupted. Giant streams of lava flowed all the way to the sea. Some 3,000 properties were buried under lava streams and layers of volcanic ash. It was not until 25 December that the authorities were able to officially declare the eruption over. Losses are in the region of €850m ($1bn). Only a small portion of this is likely to be insured.

On the Indonesian island of Java, the Mount Semeru volcano erupted in December. The event produced what are known as pyroclastic flows consisting of hot ash and rock at temperatures of around 1,000°C, which is why such eruptions are far more dangerous than those with lava flows. More than 50 people were killed. 

Even in Industrialized Countries, There Is Still a Large Insurance Gap
On a global level, around 57 percent of losses from natural catastrophes in 2021 were not insured. Those affected must bear the financial losses themselves, or rely on aid. This insurance gap has declined over the last few decades in industrialized countries, whereas in poorer countries it remains unchanged at over 90 percent.  

In industrialized countries, the proportion of insured losses depends on the particular natural hazard concerned. For example, in the USA and Europe, insurance density is much lower for floods than for storms. Some infrastructure in the USA is insured, while this is seldom the case in Europe.

“Greater insurance density can help people and countries to better cope with the financial consequences of a disaster and help them return to a normal life. Developing concepts in partnership with governments (public-private partnerships) certainly makes sense,” explains Ernst Rauch.