Major disaster in the US declared every four days in 2024, IIED analysis shows

• IIED's research looked at data on FEMA Disaster Declarations in the 50 states of the USA, for a 30-year period from 1995-2024.
• Two types of FEMA disaster categories were examined - Major Disasters and Emergency Declarations (FEMA has four categories of disaster declarations related to natural disasters)
• The analysis looked only at weather-related disasters, filtering out other disaster categories

Climate-driven disasters in the United States are becoming more common according to analysis of long-term data from the country's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with 90 major disaster declarations in 2024.

To put this number into perspective, that's almost double the 30-year average of 55 declarations per year.

Or to put it another way, that equates to one new major disaster declaration every four days on average last year.

IIED analysed 30 years of FEMA data in collaboration with CNN to examine one aspect of how climate change is affecting the US.

By cross-referencing the disaster declarations with local level census data, we estimate that 137 million people - or 41% of the population - live in areas affected by either a major disaster or emergency declaration at some point in 2024.

"Millions of Americans are being affected by climate-driven disasters every year, sometimes with deadly consequences. Others have been left in financial ruin," said IIED senior climate finance researcher Sejal Patel.

"Political leaders need to respond to the gravity of the challenge by putting in place bold plans to cut emissions to address the cause of climate change. They also need to support households and communities most affected by climate-driven disasters."

Disasters hot up in summer months

FEMA disaster statistics cover a range of major events such as tornados, tropical storms, wildfires and floods. Our analysis excluded non-weather-related statistics also collected by the agency, such as chemical or toxic substance spills.

By looking at when these disasters are occurring during a calendar year, the summer months of July and August are the busiest, with up to 10 active major disasters taking place on some days.

In 2024, 267 out of 366 days had at least one active major disaster incident. This means that for almost three quarters (73%) of the year, there was an active disaster being dealt with somewhere in the US.

Growing disaster threat needs government action

IIED works with climate-vulnerable communities around the world to help build climate resilience. This data shows the US is no different in needing to help communities and individuals prepare for the inevitable effects of climate-driven disasters.

"As global temperatures continue to rise, all levels of government will have no choice but to help people adapt to the realities of climate change. This includes using climate models and impact predictions to inform long-term planning for infrastructure and service delivery," added Patel.

"Governments then need to implement climate plans to respond to this growing threat. This should include things such as more robust building codes, climate-resilient infrastructure such as flood barriers, better access to appropriate health care, early warning systems and response plans, climate-related insurance, and shock-responsive financial support.

While the FEMA data focuses on the catastrophic impacts of climate change, it does not capture many other effects such as extreme heat in urban areas. It also doesn't include the impact of slow onset events - gradual changes to the environment with long-term consequences, such as changing rainfall patterns.

Among wide-ranging projects, IIED is working to tackle loss and damage in countries vulnerable to the effect of the climate crisis, and build resilience and promote equitable adaptation strategies in affected communities.

Like all countries, the US is being impacted by climate change. And like all countries, its political leaders can't afford to delay action.

Download a full fact sheet containing the key research findings and the methodology used (PDF)