The most financially costly climate disasters around the world in 2024 produced $229 billion in damages and killed 2,000 people, according to Counting the Cost 2024: A year of climate breakdown, the most recent analysis of insurance payouts by nonprofit Christian Aid.

Three-quarters of these calamities occurred in the United States, reported The Guardian.

“Behind the billion-dollar figures are countless lost lives and livelihoods,” said Dr. Mariam Zachariah, a researcher for World Weather Attribution at Imperial College London, in a press release from Christian Aid.

Since the financial costs are only based on insurance losses, the numbers do not reflect the true figures, which are likely to be higher, in addition to the often uncounted human costs.

Among the extreme weather events that caused the most financial damage in 2024, Hurricane Milton in October was the most costly single event, bringing $60 billion in damages with 25 lives lost. Hurricane Helene, which struck Cuba, Mexico and the U.S. in September, was close behind with $55 billion. The monster hurricane killed 232 people.

In addition to these major hurricanes, smaller storms in the U.S. killed 88 people and brought $60 billion in damages.

“The data is now also showing that climate change is doubling the likelihood of many extreme weather events like floods and tropical cyclones and increasing their intensity, leading to massive destruction and loss of life,” said Patrick Watt, chief executive officer of Christian Aid, in the report.

People living in poverty in the world’s lower income nations are disproportionately affected by the costs and impacts of climate events. This highlights the necessity for adaptation strategies to mitigate vulnerability before disasters strike.

December’s Cyclone Chido in Mayotte potentially killed more than 1,000 people.

“The tragic impacts of Cyclone Chido in Mayotte really show how vulnerable small islands are to climate change. A single storm can severely damage critical infrastructure like power, water supply and communications across an entire island, making international support essential. Small islands must be supported to build resilience to tropical cyclones. It is not enough to just improve early warning systems, we must improve the resilience of homes and critical infrastructure to ensure that people have somewhere safe to shelter and essential services are operational during and after the storm,” said University of Reading professor Liz Stephens in the report.

Read the full article about cost of climate disasters by Cristen Hemingway James at Ecowatch.