More than 4 in 10 Americans live in areas hit by climate disasters last year: analysis

by Lexi Lonas Cochran - 01/05/22 2:08 PM ET

More than 4 in 10 Americans lived in areas that were hit by climate disasters in 2021, according to an analysis done by The Washington Post.

The analysis of federal disaster declarations showed more than 40 percent of Americans experienced a climate disaster, which killed at least 656 people.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recorded eight declared statewide emergencies from climate disasters, the most since 1998, according to the Post.

However, in 2021 there were fewer climate disasters in individual counties compared to previous years.

The climate disasters included fires, hurricanes, severe storms, landslides and floods.

Eighty percent of Americans experienced a heatwave, while 15 percent of Americans lived in a county that was affected by a fire.

The data follows another analysis done by the Post over the summer that showed more than 30 percent of Americans experienced a climate disaster in the summer of 2021.

Climate disasters have cost the U.S. billions of dollars as many scientists predict the situation will get worse due to climate change.