Extreme Storms
Hurricanes are similar to cyclones, containing and releasing enough energy to supply electricity to the US for one year. They can carry the ocean along with them, bringing storm surges as high as 7.6 m (25 ft) above sea level. Often storm surges and associated floods are responsible for much of the damage to coastal areas.
The United Nations Environment Program and private finance institutions (UNEP FI) warns that the estimated cost of droughts, storm surges, hurricanes and floods reached a record $US210 billion ($A276 billion) in 2005. Undoubtedly insurance losses and costs will escalate in the coming years.
There is likely to be increased severity and frequency of monsoonal storms and flooding in the Himalayas, which are expected outcomes of climate change, may significantly alter the area’s erosion, river discharge, and sediment dynamics.
